Fretplay.com John Mellencamp CD reviews John Mellencamp guitar tabs John Mellencamp CD reviews John Mellencamp tabs Big Daddy


John Mellencamp - Big Daddy Audio CD

A fair review of the John Mellencamp "Big Daddy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all John Mellencamp reviews here, or go back to the John Mellencamp tabs.

John Mellencamp Band: John Mellencamp
Title: Big Daddy
Rating:
Release Date: 2005-05-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Big Daddy of Them All 2: To Live 3: Martha Say 4: Theo and Weird Henry 5: Jackie Brown 6: Pop Singer 7: Void in My Heart 8: Mansions in Heaven 9: Sometimes a Great Notion 10: Country Gentleman 11: J.M.'s Question 12: Let It All Hang Out 13: Jackie Brown [Acoustic Version][*]

He does try to build on from "The Lonesome Jubilee"
This would begin his descent into mediocrity. However, he ends up coming up way short. I was never a big fan of "Pop Singer", but now I'm not a fan of this whole album. Mellencamp would mature from "Scarecrow" into "The Lonesome Jubilee" rather splendidly as he was trying to incorporate new instruments into his sound like a fiddle, accordian etc. and he did a good job of doing that, but he tried to do it some more, and he would fail. I guess he wanted to have America like his sound no matter what he put out, but there was one difference between "Lonesome Jubilee", and "Big Daddy", and that was at least "Lonesome Jubilee" rocked a bit. Here it's as dreary as rain on the roof. .


this is arguably my favorite mellencamp album?
if you are not passionate about music as an art form and you do not possess a real good set of ears and/or a decent stereo system this probably isn't for you. . . . is anyone satisfied when your favorite group or rocker keeps on releasing the same kind of albums/cds/music over and over again and again untill their fan base finally drys up and their label drops them? you can follow mellencamps progression as an artist as well a human being thru all of his releases from "american fool" untill now with a few side journeys into different genre's of music. [the old style blues are one example] i finally updated my entire older mellencamp album/cd collection with the newer remastered editions. [ i'm updating much of my cd collection as remastered editions become available ] i couldn't be more pleased for i'm lucky enough to have a high end sound system and there is a difference, everything is just that more clear, vibrant and fresh sounding! it says a lot for an older artist when his former label goes out of it's way and remasters his entire catalog with them when they'll do well to just break even on the project! major, and i do mean major props to them! as for the album itself? this album/cd finds mellencamp coming to terms with several issues after the failure of his second marriage. it's his darkest effort by far and he clearly wasn't in a good place when he wrote and recorded it? but then again through hardship, emotional adversity and strife sometimes comes great art and that is what this and mellencamp's whole body of recorded work is. . . . . . . . . . . . . art!.


An Equal to the unending strength of his entire catalogue
Thats what I feel when listening to a John Mellencamp record. Americana, frankly, at its best. JM is at a minimum, truly an equal to any of the greatest writer/ singers, if not the greatest, in my opinion. Comparisons are really not relevant, as music is subjective anyway.

Big Daddy is the album that brought me back to JM after a few years of trendy listening. "Theo and Weird Henry" specifically, for whatever reason, resonate in my soul, and always make me want to break out in a deadhead style solo dance around the house. The opening chords, like an explosion of foreboding, just MOVE me. John's expressed sympathies, his sincerity, are for me, expressions of desire for real American values; the kind called for in our declaration of Independence. Inalienable rights, humanist values, truly independent thought. Sad depiction of the propaganda of our times when John and his thoughts are labeled "lefty".

This album is in a PERFECT spot in the progression of his catalogue. Frankly, as good as it gets for me.

Thank you John!.


Lacking Energy and Fun
This album is lacking the energy and fun of his earlier albums - However, I must say that "Martha Say" and "Pop Singer" are classics

NOTE: When this album was released it got blasted by the critics and Mellencamp was accused of becoming a country singer - Mellencamp fired back with his "Whenever We Wanted" album a year later and put all of those country singer claims to rest .


Mellencamp Puts Out Another Winner
There's even a cover of the Hombres' garage classic "Let It All Hang Out" to lighten things up further. BIG DADDY is another great album for John Mellencamp, continuing the musical experiments of THE LONESOME JUBILEE, but with less preachy lyrics. Mellencamp's belief that the Indonesian drug-smuggling conviction of a young Australian tourist was unjust adds weight to this CD.


You can see a complete list of all John Mellencamp discography, or go back to the John Mellencamp tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]