Track Listing

1. Longest Days
2. My Sweet Love
3. If I Die Sudden
4. Troubled Land
5. Young Without Lovers
6. John Cockers
7. Don't Need This Body
8. A Ride Back Home
9. Without A Shot
10. Jena
11. Mean
12. County Fair
13. For The Children
14. A Brand New Song

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #282 in Music
• Released on: 2008-07-15
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
The man who has been called `the poet laureate of the interstate' has reached deep into his soul, bringing forth an album of unparalleled maturity powered by a piercing musical vision. Produced by T Bone Burnett ("O' Brother Where Art Thou," Robert Plant, Allison Krauss)

Two disc package includes CD and high quality audio DVD.

People en Español
After Freedom’s Road, his first album in five years, John Mellencamp made it clear why he had such loyal fans. He’s made a career out of making himself vulnerable, with lyrics that undeniably come from the heart, and aided by his guitar, he generates a mood that’s more Americana melancholy than pop. After a year of being somewhat of a recluse, Mellencamp is back with 14 tracks filled with anguish, pain, resentment, and frustration. In songs like "If I Die Sudden," "Don’t Need This Body," and "Troubled Land," the singer-songwriter seems to be more like the Americana equivalent to Damien Rice rather than Bob Dylan, to whom he’s been compared to before. It’s a disc that, as my friend says, you can listen to while kicking a can and walking the streets. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español )

Después de Freedom’s Road, su primer álbum en cinco años, John Mellencamp dejó en claro porqué tiene un séquito de fans tan leal. Durante su carrera se ha desvivido por mostrar su vulnerabilidad y al mismo tiempo proporcionar confort al escucha con líricas que innegablemente salen de su corazón, y con inseparable guitarra cuyo sonido lo coloca más en el melancólico género americana que en el pop. Un año después de su regreso tras su auto reclusión, Mellencamp vuelve con 14 temas llenos de angustia, dolor, arrepentimiento y enojo. En temas como "If I Die Sudden," "Don’t Need This Body," y "Troubled Land," el cantautor parece ser la respuesta en Americana a Damien Rice más que a Bob Dylan, con quien muchas veces se le llega a comparar. Eso no tiene nada malo, es un disco, como diría un amigo, para "patear latas mientras caminas escuchándolo" a gusto. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español )

About the Artist
Mellencamp has characterized the album as a collection of "modern electric folk songs." With backing from his legendary touring band, the album's 14 tracks were recorded at his studio in Bloomington, Indiana and mixed in Los Angeles with Burnett behind the boards for all of the sessions. Mellencamp cites Burnett's production as key to "finding the soul of each song." As far as signing to Hear Music is concerned, he noted, "In today's business environment, each artist needs to pursue his own path and determine what works best. For me, Hear is the right way to go for this album. I'm glad to be working with a team of open minded people who seem to be interested in what the music is about and what it sounds like."

"John Mellencamp is true original, a writer and performing artist of passion, talent and spirit who in the course of his exceptional career has maintained a unique and distinctive voice in his songwriting," said Glen Barros, president & CEO of Concord Music Group who oversees the Hear Music label. "The songs on this record are perhaps his most intimate, honest and poignant of his career. We are delighted to have this opportunity to work on `Life, Love, Death and Freedom.'"

The album will be the first ever release in the ×ÏÄÅ (CODE) format. T Bone Burnett and his team of engineers developed CODE, a proprietary audio technology that creates high-definition audio files that are virtually indistinguishable from the original master tapes. The resonance, warmth and presence that has been realized with CODE is unprecedented in the digital era. The CODE version of "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" is a DVD that will come packaged with a standard CD version of the album, available at all retail outlets, at no additional cost to the consumer. The CODE disc is playable on virtually all DVD machines including stand-alone players and drives integrated into computer systems. The DVD's content can be copied into most computer music software including iTunes and can, then, be downloaded onto personal music players such as the iPod. The standard CD is included to answer all possible compatibility questions. Mellencamp commented, "When T Bone introduced me to CODE, it was a remarkable experience. I could hear the music the way it was intended to be heard. I'm very happy the people are going to be able to share this experience in a way that's so true to our original intent."

