Mellencamp Walks ‘Tall’ On Retrospective
John Mellencamp has drafted producer/artist Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds to co-produce two new songs for his upcoming retrospective “Words & Music.” The new cuts “Walk Tall” and “Thank You” join 35 Mellencamp catalog selections on the double-disc set, due Oct. 19 via Island/UME.
The album draws material from the 2001 Billboard Century Award winner’s stints with longtime label Mercury and his latest home, Columbia. It features such early-career smashes as “Jack & Diane” (No. 1, Billboard Hot 100), “Hurts So Good” and “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” (both No. 2), plus additional top-10 hits like “Cherry Bomb,” “Pink Houses,” “Paper in Fire” and “Lonely Ol’ Night.”
The latter phase of Mellencamp’s catalog is represented with his No. 3 hit cover of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” the No. 14 single “Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)” and one track each from his 2001 studio album “Cuttin’ Heads” and last year’s covers project “Trouble No More.”
As previously reported, Mellencamp and Babyface will team up for October shows as part of the Vote for Change tour. Beforehand, Mellencamp will on Saturday (Aug. 21) perform “Small Town” with guitarists Andy York and Mike Wanchic at halftime of the Indianapolis Colts’ pre-season home game against the New York Jets.
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