John Mellencamp has delivered the first really good album of 2007 and his best in over a decade with his new "Freedom Road"
Go pick it up it's really good. Much better than his last few records (which by the way were still pretty good)
Although, if I hear that "Our Country" song one more time during football games I am going to kill someone.
23rd January 2007 06:37 PM
glencar
The CD has received"mixed reviews" in most papers that I've read. Yesterday's NY Times had a story about howe JC Melly sold out his song for the Chevy ad campaign & why he did it. Interesting.
23rd January 2007 06:45 PM
Left Shoe Shuffle
quote:Poison Dart wrote:
John Mellencamp has delivered the first really good album of 2007 and his best in over a decade with his new "Freedom Road"
Go pick it up it's really good. Much better than his last few records (which by the way were still pretty good)
IMO Mellencamp's been making the same record over and over since the mid 80's.
Saw him in 05 with John Fogerty opening and bailed during his mid set Brando film interlude/cigarette break.
Also saw him at Farm Aid 06 - zzzzzz...
23rd January 2007 06:48 PM
Nellcote
From what I've read, it seems to be part of the trilogy started by Scarecrow, Big Daddy, which is good Mellenhead.
I'm off to get it now, @ Best Buy, with the extra tracks.
Here's the AMG review...4 stars
Review by Thom Jurek
What does John Mellencamp have to do to get a break? Sure, we can get on him for the Chevy commercial, but the song's great. Yet something has been lacking in Mellencamp efforts since the days of Dance Naked and his self-titled Columbia record in other words, everything since Human Wheels (which never got a fair hearing). Artists get to experiment, and willingly populist artists which he most certainly is can get trapped. He tried to bring his audience along to where he was musically, but seemingly never solidified that place himself. Which brings us to Freedom's Road. This set is perhaps the darker side of Lonesome Jubilee, and takes the small-town vision of Scarecrow and Big Daddy and fans it out. The music is a rootsy, excellent blend of electric and acoustic guitars, fiddle, big fat drums, and lots of space. The other musical difference is the help of country superstar quartet Little Big Town (who really are to their genre what Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac was to rock and pop and look to cross over to that side, too) on backing vocals throughout. They add a depth of field on cuts like "Someday," with its staggered, layered harmonies, ringing electric guitars, and lost-in-America vision. It's followed by "Ghost Towns Along the Highway." Mellencamp is looking far outside Indiana here, and when he sings "Well, our love keeps on movin'/To the nearest faraway place/I guess no one believes it's/Ghost towns along the highway/Ghost towns along the main highway," a forlorn fiddle glides ragged above the electric six-strings and the drums shuffle to keep up in the void.
"The Americans" and "Our Country" (which is here, of course) are the natural extensions of "Little Pink Houses." These are songs of determination, of definition of what it means to be an American from the Midwest in an era when America seems to be losing sight of itself. These two tracks have easily identifiable hooks and refrains, and with those big choruses, one can see the video footage from all across the country rolling by on a TV screen, or feel the vibe out on your neighborhood street, that this is the way it should be: open, honest, willing, and, above all, tolerant. There is no Ugly American syndrome in either of these songs: "If you ever need some help, come and look my way/'Cause I try to be here for everyone/I'm an American/And I respect your point of view...and I wish you good fortune with whatever you do." This is no rallying cry, it's a simply declaration and exhortation to be the citizens of the world this country has always seen itself as (and was seen as by so many) at least until 9/11. That this is stated inside rock & roll songs is all the better; it's a great export that has given voice to different world expressions of what that is and it certainly beats jingoistic sloganeering. It's not all optimism, however. The collision of spooky old-time folk, country, and blues that meet in rock drenches the title cut with its double-time snare, edgy Rickenbacker guitars, funky middle-eight bass break, and infectious group chorus. Mellencamp sings it straight: he doesn't have to shout or growl: "Sometimes there'll be rape/Sometimes there's murder/Sometimes there's darkness everywhere.../There's information, but no one cares.../Freedom's road can get narrow.../If you're looking for the devil/He's out there, on freedom's road." And moving forward a track he digs for accountability in "Jim Crow," with Joan Baez on duet vocals. With a spooky string section echoing in the background, a lone electric, and layered acoustics, he sings "Look what Jim Crow's done/Gone and changed his name/Don't know what he's calling himself these days/But he's still acting the same," and Baez counters "You can call it what you want/But it's still a minstrel show." The guitars get angrier, rising as do the strings countering them; it's a cut full of drama, shame, and an indictment to repentance with the blind weight of the history of America's injustice to its own.
