Album title: Sad Clowns and Hillbillies
Artist: John Mellencamp
Genre: Rock/Americana
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Twenty-third
Estimated Rating:
Familiar with this artist? Of course
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Some
Average RYM Score: 3.00
I only owned the one Mellencamp album, back when he was calling himself John Cougar Mellencamp, and that was
The Lonesome Jubilee. I got it after I heard the song “Paper in Fire”, which was a single from it. I don't recall it being a bad album, but I don't recall it being particularly good. This one has much more a country feel to it than that one did; though the likes of fiddles and harmonicas seem always to have been associated with his work, even back then, in 1987, this seems to lean more heavily on the acoustic side of things than did that album, which was much more a rock album. It still has plenty of teeth, but there's a reflective, almost plaintive mood about the music. Sort of reminds me of a cross between Springsteen's
Nebraska and Steve Earle's
El Corazon to a degree. “Grandview” is the first proper rock song, and features Martina McBride; oddly, perhaps, it's the first one I kind of don't really like that much.
It's pretty good but I admit to feeling a little bored. “All Night Talk Radio” sounds really like “Pink Houses” slightly redone, and “Sugar Hill Mountain” is frankly awful. “Sad Clowns” sets the seal in **** on this album. It's just got worse and worse after a half-decent and hopeful start. Maybe Mellencamp should think about giving it up. I'm sure he won't though.
Check out more from this artist? Doubt it
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yah
Actual Rating:
