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John Mellencamp
10/06/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor
The funny thing about John Mellencamp is that I don't hate him. No matter how corny, how cliched or how outright lame his music is; no matter how much of a pompous, arrogant jerk he seems to be; I still find a way to think he's all right. It has something to do with the fact that I don't take him seriously, that I've always considered him to be such a second-rate Springsteen/ Seger heartland guy that he gets points just for being shameless. For years he's been saying he's not a pop singer, threatening to hole himself up with painting and forgetting the outside world. But unlike Captain Beefheart, who turned his back to the music world, Mellencamp is, at heart, a born ham. He needs to be the center of attention--and it leads him to record his man of the people rock without further provocation. This, his debut for Columbia, is loaded with simple songs with simple sentiments. His voice has deepened and strengthened in resonance. And, perfectly, "Your Life Is Now" could be yearbook fodder for a whole new generation.
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