Nothin Matters and What If It Did (Bonus Track Edition) [2005 Remaster]

John “Cougar” Mellencamp was still searching for his own voice when he released *Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did* in 1980. Produced in part by legendary Memphis guitarist Steve Cropper, the album falls somewhere between the heroic romanticism of Bruce Springsteen and the genial spirit of Huey Lewis. Mellencamp sounds rough-edged but tender on ballads like “Ain’t Even Done With the Night” and “Make Me Feel” and stirs up a bit of rock sweat on “Cheap Shot” and “Hot Night In a Cold Town.” “This Time” has the bounce and shine typical of radio hits of its era. Mellencamp shows the most personality on “To M.G. (Wherever She May Be),” a nostalgic invocation of small-town love that anticipates similar songs on his later albums. For the most part, Mellencamp seems to be reigning in his natural style on most of these tracks but *Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did* offers flashes of the rootsy Americana rocker John would become on his breakthrough album *American Fool*.