John Mellencamp starts a tour this week in support of the release, by Hear Music, of Life, Death, Love and Freedom. The album, the 22nd of his career and the first to have been produced by T Bone Burnett, is out July 15. The tour starts Tuesday, July 8 at Philadelphia's Mann Music Center. His concert performances will highlight music from the new album as well as well known material reflective of the breadth of the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's creative output.

The album's release has been preceded by broad acceptance of its first track, "My Sweet Love" that includes back-up vocals by Karen Fairchild of the hit country music vocal group Little Big Town. Upon its debut, it was the number one most added song at both the AAA and Americana radio formats and has entered the Top 20 in both within three weeks. Among the stations programming "My Sweet Love" are WXRT/Chicago, KFOG/SF, KBCO/Denver, WXPN/Philadelphia, WFUV/New York, WZLX/Boston, KINK/Portland, KMTT/Seattle, KLOS/Los Angeles and many others. VH1 is set to debut the video for "My Sweet Love," shot on location in Savannah, GA and directed by Martyn Atkins, this week

Mellencamp will be performing music from the album on Late Night with David Letterman on Thursday, July 17th and on the CBS Early Show in a special remote concert broadcast from Chicago on Monday, July 21st.

Early critical response to the album has been excellent. Reviewing the album for Rolling Stone, Mark Kemp wrote, "Mellencamp teamed up with producer T Bone Burnett to create a whole new sound - a set of textured, atmospheric folk and country blues that adds up to one of the most compelling albums of Mellencamp's career." Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote, "Everywhere he looks he sees shattered expectations and looming sorrow, both in his own future and in the wider world. And where, in decades past, he would shrug off any odds against him and come up grinning, now he strives for simple perseverance. It's a brave album in the way it sets aside all his old consolations."

The album is the very first ever release employing the ???? (CODE) format, developed by Burnett and his team, offering high resolution audio playable through any DVD player. All copies are packaged with a standard CD at no additional charge. Hear is also releasing the album on vinyl, as well, to address the analog renaissance.

Later this year Mellencamp and his band will be touring Australia and New Zealand for the first time in 16 years.

“My Sweet Love” Video on YouTube:

“My Sweet Love” Audio Streams:

John Mellencamp Tour Dates

July 8 Mann Music Center - Philadelphia, PA
July 10 Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
July 11 PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
July 14 Bank of America Pavilion - Boston, MA
July 15 Bank of America Pavilion - Boston, MA
July 18 DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI
July 22 Charter One Pavilion @ Northerly Island - Chicago, IL
July 23 Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
July 25 Ford Center - Oklahoma City, OK
July 27 Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Denver, CO
July 30 Santa Barbara Bowl- Santa Barbara, CA
July 31 Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 2 Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA