No Better Than This
by John Mellencamp
  • Record Label: Rounder
  • Release Date: Aug 17, 2010
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. MrMadrew
    Sep 18, 2010
    7
    Its really cool and simple, which is a nice break these days. The only thing that loses points is that a lot of the songs have pretty much the same melody and so it gets tiring and repetitive after a while. But its really, smooth, raw, natural and good to the ears.
  2. Nick14
    Aug 26, 2010
    9
    As good an album as Mellencamp has ever made, if not the best. Wonderful sound, wonderful songs. The record is indeed 'haunted' as T-Bone Burnett says in his liner notes, by the ghosts of so many, including the Sun musicians and Robert Johnson and others who recorded at the same historic locations this album was made at. But it is so much more - the album has manged to capture the past andAs good an album as Mellencamp has ever made, if not the best. Wonderful sound, wonderful songs. The record is indeed 'haunted' as T-Bone Burnett says in his liner notes, by the ghosts of so many, including the Sun musicians and Robert Johnson and others who recorded at the same historic locations this album was made at. But it is so much more - the album has manged to capture the past and present it so it is meaningful for today and probably the future too. A record for the ages.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. The A.V. Club
    91
    The direct, spare No Better Than This-Mellencamp even eschews stereo-has a timeless sound and songs that do right by their classic blues, rock, and country inspirations.
    Read full review
  2. Mojo
    60
    It might sound like a stunt, but results in a deeply felt and surprisingly enjoyable exploration of American Vernacular music. [Sep 2010, p.93]
  3. Q Magazine
    60
    A bit of a gimmick maybe, but one that pays off, with Mellencamp relishing his role as grizzled troubadour steeped in the rootsy traditions of America's rural South. [Oct 2010, p.111]
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