John Mellencamp releases his 25th album today.
Orpheus Descending, named after the 1957 three-act Broadway play by Tennessee Williams, is his second album in less than a year-and-a-half, following January 2022's Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, and his ninth studio album this century.
Mellencamp produced the album, which was recorded at his Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana.
Described as one of his most personal records to date, the songs “Hey God” and “The Eyes of Portland” focus on social issues he continues to passionately advocate for -- "Hey God" tackles gun violence, and "The Eyes of Portland" shines a light on the homeless crisis.
Mellencamp is in New York tonight to talk with fellow Hoosier David Letterman at 6 at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center as part of the Tribeca Festival's Storytellers Series.
Orpheus Descending track list:
- Hey God
- The Eyes of Portland
- Land of the So Called Free
- The Kindness of Lovers
- Amen
- Orpheus Descending
- Understated Reverence
- One More Trick
- Lightning and Luck
- Perfect World
- Backbone