John Mellencamp Community

I allowed myself to soak in Plain Spoken for several weeks before sharing my thoughts. I listened to it from start to finish many many times and listened to some of John’s older work as well to compare. I would rate it up with Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy, and Mr Happy Go Lucky as my favorite albums. IMHO this is better than his past two alums that are highly regarded by many. Never was a fan of LDLF but I did like NBTT a lot. While NBTT was great in many ways it lacks much of Mellencamp and his band’s uniqueness. It is this uniqueness that sets Mellencamp apart from the rest for me. It’s the atmosphere and sound the band can produce on alums such as Scarecrow, Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy, Mr Happy Go Lucky, John Mellencamp, and Freedom’s Road. All of these albums use a wide array of instruments; Hammond, harmonica, fiddle, violin, etc… to create great melodies. The band is truly top notch and underrated by many. This is matched by great song writing as well. Some of these songs are among the best Mellencamp has ever written. The Isolation of Mister is incredible and the lyrics are relatable to many. Probably one of my favorite sections;
Been so indifferent about so many things
About my time and my rage
Thought I was livin’ a life of freedom
But I was living in a cage
And that cage bred with my lower self
So many knots I did not untie
They came undone by my faults
This is truly Mellencamp’s song, Dylan nor Springsteen have never written anything quite like this song. The Company of Cowards sounds like it could be right off LJ or BD, only difference is John’s aged vocals. Tears of Vain and The Courtesy of King are the strongest vocal performances on the album, his voice suites both perfectly. The aged voice allows lyrics to be “expressed” in a way much like Dylan’s recent albums, just listen to this part of The Courtsey of King for an example:
She had the face of an angel
And a smile no one could deny
But the heart of a devil
Beat deep down in her inside
She spoke of judgment and forgiveness
Her other lovers didn’t mean a thing
She never took much notice
In the courtesy of kings
Brass Ring is written in a manner similar to Easter Eve on NBTT, storytelling at it’s finest. There really isn’t a bad song on Plain Spoke, all 10 deserve to be heard. Mellencamp’s voice sounds great right now but I do fear he’s a few packs away from something that would be less enjoyable. (I also think he purposely distorts his voice to sound like Dylan does nowadays).

Wanted to share my two cents on another fantastic album. Also if you havn't yet please go review Plain Spoken on Amazon and iTunes.

 

My Brother downloaded his album, and let me listen to it. JM still remains a great songwriter. Good stuff.

Good review of ''Plain Spoken'',  but how can you be a Mellencamp fan, or just a fan of great songwriting in general and not like ''Life, Death, Love & Freedom'', an album already considered by many to be John's masterpiece.

I hear you Kicker, maybe I am a tad harsh on Life Death Love & Freedom. There are some great songs and great songwriting but I just don't like the overall sound of the album (if that makes sense). There was always a part of me that wished the album versions of If I Die Sudden and Troubled Land would sound like the live versions. Also Miriam Sturm only appears on one song from LDLF which is disappointing. It's not a bad album by any means but just does't rank as a favorite for me.

I'm also not a huge fan of the overall sound/production of the album, but the songwriting is John at his very best. I also prefer the live version of ''If I Die Sudden'', but not so ''Troubled Land''. I think it's absolutely perfect the way it is on the studio album.

Very nice review!

The more I listen to Plain Spoken, the more I like it.  The songwriting touches on so many emotions.  Isolation Of Mister, Troubled Man and Blue Charlotte are great examples but so are Tears In Vain and The Brass Ring.  With Plain Spoken, John has put out one truly amazing album.




Mike