Orpheus Descending is the twenty-fifth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, released on June 16, 2023 by Republic Records. The album has received positive reviews from critics and explores personal and political themes.[1]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Orpheus Descending received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from four critic reviews.[2] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that Lisa Germano's "presence accentuates how Mellencamp is returning to the earthy, rangy roots rock of Big Daddy and that "Mellencamp's blend of sinewy rhythms and burnished acoustics is recognizably his" with a voice that has been "weathered to a nub" and "now sounds eternal, even primal".[3] In American Songwriter, Lee Zimmerman rated this album 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "one of [Mellencamp's] most outspoken efforts in recent years but one of his most inspiring as well" for balancing political activism and hope.[4] Writing for Louder Sound, Philip Wilding gave this release 3.5 out of 5 stars, for combining "deft storytelling" in the lyrics with the "elegant weariness" of Mellencamp's vocals.[5] Aaron Badgely of Spill Magazine characterized Orpheus Descending as "a rocking, alternative country/folk album and rated it a 4 out of 5, calling it one of the best albums of Mellencamp's career and stating that Mellencamp's body of work deserves the critical praise of more famous artists such as Bruce Springsteen (who wrote a track on this album).[6]
^ abZimmerman, Lee (June 9, 2023). "Review: John Mellencamp Puts Up the Good Fight". Reviews > Album Reviews. American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
^ abWilding, Philip (June 15, 2023). "John Mellencamp weaves deft, weary tales on the elegant Orpheus Descending". Reviews > Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
Orpheus Descending at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
Album press release from Universal Music
September 02, 2023
orpheus, descending, album, orpheus, descending, twenty, fifth, studio, album, american, rock, singer, songwriter, john, mellencamp, released, june, 2023, republic, records, album, received, positive, reviews, from, critics, explores, personal, political, them. Orpheus Descending is the twenty fifth studio album by American rock singer songwriter John Mellencamp released on June 16 2023 by Republic Records The album has received positive reviews from critics and explores personal and political themes 1 Orpheus DescendingStudio album by John MellencampReleasedJune 16 2023 2023 06 16 StudioBellmont Mall Belmont Indiana United StatesGenreAlternative country Alternative folkLength49 02LanguageEnglishLabelRepublicProducerJohn MellencampJohn Mellencamp chronologyStrictly a One Eyed Jack 2022 Orpheus Descending 2023 Contents 1 Reception 2 Track listing 3 Personnel 4 Chart performance 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksReception EditProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingMetacritic84 100 2 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 3 American Songwriter nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 4 Louder Sound nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 5 Spill Magazine nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 6 According to the review aggregator Metacritic Orpheus Descending received universal acclaim based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from four critic reviews 2 Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that Lisa Germano s presence accentuates how Mellencamp is returning to the earthy rangy roots rock of Big Daddy and that Mellencamp s blend of sinewy rhythms and burnished acoustics is recognizably his with a voice that has been weathered to a nub and now sounds eternal even primal 3 In American Songwriter Lee Zimmerman rated this album 4 5 out of 5 stars calling it one of Mellencamp s most outspoken efforts in recent years but one of his most inspiring as well for balancing political activism and hope 4 Writing for Louder Sound Philip Wilding gave this release 3 5 out of 5 stars for combining deft storytelling in the lyrics with the elegant weariness of Mellencamp s vocals 5 Aaron Badgely of Spill Magazine characterized Orpheus Descending as a rocking alternative country folk album and rated it a 4 out of 5 calling it one of the best albums of Mellencamp s career and stating that Mellencamp s body of work deserves the critical praise of more famous artists such as Bruce Springsteen who wrote a track on this album 6 Track listing EditAll songs written by John Mellencamp except where noted Hey God 3 57 The Eyes of Portland 4 29 The So Called Free 5 02 The Kindness of Lovers 5 33 Amen 3 24 Orpheus Descending 3 25 Understated Reverence 3 36 One More Trick 3 54 Lightning and Luck 6 35 Perfect World Bruce Springsteen 3 56 Backbone 5 09Personnel EditJohn Mellencamp guitar vocals production art direction design Marianelly Agosto Spanish narration Dane Clark drums percussion backing vocals Scott Davis assistant engineering Lisa Germano violin backing vocals Troye Kinnett harmonica keyboards percussion backing vocals David Leonard engineering mixing Bob Ludwig mastering at Gateway Mastering Portland Maine United States Speck Mellencamp cover art Joe Spix art direction design Michael Stucker technical engineering Andrew York bass guitar guitar backing vocals music directionChart performance EditOrpheus Descending spent two weeks on the German charts entering at its peak of 79 on July 7 and appearing again at 94 on July 28 7 See also EditList of 2023 albumsReferences Edit Osmon Erin June 12 2023 John Mellencamp shows no signs of cheering up Music The Los Angeles Times Retrieved August 20 2023 a b Orpheus Descending by John Mellencamp Reviews and Tracks Metacritic Metacritic Fandom Inc n d Retrieved August 20 2023 a b Erlewine Stephen Thomas n d John Mellencamp Orpheus Descending AllMusic RhythmOne Retrieved August 20 2023 a b Zimmerman Lee June 9 2023 Review John Mellencamp Puts Up the Good Fight Reviews gt Album Reviews American Songwriter ISSN 0896 8993 OCLC 17342741 Retrieved August 20 2023 a b Wilding Philip June 15 2023 John Mellencamp weaves deft weary tales on the elegant Orpheus Descending Reviews gt Classic Rock Louder Sound Retrieved August 20 2023 a b Badgely Aaron June 16 2023 John Mellencamp Orpheus Descending Album Reviews Spill Magazine ISSN 0886 3032 Retrieved August 20 2023 Offizielle Deutsche Charts in German Offizielle Deutsche Charts n d Retrieved August 20 2023 External links EditOfficial website nbsp Orpheus Descending at Discogs list of releases nbsp Orpheus Descending at MusicBrainz list of releases nbsp Album press release from Universal Music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Orpheus Descending album amp oldid 1172696928, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
