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Because I have friends in the right places I was able to get a copy of Plain Spoken a week ago and I thought it would be a good idea to come to Mellencamp’s official forum and give the first review of this album with the true fans after giving it several spins over the last few days. This is my first correspondence in here so bear with me. I am not a writer so I will do the best I can (my wife is going to edit this for me before I submit it so that it will be less embarrassing…..lol).
I want to start off by saying that this is an incredible piece of work that is every bit as good as John's last three albums and maybe even better. There are some songs on here that rank with the best of his career.
This is not a rock album by any stretch so those who were hoping for Uh Huh or Whenever We Wanted Part 2 will be disappointed. But it doesn’t matter because the songs are great, they are rootsy and they are all extremely well written. John is amazing. It’s hard to describe how the album sounds but the word “stately” comes to mind. Like I said it is definitely rootsy and folked based with some blues in a few songs as well. This is a mature work and the songs are all about serious subject matter. There is no light listening on this album.
My favorite songs are Sometimes There’s God, The Brass Ring, Blue Charlotte and Lawless Times.
Sometimes There’s God has a bluesy feel as John tells how sometimes it seems like God is around and sometimes He isn’t. “Sometimes there’s God/Sometimes there’s not.” The best line is the last one:
In the darkness we promise
“God I’ll never do this again”
May the choices we’ve made
Be forgiven
There is even some piano prominent in the song's instrumental bridge. Really neat song.
The Brass Ring is a slow song with an infectious vocal as John sings about someone who meets a troubled girl:
The saddest girl in the whole wide world
I met her on the quarter
With no regard for vagrancy
No respect for civil order
“How young are you” I ask her
“How old are you young lady?”
“I’m much older than you think
Because I have seven babies”
It goes on from there and is a very good lyric and a very good song with a nice message about how we will all be wearing our brass ring once we are in the ground.
Soon we will discover
A coffin to wear our brass ring
Blue Charlotte is among the best songs of John’s career and the best song on this record. John sings a heartbreaking tale of a guy watching his elderly wife die and spending his final days with her. The full lyrics are below.
Exhausted by too many tears
Trouble is everywhere
I hold you in my arms
Blue Charlotte
As your eyes gaze up at me
I’m not the man I used to be
You still own my heart
Blue Charlotte
Look away, look away
Their so precious, these last few days
Look away, look away
We watch as it comes to an end
Blue Charlotte
And if you pass tonight in your sleep
You would still have me to weep
I’m all that remains here
Blue Charlotte
Yellow letters from your youth
All of them seeking truth
Poems written from me to you
Blue Charlotte
Look away, look away
Their so precious, these last few days
Look away, look away
We watch all that screams
Blue Charlotte
(instrumental bridge)
Look away, look away
We watch as autumn comes to an end
Blue Charlotte
It’s a long, long way from here
Our reflections in the mirror
Now you’ve closed your eyes
Blue Charlotte
It’s a slow walk to the grave
Here we are together today
You’ve been my whole life
Blue Charlotte
Look away, look away
Their so precious, these last few days
Look away, look away
We watch as something new begins
Blue Charlotte
Blue Charlotte
I am telling you guys over a month before this album comes out that this is one of the five best songs John has ever written and recorded. The folky but upbeat melody rolls around in your head because it is very infectious and his gruff but crystal clear vocals only add to the song’s poignancy. Powerful stuff. Great, great song. The final line alludes to better days ahead in the afterlife which is a very nice message in these troubled times. I really love that. If you don’t tear up at the end of the song you might be metal inside…..lol
Lawless Times ticks off a list of things wrong with today’s society. Sample lyric:
Can’t trust the priest
Better watch your behind
Don’t look at the government
There’s no telling what you’ll find
This is a great album. Again, it does not rock in any fashion so if that is all you are after then do not waste your time. But you will be missing out if you don’t give it a chance. The songs are great and whether they rock or not the quality of the songwriting is all that matters. The album is pretty lively even if it doesn’t rock so if you like good song craftsmanship and songs that mean something in people’s lives then you will like this album. I think this has a chance to go down as one of the best albums of 2014. I will be interested to see what the rock press has to say about it next month when the reviews come out. Hope you liked my review. I really think this album is special.
Steve
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