John Mellancamp
John (Cougar) (Mellancamp) has always been a fascination to me. Growing up in a redneck town, I later could appreciate the good-ol-boy patriotic theme in his early work. And, by golly, it's just darn good R-O-C-K. Come to think of it, early Mellancamp was probably the only thing I could get away with playing while cruising around town if I weren't playing country.
Anyway, with the last several albums, including "Human Wheels" pictured above, John has deviated from the good-old-boy theme to examine some deeper issues of society. Example: the song "Human Wheels" is a favourite of mine; the lyrics express a bigger, darker question than 'the old home town' conundrum. We see that he has also altered the music somewhat, adding an occasional flange to the voice, but still, it's nothing but darn good "R-O-C-K in the USA."
This song literally scared the hell out of me, and I couldn't believe that it was indeed J.C.M. upon first hearing it. The emotions in this song run the gamut, and the situation is one which we all can identify with. The music is harsh but beautiful, with drums and guitar riffs you would swear were from The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Definately deserves it's place in the top ten.
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