When "Our Country" follows, it's a statement of not just rights and dreams, but responsibilities. The TV commercial makes the track seem more romantic than it is. In Mellencamp's view, just because the power game has shifted the dialogue toward protectionism and paranoia, it doesn't change the vision that most of America's populace wants to be what we have always said we were. In other words, we owe that not only to ourselves, but to the world. That it's the best hook Mellencamp has written in ages underscores this fact. Is it overly optimistic and idealistic? Maybe, but perhaps in the face of all the frightening ambiguity that comes from actually becoming the melting pot of the world we have now realized our collective ideal we need to restate the obvious because it's been covered over by insularity and darkness. All of this in a mainstream rock & roll album? You bet. It's got it all: pleasure, desire, jeremiads, love, disillusionment, big drums, rollicking guitars, and above all an accessible kind of passion. The scorcher that intersects American music at the crossroads of Johnny Rivers, J.B. Lenoir, Gene Vincent, the Staple Singers, and Mellencamp's own "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." is the closer, "Heaven Is a Lonely Place." The track actually ends at 4:30, and after a little over three minutes of silence, there's a tough surprise that lasts until the 12-minute mark. Freedom's Road is not merely a new (or another) John Mellencamp album, but the work of a populist artist at his very best; he's spinning his heart-worn, ragged roots rock tomes about struggle, determination, and the possibility of redemption. He's not promising anything like a foregone conclusion at this point, but it's there if we want it bad enough. Song-wise, this is a stronger album from Mellencamp than we had any right to expect, and an excellent from-the-cradle album when we need it most.
23rd January 2007 06:58 PM
Saint Sway
fuck mellencamp. That song he made for the truck commercial is the most forced, phony, hoaky, predictable load of crap to come out in a long, long time.
its like the Chevy or Ford or whovever the ad is for just gave mellencrap a blank check and told him to make sure he came back with a song that namechecked 'America'... 'freedom'... 'this land'...'our country'... 'pride'... 'sea to shining sea'...
fuckin A
and they play it all the time
fuck mellencrap that full of shit, has been, sell out, phony ass, greedy twat
23rd January 2007 07:02 PM
Left Shoe Shuffle
quote:Saint Sway wrote:
fuck mellencamp. That song he made for the truck commercial is the most forced, phony, hoaky, predictable load of crap to come out in a long, long time.
That's what happens when your last album sells 180K.
23rd January 2007 07:05 PM
glencar
Well, in the NY Times article, Cougar says that he saw Tom petty's last single get no radio/TV exposure even though he thought it was the best Petty ahd done in years. Instead only pop tarts got publicity. That's why he licensed that song to Chevy. He didn't expect it to be played so often.
23rd January 2007 07:10 PM
Saint Sway
quote:Left Shoe Shuffle wrote:
That's what happens when your last album sells 180K.
LOL!
but no. fuck him. Thats no excuse. The guy has major BANK!! Dudes rollin it. Has made millions and is livin on a farm on Arkansas or wherever.... he doesnt need the $$$$ which makes him an even bigger phony, piece of shit sell-out
oooh... poor mellencamp his last record didnt sell millions. Bah wah. Bah wah... QUICK! Hurry! better sell out to a car company and force feed some bullshit song about american pride down our throats
23rd January 2007 07:16 PM
Saint Sway
quote:glencar wrote:
Well, in the NY Times article, Cougar says that he saw Tom petty's last single get no radio/TV exposure even though he thought it was the best Petty ahd done in years. Instead only pop tarts got publicity. That's why he licensed that song to Chevy. He didn't expect it to be played so often.
who cares???? The song his beyond hoaky. He sold out big time. Those lyrics are such phony, forced, rote patriotic dribble... "this is our country.... from the east coast to the west coast... down the Dixie Highway this is our country..."
QUICK!!! Somebody slap an american flag on the back of Chevy! Cue the shot of the man working on his ranch... cue the shot of the old man on the porch at sunset... and zoom in on the american eagle soaring in the sky....
oh PUKE!!!
the guys profiteering off of every cliche of patriotism you can think of
what a guy
wha an american
lets all go buy his record in case the bullshit diddy he wrote for the car company didnt make him rich enough
[Edited by Saint Sway]
23rd January 2007 08:04 PM
Mel Belli
quote:Saint Sway wrote:
who cares???? The song his beyond hoaky. He sold out big time. Those lyrics are such phony, forced, rote patriotic dribble... "this is our country.... from the east coast to the west coast... down the Dixie Highway this is our country..."
QUICK!!! Somebody slap an american flag on the back of Chevy! Cue the shot of the man working on his ranch... cue the shot of the old man on the porch at sunset... and zoom in on the american eagle soaring in the sky....
oh PUKE!!!
the guys profiteering off of every cliche of patriotism you can think of
what a guy
wha an american
lets all go buy his record in case the bullshit diddy he wrote for the car company didnt make him rich enough
[Edited by Saint Sway]
The album is far from patriotic drivel. It's strongly anti-Bush, anti-war, etc. He calls Bush a "rodeo clown" at one point, and calls America an "arrogant nation." That he got Chevy to indirectly underwrite the whole project is kind of amazing...
