Lyricist: John Mellencamp.

Personnel: John Mellencamp (vocals, guitars); Andy York (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); T-Bone Burnett (electric guitar); Troye Kinnett (melodica, piano, field organ); John Gunnell (upright bass).

In stark contrast to the full-on, anthemic quality of his 2007 album, FREEDOM"S ROAD, John Mellencamp's '08 offering is a stark, spare affair. LIFE, DEATH, LOVE AND FREEDOM was overseen by legendary roots-rock producer T-Bone Burnett, and bears some similarity to Burnett's work on the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss '07 album RAISING SAND; there's a subtle, restrained quality to much of the material, and the arrangements tend toward a simple acoustic setup.

The doomy lo-fi folk/blues of such tunes as the mortality-minded "If I Die Sudden" and "Don't Need This Body" could also be cousins of Bruce Springsteen's dark NEBRASKA tunes. Once in a while, Mellencamp picks things up, as with the rockabilly-like kick of "My Sweet Love," but for the most part, this is a spare, low-key set, its acoustic framework adorned only by occasional dusty touches of spacious electric-guitar reverb, rolling across the barren sonic landscape like errant tumbleweeds.

Entertainment Weekly (p.65) - "Though he may be contemplating mortality, Mellencamp, with his weathered snarl, still sound remarkably alive." -- Grade: B