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.