Pop Music : Record Rack : In Brief : *** John Mellencamp, “Rough Harvest,” Mercury.

In 1997, Mellencamp convened his touring band at an Indiana studio to record some old songs in sessions that were stripped down and surprisingly raw. The results, finally released here, are not quite revelatory, but suggest how Mellencamp might have better followed the promise of his 1985 “Scarecrow” album. Like that acclaimed record, such tracks as “Love and Happiness” demonstrate why passion wins over craftsmanship every time.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.