Whenever We Wanted (1991)
1. Love and Happiness
2. Now More Than Ever
3. I Ain't Never Satisfied
4. Get a Leg Up
5. Crazy Ones
6. Last Chance
7. They're So Tough
8. Melting Pot
9. Whenever We Wanted
10.Again Tonight
 
On this release, Mellencamp surprised
quite a bit of folks by returning to his rock and roll roots - something
that he had been lightly shedding his skin from on his past several
albums. Whether he just needed a bit of a change or not, I'm not that
sure, and this listener has no problem with this serious artist going
back to his Johnny Cougar days. The problem here is that the songs just
aren't that good overall. Yes, there are some hidden gems throughout
the mix, but he fails more than he succeeds, which tends to make the
listening experience a bit of a disappointment.
The opening song, Love and Happiness sort of sums up the feel of
the whole album. The riff starts out powerful enough, and does a good
job setting up expectations for the album, but the song quickly fizzles.
It never really takes off with any memorable hooks, and, well.....,
after listening to the very first lines of the track, "Well we're
droppin' off bombs/ in the Southern Hemisphere...." you know you're in
store for another one of Mellencamp's bitch-fests. Then, halfway
through the song, there's a screeching, horrible saxaphone solo that I would
advise you not to listen to if you have in a pair of earbuds.
Fortunately, his gripes are more inward as opposed to outward, but it's
quickly becoming apparent that this guy was destined to be miserable.
As mentioned, there are a few good songs, ironically the album tends to
get better as the tracks progress. Ironic because most records that
have some sub-par material tend to "front load" as opposed to "back
load". The best song on here is the first single Get a Leg Up,
and it's a bit sad that most of the other songs on here don't have quite the same
conviction and energy. Also worth mentioning is the somewhat fun
Crazy Ones and the very last song Again Tonight.
Maybe he couldn't write the same kind of songs that made him a
star a decade or so ago, and maybe he realizes that here. His music
would still change from album to album, and although he never abandoned
rock and roll completely, he would never quite rock this hard again.
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