John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Live and Freedom Review
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Artist:
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Album:
Mellencamp’s 2008 release, Life, Death, Love and Freedom was a monumental album in his career. It was an album that wasn’t directed to the masses - instead it was an introspective, rootsy, folk album filled with cynicism and despair. Not necessarily the Mellencamp the world is accustomed to. It very well may have been his strongest album of his career, and while it was phenomenal, it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking which has me posing the question of, was this album which pulls eight songs exclusively from his last release really necessary? The answer is no, this wasn’t a necessary release at all. Instead, this is the kind of album that should be freely distributed to fan club members, and not sold to the general public. Even at it’s relatively low price of $7.99 (CD) and $5.99 (Digital), I would find it extremely difficult for anyone, other than a deeply devoted Mellencamp fan, to justify a purchase of this album. Life, Death, Love and Freedom was a superb album that channeled an abject Mellencamp who had the end of the line clearly in his sights. He delivered old-school bluesy folk arrangements with a dark edge. This live versions of these songs add even more grittiness and power, and sound like an improvement over the already stellar studio recordings.
Despite the quality of this album, and the low price point, it’s hard to warrant a purchase. Essentially, the target audience is the most die hard of Mellencamp fans who thoroughly enjoyed his last effort. The live version don’t add that much more to their studio counterparts, but overall do pack a little more punch. This album will get more play from me in the future than his studio album, but for someone who doesn’t need to own everything in John’s discography, then the studio album will suffice.
Grade: A
(Based solely on the quality of material)
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