New Album Review: John Mellencamp- Strictly A One-Eyed Jack

John Mellencamp- Strictly A One-Eyed Jack

Label: Republic

Producer: John Mellencamp

When music historians analyze the musical legacy of John Mellencamp, it’s apparent that there will be two vastly different chapters that the overall story will be divided into: his run as a superstar, Heartland rock hero, and his post-millennium arc as a grumpy but poetic, ashy-voiced folk poet. And you know what? Both chapters are fucking fantastic in their own, distinct right. The latter portion continues now with Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, Mellencamp’s twenty fourth LP, which finds his increasingly raspy vocals further deteriorated by a lifelong cigarette habit, and his worldview further informed by the observations of an aging man, often-times curmudgeonly, occasionally hopeful, and always soaked in a tar vat of soul and gravitas. Much like Bob Dylan’s latter-day vocals, Mellencamp’s are a bitterly acquired taste, but very much offer a unique quality that further underscores the songs he’s singing at this stage in life. Tracks like the humorously cynical “I Always Lie to Strangers”, drug-themed “Sweet Honey Brown”, and and pessimistic “I Am A Man That Worries” simply wouldn’t work as well if delivered by the classic Cougar pipes of his 80s heyday. And they’re further accentuated by the rustic, muddy trappings that color the album with gritty shades of folk, gospel, blues and even jazz. But that’s not to say he’s left those rock glory days completely behind him, as a trio of visits (vocals and guitar) from his fellow Heartland comrade Bruce Springsteen heartily illustrates. “Wasted Days” finds the pair delivering a breezy romp laced with both charming nostalgia and sage advise, while “Did You Say Such a Thing” effectively nods its head to their more amped-up rock past, and album closer “A Life Full of Rain” ends the proceedings with a full-circle moment that returns the pair to the central themes and sound of the overall record. They’re all satisfying, as is Strictly A One-Eyed Jack as a whole.

Track Listing

1. “Driving In the Rain” (John Mellencamp)
2. “I Am a Man That Worries” (Mellencamp)
3. “Streets of Galilee” (Mellencamp)
4. “Sweet Honey Brown” (Mellencamp)
5. “Did You Say Such a Thing” featuring Bruce Springsteen (Mellencamp)
6. “Gone So Soon” (Mellencamp)
7. “Wasted Days” featuring Bruce Springsteen (Mellencamp)
8. “Simply a One-Eyed Jack” (Mellencamp)
9. “Chasing Rainbows” (Mellencamp)
10. “Lie to Me” (Mellencamp)
11. “A Life Full of Rain” featuring Bruce Springsteen (Mellencamp)