''Trouble No More'' is American singer-songwriter and musician

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation ...

's 18th studio album and his final recording for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, released in 2003. It consists of blues and folk covers. A re-working of "To Washington" featuring new lyrics critical of President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

and the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, generated much controversy upon the album's release. In addition to the album, a documentary titled ''Trouble No More: The Making of a John Mellencamp Album'' was produced and directed by Ron Osgood, along with students from his documentary course at Indiana University. The documentary won a Regional Emmy and several small festival awards in 2004 and 2005.

Track listing

# "Stones in My Passway" (

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

) – 3:17 # " Death Letter" (

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist, noted for his highly emotional style of singing and slide guitar playing. After years of hostility to secular music, as a prea ...

) – 6:14 # "Johnny Hart" (

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

) – 4:31 # "Baltimore Oriole" (

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...

Paul Francis Webster Paul Francis Webster (December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and was nominated sixteen times for the award. Life and career Webster was born in New York City, United S ...

) – 3:54 # "Teardrops Will Fall" ( Dicky Doo, Marion Smith) – 4:24 # "Diamond Joe" (Traditional; new lyrics by Mellencamp) – 4:37 # " The End of the World" (

Sylvia Dee Sylvia Dee (born Josephine Moore, October 22, 1914 – June 12, 1967) was an American lyricist and novelist best known for writing the lyrics to "Too Young (Sidney Lippman and Sylvia Dee song), Too Young", a hit for Nat King Cole, "The End of the ...

, Arthur Kent) – 3:24 # "Down in the Bottom" (

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) – 3:31 # "Lafayette" (

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...

) – 3:55 # "Joliet Bound" (

Kansas Joe McCoy Wilbur Joe "Kansas Joe" McCoy (May 11, 1905 – January 28, 1950) was an American Delta blues singer, musician and songwriter. Career McCoy performed under various stage names but is best known as Kansas Joe McCoy. Born in Raymond, Mississippi ...

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being " ...

) – 3:34 # "

John the Revelator John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine, John the Theologian; ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Book of Revelation. Revelation 1:9 states that John was on Patmos, an Aegean island off the coast of R ...

" (Traditional) – 3:19 # "To Washington" (Traditional; new lyrics by Mellencamp) – 2:39

Personnel

Musicians

*John Mellencamp – vocals, guitar *Andy York – guitars, bass *Dane Clark – drums, percussion *Miriam Sturm – violin, viola *Michael Ramos – accordion, organ *Toby Myers – upright bass *John Gunnell – electric bass *Pat Peterson – background vocals, tambourine *Courtney Kaiser – background vocals, tambourine *

Heather Headley Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role of '' Aida''. She also won the 2010 Grammy A ...

– background vocals *Janas Hoyt – background vocals *Michael Clark – pedal steel *T. Blayde – kazoo

DVD

*Producer and Director: Ron Osgood *Associate Producer: Will Deloney *Assistant Directors: Matt Bockelman, Brian Rogat *Head Writer: Chris Booker *Senior Photographer: Ron Prickel *Location Sound: Stuart Notion *Graphics and Effects: Abbie Harmon, Scott Carmichael *Post-Production Sound: Charlie Hoyt *Special Thanks: Indiana University *Booklet Photos: Elaine Mellencamp *Design: Design Monsters *Management: Hoffman Entertainment

Charts

Album – ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' (United States) Billboard.com – Discography – John Mellencamp – Trouble No More/ref>

References

External links

Review
from '' No Depression''
Review
from

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

Review
from ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...

''
Review
from ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' * {{Authority control John Mellencamp albums 2003 albums Columbia Records albums 2000s covers albums