Sad Clowns & Hillbillies
| Sad Clowns & Hillbillies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by John Mellencamp | ||||
| Released | April 28, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | December 2015-February 2016 | |||
| Studio | Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana | |||
| Length | 46:38 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
| Producer | John Mellencamp | |||
| John Mellencamp chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10 |
| Metacritic | 77/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| The Arts Desk | |
| The Guardian | |
| Paste |    |
| Stereoboard | |
| Glide Magazine | |
| Renowned for Sound | |
| Classic Rock Magazine | |
Sad Clowns & Hillbillies is the 23rd studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on April 28, 2017 by Republic Records. The album features significant contributions from Carlene Carter, who worked with Mellencamp on Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, his musical collaboration with Stephen King, and Ithaca, the movie he scored for former girlfriend Meg Ryan. Carter opened every show of Mellencamp's 2015–2016 Plain Spoken Tour.
Mellencamp and Carter gave the first glimpse into the project by debuting two songs ("Indigo Sunset" and "My Soul's Got Wings") live during their 2016 concerts, and Mellencamp dropped "Easy Target," his "reflection on the state of our country", on January 19, 2017 – the eve of the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. "My Soul's Got Wings" features music written by Mellencamp and lyrics written by folk legend Woody Guthrie, one of Mellencamp's heroes and primary influences.
Although initially billed as a duets album, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies does not strictly consist of duets. Mellencamp and Carter sing together on only five of the album's 13 songs. "Sad Clowns and Hillbillies is a wonderful conglomeration of [John's] songs and my songs", Carter told Pacific University. "Some are duets and some are by themselves – it's different, but really kind of the way John and I roll. We are very like-minded and on musical ground that really feels right. It's been quite a wonderful ride".
In 2016, Mellencamp told USA Today: "We wrote a couple of songs together, and she wrote some and I wrote some."
The album contains several songs Mellencamp originally wrote for other projects, including "Sugar Hill Mountain", which was originally written for Ithaca, and a pair of songs ("What Kind of Man Am I" and "You Are Blind") from Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. The album's second single, "Grandview", was written in the early 1990s by Mellencamp's cousin, Bobby Clark (Mellencamp has a co-writing credit – he contributed to the melody and the arrangement), who plays in a band in Indiana. Country star Martina McBride sings the song's bridge. McBride said of her involvement: "At that time... the head of both of our labels was Scott Borchetta and he just put it together. I was just thrilled to do it because [Mellencamp] has been a part of the soundtrack of my life".
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