Strictly a One-Eyed Jack (2022) 


 


  1. I Always Lie to Strangers
  2. Driving in the Rain
  3. I am a Man that Worries
  4. Streets of Galilee
  5. Sweet Honey Brown
  6. Did You Say Such a Thing
  7. Gone Too Soon
  8. Wasted Days
  9. Simply a One-Eyed Jack
  10.Chasing Rainbows
  11.Lie to Me
  12.A Life Full of Rain

 

At this point in his career, John Mellencamp has fully embraced the image of the weathered old storyteller—half troubadour, half town crank. And Strictly a One-Eyed Jack leans into that persona harder than anything he’s ever done. From the moment the sluggish opener I Always Lie to Strangers kicks in, you know exactly what kind of record this is going to be: dark, slow, and not particularly interested in cheering anyone up.

Mellencamp’s voice is more gravel than ever—hoarse, cracked, and worn like an old boot. He’s clearly playing to that strength now, aiming for wisdom and world-weariness over melody and energy. The issue is that the songs themselves rarely rise above the mood. There's a lot of rambling here, but not much to hum later.

There is, however, one real bright spot: Did You Say Such a Thing, which actually has a pulse and even—dare I say—a hook. Bruce Springsteen shows up to lend his voice on that track and a couple others, though you’d be forgiven for not noticing. Despite years of comparisons between the two, Springsteen still knows how to craft a tune that carries emotional weight and sounds good doing it. Mellencamp, on the other hand, just sounds bitter and tired.

There are flashes of late-period Dylan here too—another common comparison—but again, Dylan tends to make his weariness feel like poetry. Mellencamp often just sounds annoyed. Chasing Rainbows tries to lift the mood a bit, but its almost cheery tone feels completely out of place, like it wandered in from another album and got lost.

The packaging is nice, though. Mellencamp painted the cover himself, which is more memorable than most of the music inside. For longtime fans, this might feel like another step into the twilight years of an artist who long ago stopped worrying about hit singles or mass appeal. For everyone else, it's a tough, often joyless listen that’s hard to recommend unless you're already on board with this version of John Mellencamp.

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