Mellencamp goes back to basics

John Mellencamp will never have another hit on the radio — partly because he doesn’t write super-commercial songs anymore and partly because the radio sucks. It’s a real shame, as his newest album, “No Better Than This,”is one of his best efforts.

The album finds Mellencamp’s sound stripped down to its basics. The songs sound dusty and rugged, as if someone rubbed the recording equipment in dirt. Mellencamp’s voice is rougher than in his heyday, almost approaching Tom Waits’ territory. It’s fitting that Waits’ guitar virtuoso, Marc Ribot, is one of the players.

After the crispness of his 1980s recordings, it’s shocking to see in the liner notes that the album was recorded in mono! (Somewhere, alarm sirens are going off.) Producer T-Bone Burnett used only one microphone most of the time.

Despite the trappings, the title track and “Coming Down the Road” help keep the album light and full of life. Although “No Better Than This” is Mellencamp’s most folksy album, it’s also one of his strongest.