Published: July 17, 2008 04:55 pm            

Darkness beautifully crafted on new Mellencamp CD

TERRE HAUTE — On his new “Life, Death, Love and Freedom” album, John Mellencamp’s voice sounds soulful and rich, with a depth beyond even his “Scarecrow” days. He still writes melodies that linger in the mind. His lyrics demand a thoughtful ear. His band rocks tighter than knotted up Christmas lights.

This collection, the 22nd of his career, is a great listen. A gem.

But …

It seems directed at an audience of the snobs that once refused to acknowledge Mellencamp’s obvious talents as a singer and songwriter, the people who sniffed that he was a Bruce Springsteen wannabe, the pretentious coastal elites who wouldn’t know Indiana from Iowa, or care to know.

While spinning the 14 songs on “Life, Death, Love and Freedom,” longtime Mellencamp aficionados might long to hear John and the gang explode through a set of tunes hinged upon the third word of the album’s title.

Where’s the love, John?

There’s one sweet dose of it on the second track, “My Sweet Love,” sung in duet with Karen Fairchild of the country band Little Big Town. Its lines breeze out of the speakers: “You’re the woman who knows exactly what she’s doing; you’re the girl who ate the apple off the tree; when you’re good, you’re just crazy; when you’re bad, you’re too much.”

But on this collection, “My Sweet Love” stands out like a funny eulogy at a funeral. It’s sandwiched between the bleak outlook of “Longest Days” and the plotting of Mellencamp’s will in “If I Die Sudden.” In “Longest Days,” he sings, “Even in its longest days, life is short.” Later on “If I Die Sudden,” he concedes, “This life’s been right to me, I got a whole bunch more than I deserve, now I will be free.”

From there, Mellencamp shoulders the lack of peace in America on “Troubled Land;” divisions by age and cultures on “Young Without Lovers” (“This world is such a mess,” he says); minimal existence on “John Cockers” (“I’m gonna dig me a hole, I’m gonna lie down in it”); aging on “Don’t Need This Body;” desperate need for divine intervention on “(Hey, Jesus, Can You) Give Me A Ride Back Home;” children forgotten in uncommitted families; racial violence; and meanness. His point is, there’s not much love out there.

The darkness is beautifully crafted. The tone is somber, and that’s exactly how you feel once it’s over. Producer T Bone Burnett and Mellencamp deserve credit for delivering a disc capable of transmitting its mood into its listener.

The hard part, at least for admirers of the rebellious resilience of a guy known for his uphill fight against authority, is hearing him so disappointed in us, him, the country and the world. The answer — hope — emerges in a few glimmers on “Life, Death, Love and Freedom.” But it sounds as if John doesn’t give hope much hope.

Even when Mellencamp sings about one oasis of carefree, summer beauty right now for Hoosiers, “County Fair,” his narration concludes with him being knifed to death.

Nobody expects Mellencamp, at an apparently strong 56, to stay bottled up inside his “Jack and Diane” visage. His evolution into a serious writer, able to artfully challenge society’s wrongs and flaws, is clear and powerful. But like another Midwesterner whose writing and humor darkened later in his career, Mark Twain, Mellencamp shouldn’t forget the power of his broad smile, and should flash it on his new recordings every once in awhile, just as he does in his concerts.

He’s right — life, death, love and freedom can be rough stuff. We’d just like to see him, and us, come out grinnin’.

Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@

tribstar.com or (812) 231-4377.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.