Home → John Mellencamp → Orpheus Descending
Orpheus Descending
Rock · 2023 · 11 tracks · 49m

Orpheus Descending

John Mellencamp

A weathered, uncompromising collection of folk-rock. Mellencamp's voice is a gravelly instrument of social protest and quiet, late-night existentialism.

Find on Amazon

It's Mellencamp at his most unvarnished, sounding like he's singing from the middle of a dust storm.

A heavy, uncompromising meditation on social decay and personal mortality delivered with a weathered growl.

Orpheus Descending · vs · John Mellencamp
Brooding+1.7σ

Brooding saturates this record notably more than the artist's norm.

Tracklist · 11 Tracks · 49m
01
Hey God
3:57
02
The Eyes of Portland
4:29
03
The So‐Called Free
5:02
04
The Kindness of Lovers
5:33
05
Amen
3:24
06
Orpheus Descending
3:25
07
Understated Reverence
3:36
08
One More Trick
3:55
09
Lightning and Luck
6:35
10
Perfect World
3:57
11
Backbone
5:09
Moments Worth Waiting For
The jarringly blunt opening plea for divine intervention on Hey God.
The mournful, cinematic violin swell that carries the weight of Portland's homeless crisis.
The way his voice nearly breaks into a whisper on the final, weary notes of Backbone.
Sits BesideSee all
Strictly a One‐Eyed Jack
Strictly a One‐Eyed Jack
John Mellencamp
2022

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); dry_intimate, analog_warmth, stripped_back (production style)

Sad Clowns & Hillbillies
Sad Clowns & Hillbillies
John Mellencamp
2017

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, hand_played, stripped_back (production style)

Life, Death, Love and Freedom
Life, Death, Love and Freedom
John Mellencamp
2008

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); stripped_back, analog_warmth, dry_intimate (production style)

Big Daddy
Big Daddy
John Mellencamp
1989

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); stripped_back, analog_warmth, dry_intimate (production style)

Trouble No More
Trouble No More
John Mellencamp
2003

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, dry_intimate, stripped_back (production style)

Plain Spoken
Plain Spoken
John Mellencamp
2014

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); raspy, gravelly, whispered (vocal style)

Human Wheels
Human Wheels
John Mellencamp
1993

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); dusk, rainy_day, urban_night (atmosphere)

Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford
Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford
Everlast
2008

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); brooding, defiant, somber (moods)

John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
1998

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, hand_played, stripped_back (production style)

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
John Mellencamp
1985

Shares americana, folk rock (subgenres); analog_warmth, hand_played, dry_intimate (production style)

Reviews
AllMusic
Read review
laut.de
Read review
plattentests.de
Read review

Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →