John Mellencamp: Words & Music

HEARTLAND ROCKERS have been ten-a-penny over the last 20 or 30 years. For every eloquent and poetic Springsteen there is a subs' bench straining under the collective weight of Bob Seger, Bryan Adams and the like. John Mellencamp's career has always been sturdy rather than spectacular, while frequently and unavoidably open to comparisons with bigger talents.