Last year John Mellencamp released Life Death Love and Freedom, a T-Bone Burnett-produced studio CD filled with stark, introspective songs that drew on blues, country, rock, and folk to tell stories both political and personal.  Life, Death, Live, and Freedom is the companion live disc, and if anything, the eight songs here sound even better than on the studio version because Mellencamp’s emotion and passion shine, free from all production.

Mellencamp at his heart has always been a man and his guitar telling stories, stories which have often had political overtones, but never have they been so melancholy, so universal, and so personal. Mortality and social justice are the central themes and in his lyrics he holds up a mirror, not only to himself, but to the American people.  This is a brooding disc, not hopeless or needlessly negative, but reflective and emotional.

The first track, If I Die Sudden, is a bluesy, moody song with a driving beat where Mellencamp lets loose about death and what comes after.  Troubled Land is unapologetically political and uses fabulous guitar riffs to emphasize Mellencamp’s worries and anger about the lasting effects from eight years of the Bush administration and where we go from here.  We go back to the mortality theme with Don’t Need This Body, a poignant song with echoes of Bruce Springsteen and a beautiful harmony.  The acoustic Longest Days aches with loss and introspection.  Mellencamp has never sounded better vocally than he does on Longest Days.

A plea for tolerance drives Young without Lovers with its acoustic folk tone. Mellencamp urges the audience to sing along with the chorus, furthering the togetherness theme.   A Ride Back Home pleads directly to Jesus over frayed acoustic guitar riffs.  Jena is a Neil Young-styled political powerhouse about Louisiana’s Jena Six Trial and racial injustice, while the final track, My Sweet Love is a playful rockabilly tune, the most fun song on the disc and a great note to end on.

At 33 minutes, this CD is short and it only contains eight of Life Death Love and Freedom’s fourteen tracks, which is a shame.  I’m especially sorry that For the Children and A Brand New Song aren’t included here because they were the album’s most forward-looking songs.  Regardless, Life Death Live and Freedom is an exceptional CD filled with austere, gorgeous music and thoughtful, often haunting lyrics that will keep you thinking long after the CD stops playing.