Search - John Mellencamp :: Big Daddy (Rpkg)

Overlooked And Underrated

Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 06/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Big Daddy finds John Cougar Mellencamp in a quiet, self-reflective mood. The album has a folk sound to it and although a few songs have electric guitars, it is mostly acoustic based. Songs like "Big Daddy Of Them all", "Void In My My Heart", "Mansions In Heaven", "Sometimes A Great Notion" and "JM's Questions" all deal with his family and his crumbling marriage. "Martha Say" is one of his most powerful songs and Lisa Gerimano's violin cuts through the songs. "Theo & Weird Harold" & "Jackie Brown" are like old Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl songs with their narrative tales. "Pop Singer" finds him railing against his early John Cougar image. The album closes out on an upbeat note with his raucous cover a 60's chestnut by The Hombres, Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out). Big Daddy is often overlooked, but it ranks right up there with any of his albums. The bonus track is an acoustic version of "Jackie Brown" which was originally released as the b-side to the album version of the song.

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Mellencamp Puts Out Another Winner

The Footpath Cowboy | Kingston, NY United States | 10/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

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

An Equal to the unending strength of his entire catalogue

D. F. Turner | Tampa Bay, FL USA | 03/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Americana, frankly, at its best. Thats what I feel when listening to a John Mellencamp record. 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!"