John Mellencamp (1998) 


 


  1. Fruit Trader
  2. Your Life is Now
  3. Positively Crazy
  4. I'm Not Running Anymore
  5. It All Comes True
  6. Eden is Burning
  7. Where the World Began
  8. Miss Missy
  9. Chance Meeting at the Tarantula
  10.Break Me Off Some
  11.Summer of Love
  12.Days of Farewell

 

By the time John Mellencamp—the album—arrived in 1998, the man himself had long since ditched the “Cougar” moniker that launched him into stardom. But giving his thirteenth studio record the same name as the one on his birth certificate seemed more than symbolic. If Mr. Happy Go Lucky was his bold creative detour, this album feels like an attempt to recalibrate—an artist stepping back, reintroducing himself, and signaling that this is who he really is now.

And in many ways, it is. John Mellencamp is a mature, sober, and introspective affair. The problem is, it’s also frequently middling. The edges are dulled, the hooks are softer, and while the songwriting is thoughtful, it’s rarely urgent. For a man who once made a living by blending grit with melody and turning small-town angst into arena-ready anthems, this quieter incarnation takes some getting used to—and doesn’t always reward the effort.

The singles didn’t help. Your Life is Now and I’m Not Running Anymore are perhaps the weakest tracks here, and their release as lead material likely cemented the album’s lukewarm reception. These songs are basically flat, lacking both the lyrical spark and musical punch that defined Mellencamp at his best. Dig deeper, though, and there are flashes of something more promising. The album’s middle section finds its footing, especially with Eden is Burning, a loose continuation of the Jack and Diane narrative. Don’t expect nostalgia—this isn’t a sequel so much as a reckoning. These characters have aged, much like Mellencamp’s sound, and there’s a quiet power in that realization. Tracks like Miss Missy and It All Comes True also hold up well, capturing moments of subtle emotion without slipping into melodrama.

Unfortunately, the record loses its way again near the end. Break Me Off Some and Days of Farewell feel like misfires—experiments in modern urban textures that don’t mesh well with Mellencamp’s voice or songwriting style. If Mr. Happy Go Lucky succeeded by carefully blending new sounds with old instincts, this time the mix feels more disjointed.

Still, it’s hard to dismiss the album outright. There’s a sense that Mellencamp is wrestling with who he is at this stage of his career—no longer the hitmaker, no longer the rebel, but not yet fully at peace with his role as elder statesman either. In that way, John Mellencamp functions less as a declaration and more as a transitional statement. He may not have found the right sound yet, but he’s clearly looking.

And sometimes, that’s enough—for now.

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