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I listened to John when he was John Cougar…then John Cougar Mellencamp…and now just John Mellencamp. He’s come a long way since his hard-rocking days, when he sang about fighting authority and love hurting so good. But he’s still the same guy who sings about life, death, love, and freedom (whether it’s our freedom as a whole or freedom from social injustices)—just with a more subdued sound on a more personal basis.
From the moment I heard the first track, “Longest Days,” I knew I’d love this CD. That song touched me on a deep level—because I could sit back and say, Wow, I know what he was feeling when he wrote that. How many of us have looked back on life and wondered where it went, saddened by things that we did or didn’t do—wishing we could get it back but knowing we can’t? Life is definitely short—even in its longest days.
Though many of the songs on the album are somewhat depressing, I can’t label the CD as depressing, simply because everything Mellencamp sings is steeped in a dose of reality. Sometimes you have to take a good, long, hard look at what’s not right in order to move toward a solution—and that’s what John Mellencamp has done with this CD.
With a blend of blues and southern rock sounds, each song makes you think a little harder about what’s going on around you. “Troubled Land” is a fine example, as he sings about why we need to keep looking for peace for this troubled land. “Jena” covers racism—an issue that still seems to be a problem today. “Without a Shot” warns us of the dangers of our freedom being stolen from us because no one paid attention to the warning signs.
He gets personal with “A Ride Back Home (Hey Jesus).” In this song, you can feel the weariness of growing old and just wanting to leave this place where so much of humanity is missing. I had to smile, though, at the image it conjured up of Jesus pulling up beside him in a vehicle to give him a ride back home (to Heaven).
Though you’ll recognize John Mellencamp’s voice on this CD, you won’t be getting the same John Mellencamp from twenty or so years ago. He decided not to resurrect his young, energetic self; instead, he went for slow and pensive in keeping with his age (since he’s now in his late fifties). This is a good thing—because there are few things sadder than an old rocker who’s trying to be a young rocker again. John Mellencamp’s voice and talent has aged like a fine cut of steak or a fine wine—he’s simply at his best on Life Death Love and Freedom.
I absolutely fell head over heels in love with Life, Death, Love and Freedom. Seldom does music reach out and grab my heart, but John Mellencamp did it here. I see the past, present, and future the way he does, and that gives me an odd sense of kinship with him. I know I’ll listen to this CD many times over the coming years.