23rd January 2007 08:14 PM
glencar
OK, so it's anti-patriotic drivel. Most reviews ahve slammed it for its immature lyrics.
23rd January 2007 08:38 PM
Mel Belli
quote:glencar wrote:
OK, so it's anti-patriotic drivel. Most reviews ahve slammed it for its immature lyrics.
Mellencamp has never been known for great lyrics -- at least, not in the league of Dylan and Bruce. So, to slam him for that weakness now is to basically diminish his entire career...
23rd January 2007 09:01 PM
fireontheplatter
i like cougar mellonhead camp. most of his song, i can relate to. he sings about me, the common man. it is a bit much tho, this patriotic thing ....
23rd January 2007 09:49 PM
Poison Dart
This is far from patriotic drivel. He bashes Bush and call the United States an arrogant nation.
But, he also salutes the many/majority of good people in America.
As far as the commercial goes. What the hell? No matter how good his new music (or any other classic rock act is) won't get played on the radio. It's one of the few ways he can reach a large audience these days.
The strategy worked. The single was his first to make an impact on the charts in quite some time. And everyone in the country (it's a hit)knows the song now. Even if radio will only play shit like Akon and Fergie.
As I type Mellencamp is #4 on the amazon.com charts.
[Edited by Poison Dart]
23rd January 2007 10:02 PM
glencar
quote:Mel Belli wrote:
Mellencamp has never been known for great lyrics -- at least, not in the league of Dylan and Bruce. So, to slam him for that weakness now is to basically diminish his entire career...
Even if he didn't have great lyrics, he had some nice hooks.
23rd January 2007 10:15 PM
Taptrick
I think Trouble No More kicks ass. Baltimore Oriole, Death Letter, Lafayette, Stones in My Passway, and and Diamond Joe are classic interpretations for me.
24th January 2007 01:39 PM
Poison Dart
I always thought Mellencamp was somewhat underrated.
24th January 2007 02:25 PM
Martha
Saint Sway you speak with venom about my ex husband. Guess he got your goat.
Peace out,
Martha Mellencamp
24th January 2007 11:32 PM
Nellcote
Mellencamp on Jimmy Kimmel Live 24 & 25 January on ABC here in US...
25th January 2007 06:47 AM
corgi37
If it aint got Kenny Aronoff on it, then it sux.
25th January 2007 10:11 AM
Poison Dart
I wonder how this is going to do on the charts? Our Country is already very well know (thanks to that Chevy commercial)+ the album is in the top 5 at Amazon.com
25th January 2007 10:17 AM
glencar
ABB was #1 on amazon for a few days. I'd guess a low Top Ten debut for this release.
25th January 2007 10:50 PM
Taptrick
Give these a listen...
Stones In My Passway
25th January 2007 10:53 PM
Taptrick
Death Letter
25th January 2007 10:56 PM
Taptrick
Cool 8 minutes - Stones in Passway better here
[Edited by Taptrick]
26th January 2007 03:05 AM
IanBillen
I think we are all over thinking it slightly.
well the guy is not the worst artist in history. Not the best either. A dude well past his prime and still doing records. He had his place and will in a way be remembered as a lower notch Bruce.
Now, even if his new record is great. Does it deserve much thought? If it is.... well great. If it sucks, oh well, who was really looking for it anyway.
Do I respect him? Well sure I guess. Did he have something that created a spark in some folks? Sure. Am I taking him seriously in 2007? No. Did I go over the top for him in his hey-day....no. He's not a slouch yet he is no legend.
It is John Cougar Mellencamp. Nuff Said.
Ian
26th January 2007 05:09 AM
corgi37
He was very good live. Saw him twice. UH-HUH is my fave of his.
26th January 2007 05:09 AM
corgi37
He was very good live. Saw him twice. UH-HUH is my fave of his.
26th January 2007 08:53 AM
Taptrick
Ian at first I thought your comment was about the Stones and ABB!
But I think you point something very relevant out - at this point in rock n' roll the grounbreaking work has all been done. Nobody will shape the world again through rock in the same way the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Dylan, etc did. I remember Mick saying something about rock in the late late 70s and he was talking about how he liked to go see certain shows and enjoyed some of the younger bands but that "it's all been done before - but these kids haven't seen it yet so it's all new to them" (paraphrase). I think that is even more true today. Most of the music buying public today is muically/historically, uneducated. The mass selling stuff will be bubblegum pap for the foreseeable future.
The nice part about the fracturing of the industry is mass availabilty. It doesn't matter to me what anyone thinks of ABB or Trouble No More. I like it and it is available.
31st January 2007 08:04 PM
Poison Dart
Mellencamp's "Freedom's Road" entered the US Billboard album charts at #5.
It's his highest debut on the album chart ever.
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