Life, Death, Love and Freedom

Infobox Album |
Name = Life, Death, Love and Freedom
Type = Album
Artist = John Mellencamp


Genre = Rock, Folk, Folk Rock, Blues| Released = July 15, 2008
Length = 49:40
Label = Hear Music
Producer = T Bone Burnett
Reviews =
*"Allmusic" rating|3.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0jfwxz9jldae link]
*"Rolling Stone" rating|4.0|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/johnmellencamp/albums/album/21456856/review/21463790/life_death_love_and_freedom link]
*"Orlando Sentinel" rating|5.0|5 [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/music/orl-mellencampstory071108,0,5276568.story link]
*"Metromix" rating|3.5|5 [http://lehighvalley.metromix.com/music/cd_review/john-mellencamp-life-death/505856/content link]
*"USA Today" rating|3.5|4 [http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2008/07/this-weeks-re-1.html?loc=interstitialskip link]
*"Buffalo News" rating|3.5|4 [http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/392127.html# link]
*"Arizona Republic" rating|4.0|5 [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/2008/07/15/20080715cdspinmellencamp.html link]
*"The Sun" rating|4.5|5 [http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/article1789835.ece link]
Last album = "" (2007)
This album = "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" (2008)
Next album =

Life, Death, Love and Freedom is a Folk rock album by singer-songwriter John Mellencamp and produced by T Bone Burnett. It was released on July 15, 2008.

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp. 1. "Longest Days" - 3:11 2. "My Sweet Love" - 3:27 3. "If I Die Sudden" - 3:45 4. "Troubled Land" - 3:23 5. "Young Without Lovers" - 2:49 6. "John Cockers" - 3:51 7. "Don't Need This Body" - 3:26 8. "A Ride Back Home" - 3:12 9. "Without A Shot" - 3:40 10. "Jena" - 3:41 11. "Mean" - 2:34 12. "County Fair" - 3:41 13. "For The Children" - 4:36 14. "A Brand New Song" - 3:58

Mellencamp has characterized the album as a collection of "modern electric folk songs." The album's first single is "My Sweet Love." It was serviced to radio on June 10.

Quotable:

"I realized our country has written some sad motherfuckin' songs. I wanted to see if I had it in me to write like that....I see darkness everywhere, and I have to write about it. I don't care if I just sell six records. All I can do is keep on writing songs and singing."

-- Mellencamp on Life, Death, Love and Freedom in Rolling Stone magazine's 2008 spring music preview issue.

Jena Controversy

In October 2007, "Jena" was released via Mellencamp's website and YouTube with a homemade quality music video. The song, about the Jena Six trial in Jena, Louisiana, has already proven controversial; it has been criticized by Jena's mayor, Murphy R. McMillan, who says it unfairly characterizes the town as a hotbed of racism. He also called the video "inflammatory."citequote

Release

Life, Death, Love and Freedom is the first album ever released in the ΧΟΔΕ (CODE) format. T-Bone Burnett and his team of engineers developed CODE, a proprietary audio technology that creates high-definition audio files that are virtually indistinguishable from the original master tapes. The CODE version of "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" is a DVD that will come packaged with a standard CD version of the album, available at all retail outlets, at no additional cost to the consumer. The CODE disc is playable on virtually all DVD machines including stand-alone players and drives integrated into computer systems. The DVD's content can be copied into most computer music software including iTunes and can, then, be downloaded onto personal music players such as the iPod.

Mellencamp commented, "When T-Bone introduced me to CODE, it was a remarkable experience. I could hear the music the way it was intended to be heard. I'm very happy the people are going to be able to share this experience in a way that's so true to our original intent." citequote

References