Freedom's Road

Freedom's Road is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp, released in 2007. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 5 in late January 2007, becoming the highest debuting album of Mellencamp's career.[11] The song "Our Country" received significant exposure prior to the release of the album, as it was featured in frequently-aired commercials for Chevrolet trucks. The country band Little Big Town provides background vocals on eight songs on the album, including "Our Country."

Freedom's Road
Studio album by
John Mellencamp
ReleasedJanuary 23, 2007
RecordedJune–October 2006
GenreRock, country rock
Length48:46
LabelRepublic
ProducerJohn Mellencamp
John Mellencamp chronology
Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
(2004)		 Freedom's Road
(2007)		 Life, Death, Love and Freedom
(2008)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Music Box[5]
NeuFutur(6.2/10)[6]
The Phoenix[7]
PopMatters[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Stylus MagazineC+[10]
Uncut[1]

Mellencamp intended for Freedom's Road to have a 1960s rock sound while still remaining contemporary, and he feels that goal was achieved. "We wanted to make sure that it had the same feeling of some of the great songs from the '60s but also had the message of today and had the backbeat of today. I think we came up with a pretty timeless sounding album," Mellencamp told his online radio station in late 2006.

Accolades

"Our Country" was nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards (held February 10, 2008).

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp.

  1. "Someday" – 3:08
  2. "Ghost Towns Along the Highway" – 4:40
  3. "The Americans" – 5:11
  4. "Forgiveness" – 4:30
  5. "Freedom's Road" – 4:19
  6. "Jim Crow" – 3:22
  7. "Our Country" – 3:47
  8. "Rural Route" – 3:08
  9. "My Aeroplane" – 4:41
  10. "Heaven Is a Lonely Place" – 4:32
  11. "Rodeo Clown" [hidden track after several minutes of silence] – 4:25

Personnel
  • John Mellencamp – vocals, guitar
  • Dane Clark – drums, percussion
  • John Gunnell – bass
  • Troye Kinnett – keyboards
  • Miriam Sturm – violin
  • Mike Wanchic – guitars, vocals
  • Andy York – guitars, vocals, flute-a-phone
  • Joan Baez – vocal duet on "Jim Crow"
  • Little Big Town – backing vocals

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)[12]

Year Chart Position
February 10, 2007 The Billboard 200 5

Singles – Billboard (United States)[13]

Year Single Chart Position
2006 "Our Country" Hot Country Songs 39
2006 "Our Country" Billboard Hot 100 88
2007 "Our Country" Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 16
2007 "The Americans" Hot Country Songs 55

References
  1. "Freedom's Road by John Mellencamp". metacritic.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. "Freedom's Road". ew.com. January 22, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  4. Hochman, Steve (February 10, 2007). "Spotlight on an America divided". Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via LA Times.
  5. Metzger, John. "John Mellencamp – Freedom's Road (Album Review)". www.musicbox-online.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  6. "John Mellencamp – Freedom's Road". neufutur.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  7. "The Phoenix review". thephoenix.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  8. "John Mellencamp: Freedoms Road". popmatters.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  9. "Freedom's Road". rollingstone.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  10. "Stylus Magazine review". stylusmagazine.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  11. Jonathan Cohen, "Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots", Billboard.com, January 31, 2007.
  12. Billboard.com – Discography – John Mellencamp – Freedom's Road
  13. Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – John Mellencamp
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