The Lonesome Jubilee (Bonus Track Edition)

By the time this album was released in 1987, Mellencamp was rivaling Bruce Springsteen as America's top male rocker. Following a string of pop hits, Jubilee follows in the folk/rock/Americana sound that he first explored on his previous album Rain On the Scarecrow. Violin and accordion had become the primary harmony instruments, matching the sound of acoustic and electric guitars that filled his earlier work. The hits kept comin' and this album contains an abundance of Mellencamp hits, including "Paper in Fire," "Check It Out," and "Cherry Bomb." But it also contains strong lesser-known material such as the working man's anthem "Hard Times for an Honest Man" and the sing-along chorus of "Rooty Toot Toot." Consistent in both sound and vision, this is one of Mellencamp's best album.