AMG Review of Dance Naked [Bonus Track]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

The weary rock of Human Wheels was generally ignored, so John Mellencamp quickly banged out Dance Naked, a brief collection of by-the-book rockers. Since he and his band are professionals and fine craftsmen, it's an enjoyable record, but it has even fewer standout songs than the similar Whenever We Wanted. It's a problem that a cover of Van Morrison's "Wild Night," sung as a duet with Me'Shell NdegeOcello, is the best cut on the record, since that emphasizes how similar and undistinguished Mellencamp's songs sound. [The 2005 remastered reissue includes an acoustic version of "Wild Night".]