John Mellencamp: Freedom’s Road…

It’s been a while since I’ve heard an album from John Mellencamp as musically strong and lyrically powerful as Freedom’s Road.

b000kggzxa01_aa240_sclzzzzzzz_.jpgI have always been a fan of John Mellecamp. He had a decade of excellent music - a run of 6 albums starting with 1983’s Uh-Huh and ending with 1993’s Human Wheels.

But something seemed to happen after that. Melencamp started to drift musically, without any real focus or pasion behind his songs. And once I started to see the numerous ‘greatest hits’ albums released, I began to resign myself that his best work was in the past. I wasn’t expecting to see him come out with an album like this.

In my opinion, Freedom’s Road’s is John Mellencamp’s best work since 1985’s Scarecrow. It’s a look at the world today that mixes both passion and compassion with a mature musical sensibility. It covers some of the same ground as Neil Young’s Living With War, but approaches it with less bitterness and a more hopeful outlook.

One of my favorite songs on Freedom’s Road is Someday, the opening track on the album. Check out this live performance of it from NBC’s Today Show:

It also has the uplifting song “Our Country”, popularized (and unfortunately in some ways minimized) by its use in the Chevy truck commercials. It’s a song that stands strong on its own merits:

I’ve played this album several times, and I find myself enjoying it more with each listen. If you were a fan of John Mellencamp in the past, or enjoy progressive country music, it would be worth your time to check this album out.

Freedom’s Road is a road worth traveling…

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3 Responses to “John Mellencamp: Freedom’s Road…”


  1. 1 Matt Keegan Feb 9th, 2007 at 1:58 pm

    What I really want to know is when Mellencamp dropped his Cougar designation and why. Other than that, I find him to be one of the best musicians of his time.

  2. 2 John Feb 9th, 2007 at 2:53 pm

    My understanding is that using the name “Cougar” was a record company decision - not his. He had wanted to use his real name all along. Once he had a proven record of success, he changed it back - but in two steps. He listed his name as “John Cougar Mellencamp” on the ‘83 record “Uh-Huh”, and then he dropped the “Cougar” completely on the album “Scarecrow”.

  3. 3 Matt Keegan Feb 15th, 2007 at 5:54 pm

    Thanks, John. It was one of those “unanswered questions” that did not keep me awake at night, but had me wondering nevertheless.

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