MOJO Magazine: Life, Death, Love And Freedom Music Review

John Mellencamp
4 Stars
Life, Death, Love And Freedom
Universal

Proper Indianan Hoosier Mellencamp shows his darker and fiery roots.

Several major health problems, four marriages and 23 albums, Mellencamp might actually win major original artist status by the time he's 60 (in three year's time). Last year he was still heartland-rocky enough to sell a track for a Chevy TV ad, but only the Undertakers of America will see synergy in this one. Amid producer T Bone Burnett's open prairie sound and aptly distorted guitar moods, Mellencamp croaks a sequence of raw, all but nihilistic yet far from self-pitying first person tales about well, death mainly, leavened by the odd rather forlorn reference to the life, love, and freedom elements of the title. As one of his grimly ancient narrators opines in Don't Need This Body, "This getting older/Ain't for cowards.", Rock 'n' Roll truth spans the generations. Has to. Comes with a free DVD version. - Burnett is pioneering new sound CODE.