After watching Polygram do next to nothing to promote one of his best, Human Wheels, John Mellencamp decided he had had enough and went looking for another record company. He landed at Columbia and rewarded their confidence in him with another fine record, simply titled John Mellencamp.
This 1998 release is top notch Mellencamp. He wrote five of the songs with long-time writing partner George Green, and in keeping with the fresh start with a new label, Dane Clark handles the drumming duties and Moe Z. MD handles the sampling.
After all these years, I think it's easy to take Mellencamp for granted. He is a consistent performer and a fine song writer, and while some have called him a poor man's Springsteen, I've never viewed him like that.
On his Columbia debut, Mellencamp opens with a double-shot of upbeat sound with "Fruit Trader" and "Your Life is Now," a song that should have been a boss hitbound single. After slowing down for "Positively Crazy," Mellencamp picks up the pace again with "I'm Not Running Anymore," another one of those tunes that have hit single written all over it.
The CD chugs along with Mellencamp and his band giving some of their best performances. With his most recent releases being more stark, dark, and just a little bit dreary, go back and give another listen to John Mellencamp. It has held up well, and sounds great, 13 years later.
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