MELLENCAMP has sometimes been dismissed as a poor man's Springsteen, but he's always been better than that.

Now in an inspired notion, the veteran rocker takes a new route across old country, revisiting 12 "authentic American songs".

This act of resuscitation lends these songs a husky magnificence. He mostly sticks to a pared-down approach that suits him well, starting with the scorching blues of Robert Johnson's Stones In My Passway.

Elsewhere, he favours plain folk, bluegrass and, on the stand-out track Baltimore Oriole, written by Hoagy Carmichael, a haunting mix of violins, violas and accordion. Other songs covered include Teardrops Will Fall, Diamond Joe, Lucinda Williams' Lafayette and a freshly-cast version of the traditional song To Washington, for which Mellencamp writes new lyrics that provide a spiky commentary on modern American politics.

This album has clearly been a liberating experience for Mellencamp, who should find another dozen American classics to record for a follow-up.

Updated: 16:34 Wednesday, October 01, 2003