Sad Clowns and Hillbillies (featuring Carlene Carter) (2017) 


 


  1. Mobile Blue
  2. Battle of Angels
  3. Grandview
  4. Indigo Sunset
  5. What Kind of Man Am I
  6. All Night Talk Radio
  7. Sugar Hill Mountain
  8. You are Blind
  9. Damascus Road
  10.Early Bird Cafe
  11.Sad Clowns
  12.My Soul's Got Wings
  13.Easy Target

 

If nothing else, you have to give Mellencamp credit for landing on a spot-on album title. Sad Clowns & Hillbillies sounds exactly like what’s inside—a mix of rustic melancholy and back-porch simplicity, delivered with the gravelly voice of a man who’s been around long enough to earn both titles. Whether that’s a good thing or not probably depends on your tolerance for fiddles, harmonies, and the kind of Americana that sounds like it was recorded on a dusty porch somewhere in Tennessee.

The record is billed as a collaboration “with Carlene Carter,” and for those not up on the family tree of country royalty, Carter is the daughter of June Carter Cash and a respected artist in her own right. She shows up a fair amount, sometimes taking lead, other times singing in tandem with Mellencamp. Their voices blend well enough, and there’s an easy rapport between the two, but it’s not exactly a dynamic pairing. This is very much Mellencamp’s show, just with a bit of a guest star now and then.

Stylistically, it leans heavily into folk, country, and light gospel—think acoustic guitars, mandolins, and plenty of fiddle. Mellencamp has long since left the rock & roll rebel behind and fully embraced his inner storyteller, and while that’s commendable from an artistic standpoint, the results here are a bit... sleepy. It’s not that the songs are bad—far from it—but there’s very little here that sticks. Most of the tracks kind of blend together in a pleasant, mid-tempo haze. It’s nice enough, just not terribly memorable.

To be fair, if you enjoy this kind of Americana-flavored songwriting with a touch of spiritual reflection, you’ll probably find a lot to like. But if you’re hoping for even a hint of the guy who once snarled his way through Crumblin’ Down or Paper in Fire, well, you won’t find him here. This is front-porch Mellencamp, Sunday morning Mellencamp. Whether that’s a welcome evolution or not is up to the listener.

Personally, I made it through two full listens, and while nothing outright offended, nothing really compelled me to go back for a third. Not essential, but not a misstep either. Just a quiet, rural detour from an artist who’s clearly more interested in following his own muse than chasing trends or radio play.

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