String Quartet Tribute to John Mellencamp by the Vitamin String Quartet



Does it work? Yes, oddly enough it does!

Released in 2003 by Vitamin Records

I am a dyed-in-the-wool Mellencamp fan and I have been since American Fool came out in 1982. Fans like me could either love projects like this, or absolutely hate them and view them like a desecration. The attitude taken towards the project has a lot to do with it and this album has taken a respectful attitude towards Mellencamp's work.


John Mellencamp
The songs have been adapted for String Quartet but have not been radically altered - you can sing right along with them if you'd like. Most have been thoughtfully chosen - for example, if it featured a strong fiddle component, such as "Paper in Fire" than it was worked in to the album.

"Peaceful World" is achingly beautiful in this adaptation. "Small Town" has a more melancholy tone than the original song, but it is not at all inappropriate. It is also quite beautiful and it is respectful reinterpretation of this anthem to small town life.

The only duds in the group are "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane." Unlike the other songs which seem to have been carefully chosen for their string quartet friendliness, these had to have been chosen because they are two Mellencamp standards - you cannot have a collection of his work without them. Heck, the first song I cued up was "Jack and Diane". It just did not translate well.

 Most are strong, two are tremendous, two are weak.

If you are a true Mellencamp fan (a Mellenhead, if you will) this one is one to pick up. I rate the entire collection 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: String Quartet Tribute to John Mellencamp.

Reviewed on July 20, 2007.

Comments

Popular posts over the last 30 days

IN the PRESENCE of MINE ENEMIES: SEVEN YEARS as a POW in NORTH VIETNAM by Howard and Phyllis Rutledge

SUPERMAN '78 (graphic novel) by Robert Venditi

BATMAN: ONE BAD DAY - MR. FREEZE (graphic novel) by Gerry Duggan

OUR SUBWAY BABY (audiobook) by Peter Mercurio

NIGHTSHADE (a Catalina novel book one)(audiobook) by Michael Connelly

DOWN ALONG with THAT DEVIL'S BONES: A RECKONING with MONUMENTS, MEMORY, and the LEGACY of WHITE SUPREMACY (audiobook) by Connor Towne O'Neill

SONGS of AMERICA: PATRIOTISM, PROTEST, and the MUSIC THAT MADE a NATION (audiobook) by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw

SLAPSTICK or LONESOME NO MORE! by Kurt Vonnegut

COMRADES in ARMS (kindle)(short story) by Kevin J. Anderson

THE RED DRAGON (Action Adventures Short Stories Collection #10) by L. Ron Hubbard