Monster Music & Movies

Reviews:

Contractual obligation time? Artistic crisis alert? Whilecovers collections frequently signify writer's block, this musical history lesson(featuring songs from Robert Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Hoagy Carmichael, LucindaWilliams, Woody Guthrie and others, cut live with mostly acoustic instruments)isn't a battery-recharging project. Rather, it's hotwired with soulful juju andedge-of-seat spontaneity. And intriguingly, had Trouble No More come on the heelsof 1985's Scarecrow and 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee, both collections of authentic-sounding,roots-probing Mellencamp originals, nobody would question his muse or motive.

The Johnson-penned "Stones in My Passway" will attract attention thanks to itsstripped-down, Exile on Main Street vibe and gritty, pleading Mellencamp vocal.Even better, blues-wise, is the ancient traditional "John the Revelator," alldrone, twang and apocalyptic vox (including backing vocalist Heather Headley)to make the hairs on the back of your neck quiver. The pop world gets visitedtoo, notably on the 1963 Skeeter Davis hit "The End of the World" (whose heartbeatbass and weeping violins deftly mirror the tearjerker lyrics) and "Teardrops WillFall," a late ‘50s doowop number (by Dicky Doo & the Don'ts). On the latter, Mellencamp'sleftfield arrangement—a hint of electric jangle here, a burnished acoustic strumthere, some perky fiddle and a mid-tempo beat—puts it in sync with the aforementioned‘80s albums that cemented Mellencamp's status as a sincere heartland rocker. Ashe himself pledged years ago on Scarecrow, "you've got to stand for somethin',"Trouble No More finds Mellencamp taking a brave stand for the Americana musicthat continues to inspire him.