Mellencamp toured the U.S. and Canada towards the end of last year and had been performing at least half of the songs heard on "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" for concert audiences who have been extremely receptive to the new material. Earlier, he previewed several of the songs in New York at the annual Farm Aid benefit concert and at a benefit for New York Housing Works. He was a surprise guest performer at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival earlier this fall and joined T Bone Burnett on stage to preview some of the album's songs. In connection with the album's release, Mellencamp is embarking on a month-long tour that kicks off in Philadelphia on July 8.

Mellencamp was inducted earlier this year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and this past December received the ASCAP Foundation's Champion Award in recognition of the his outstanding use of music in the service of humanity. His musical collaboration with author Stephen King, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, is in the workshop stage with a full production anticipated within the next two years.

Customer Reviews

John Mellencamp's New Release: Excellent Record
I got this for Christmas. I am not an overwhelming Mellencamp fan. However, this CD is incredible! It is very well written, thought provoking and not overly cynical. I was grabbed by the first song. If you are looking for something quietly brilliant, understated but with a punch, this is the CD!!! I agree with one of the other reviewers, it is his best CD in a decade.

#5
Rolling Stone recently listed this album as the #5 best album of 2008. I thought, "Jeepers creepers, maybe I better listen again." I understand that Mellencamp is a great story teller. I understand that because this is a darker album that this will appeal to people that aren't cheerful. However, I found the music boring. Gone is the melodic imagination that has marked the best of the Cougar's work. The songs go up on one line and down on the next. Unfortunately, that's the pattern over and over and over. My favorite track on the CD is "Jena" with Andy York's searing lead guitar. But most of the other tracks blend into each other with faceless melodies. So as a musician and singer, yes, I like Mellancamp. But as a songwriter, while the subjects of his songs are interesting, the melodies he uses on this set make it hard to pay attention. Taxi!

John Mellencamp On The Morning After?
I am not implying with this review that this CD sounds like a hangover-it doesn't. This is actually one of only two John Mellencamp albums I purchased (the other is the wonderful The Lonesome Jubilee) and the other reviews here already explain how different this is from an album like that so I won't go into it again-why preach to the converted?Anyway yes this isn't exactly the happy singalong kind of rock tunes of Mellencamp's fast. At the same time there's no indication he intended anything like that to start with. One thing I must say is John Mellencamp had the good sense to include a lyric booklet with this (believe it or not some CD's still don't include them) because the lyrics are the best part of this music. This album doesn't feature any subject matter that is light-Mellencamp talks about racism and politics,issues he is well accustomed to from his past. But at the same time it's all from the point of view of a middle aged person who seems to feel there are less years ahead then behind,hence the word "death" in the albums title I guess. So this is one of his most mature albums to this point. T Bone Burnett brings his years of production experience to this music which results in a serious of folksy,bluesy rock songs that are all very downbeat even when the tempo goes up a bit such as "Jena" or "John Cockers". But somehow this doesn't end up downbeat for downbeats sake which is something I've heard in a few albums recently. It's only natural that because these 14 songs are so serious that the music would'nt be particularly happy. There is nothing on this album I don't like but if I had to pick one favorite it would be "Troubled Land"-it has a somewhat similar feeling musically to Bob Dylan's "Things Have Changed" but the lyrics take on the plight all of today's societies victims,notably farmers with a dead honest plea to "bring peace to this troubled land".The interesting part is the lyrics have no resolution:it ends abruptly with the phrase "but I keep travelin' on" so.......in the end life and peace is still a journey and we all write our own ending as it were. It's very Mellencamp really and one of a few songs here that has a strong optimistic overtone,even if it has no real conclusion.So hey-I am not one for all kinds of "dark" music but whatever it is they do I have a hard time saying no when it comes to the music of people like Dylan,Springsteen and John Mellencamp.