Uh-Huh (1983)
1. Crumblin' Down
2. Pink Houses
3. The Authority Song
4. Warmer Place
5. Jackie O
6. Play Guitar
7. Serious Business
8. Lovin' Mother For Ya
9. Golden Gates
 
Mellencamp's follow up to the
massively successful American Fool is in
every way, exactly what it should be. The arrangements and song writing
are a bit more complex, he's venturing into slightly more varied styles,
but the music remains just as authentic, just as honest and open, as one
would hope. If anything, Mellencamp seems to be subconsciously
fighting what many would expect a "new" superstar to be
embracing. He decided to start using his real, geeky last name instead
of the industry's insistence of being called "Cougar". Also, the album title
itself is as simple and unassuming as it can be, and his first single
(and best song) off the album Crumblin' Down featured a video
with no effects - basically Mellencamp prancing around an empty room
with nothing but a wooden chair as a prop. Nope, he wasn't going to go
for the over indulgence that would become synonymous with the eighties.
Maybe this is why the album slipped a notch in sales and popularity.
Not that any of that really matters. This is mostly a very fine
collection, and probably "rocks" harder than anything in his catalog.
He is starting to slowly show his somewhat political side, but the
method is unoffensive. He's sings of the underprivileged and uneducated
on songs such as the infectious Pink Houses and the pretty closer
Golden Gates and his rebellious youth is still intact on Play
Guitar and the should-have-been-a-hit The Authority Song.
He only really embarrasses himself once on the tune Jackie O.
I'm not really sure exactly what he was trying to do on this
song. The entire track sounds like a cheap demo - the only instrument
seems to be one of those 1970 style home electric organs that "play
themselves". He probably has some artistic reason for this, but what it
is, is beyond me. There's not much on volume here - the whole album
clocks in at 33 minutes, so one bad song stands out. Fortunately
everything else is either "very good", or downright awesome. It also
proved American Fool was no fluke.
Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review