| Product Summary | | Label: OLIVE FILMS | | UPC: 00888072308220 | | Release Date: 7/15/2008 | | Buy.com Sku: 208080639 | | Item#: M469JU | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 26050 | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Longest Days ~ John Mellencamp |  | | 2. My Sweet Love ~ John Mellencamp | | | 3. If I Die Sudden ~ John Mellencamp | | | 4. Troubled Land ~ John Mellencamp | | | 5. Young Without Lovers ~ John Mellencamp | | | 6. John Cockers ~ John Mellencamp | | | 7. Don't Need This Body ~ John Mellencamp | | | 8. Ride Back Home, A ~ John Mellencamp | | | 9. Without A Shot ~ John Mellencamp | | | 10. Jena ~ John Mellencamp | | | 11. Mean ~ John Mellencamp | | | 12. County Fair ~ John Mellencamp | | | 13. For the Children ~ John Mellencamp | | | 14. Brand New Song, A ~ John Mellencamp | |
| John Mellencamp has characterized his new album, Life, Death, Love and Freedom, produced by T Bone Burnett, 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."
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Lyricist: John Mellencamp. | | Personnel: John Mellencamp (vocals, guitars, acoustic guitar); Andy York (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resonator guitar, mandolin, percussion, background vocals); T Bone Burnett (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, 6-string bass); Miriam Sturm (violin); Troye Kinnett (accordion, melodica, piano, organ, field organ, percussion); John Gunnell, Dennis Crouch (upright bass); Dane Clark (drums, hi-hat, maracas, shaker, tabla, tambourine); Mike Piersante (shaker); Janas Hoyt, Mike Wanchic (background vocals). | | Audio Mixer: Mike Piersante. | | Recording information: Belmont Mall, Nashville, IN; Electro Magnetic Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Sound Emporium Studios, Nashville, TN. | | Authors: John Mellencamp; T Bone Burnett. | | Editor: Jason Wormer. | | Photographer: Elaine Mellencamp. | | In stark contrast to the full-on, anthemic quality of his 2007 album, FREEDOM"S ROAD, John Mellencamp's '08 offering is a stark, spare affair. LIFE, DEATH, LOVE AND FREEDOM was overseen by legendary roots-rock producer T-Bone Burnett, and bears some similarity to Burnett's work on the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss '07 album RAISING SAND; there's a subtle, restrained quality to much of the material, and the arrangements tend toward a simple acoustic setup. | | The doomy lo-fi folk/blues of such tunes as the mortality-minded "If I Die Sudden" and "Don't Need This Body" could also be cousins of Bruce Springsteen's dark NEBRASKA tunes. Once in a while, Mellencamp picks things up, as with the rockabilly-like kick of "My Sweet Love," but for the most part, this is a spare, low-key set, its acoustic framework adorned only by occasional dusty touches of spacious electric-guitar reverb, rolling across the barren sonic landscape like errant tumbleweeds. |
Producer: T-Bone Burnett; T-Bone Burnett |
Engineer: Emile Kelman; Matt Andrews; Mike Piersante; Paul Mahern; Emile Kelman; Michael Stucker; Scott Davis |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 07/15/2008 | | Original Release Date : 2008 | | Catalog ID : 30822 | | Label : Hear Music (Starbucks) | | Number of Discs : 2 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00888072308220 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (p.88)
- Ranked #5 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "[T]he darkest, most compelling Mellencamp album in years."Entertainment Weekly (p.65)
- "Though he may be contemplating mortality, Mellencamp, with his weathered snarl, still sound remarkably alive." -- Grade: B Dirty Linen (p.52)
- "[T]hanks to Mellencamp's melodies and the musical settings provided by his band and Burnett's lush, spirited production, the songs shine as beacons..." Billboard - "The eight-song album is an honest-to-goodness testament to Mellencamp's longevity, artistry and ability to connect with his audience." Mojo (Publisher)
(p.111)
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "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..." |
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