Hillbilly Road is the seventeenth studio album by Australian country music artist John Williamson. It was released in August 2008 and peaked at number 6 on the ARIA Charts. The album was certified gold in July 2009.[2] The album was inspired by Williamson's retreat in the Queensland hinterland and supported with a national tour across late 2008 and into 2009.[3][4]

Hillbilly Road
Studio album by
Released13 August 2008
Recorded2008
Length35:45
LabelGumLeaf, EMI Music
ProducerJohn Williamson
John Williamson chronology
Quambatook
(2008)
Hillbilly Road
(2008)
Absolute Greatest: 40 Years True Blue
(2010)
Singles from Hillbilly Road
  1. "Drink a Little Love"
    Released: 2008
  2. "Cydi"
    Released: 2008
  3. "Hillbilly Road"
    Released: 2008
  4. "Australia Is Another Word for Free"
    Released: January 2009
  5. "Better Than a Picture"
    Released: June 2009[1]

At the Country Music Awards of Australia in January 2009, Williamson was nominated for six awards; APRA Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Heritage Song of the Year, Bush Ballad of the Year and Vocal Collaboration of the Year.[5] Williamson won one award "Bush Ballad of the Year" for ""Australia Is Another Word for Free" with Warren H Williams and Amos Morris[6]

Singles

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Five singles were released off the album across 2008 and 2009; "Drink a Little Love", "Cydi", "Hillbilly Road", "Australia Is Another Word for Free" and "Better Than a Picture".[7]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [8]

Adam Greenberg from AllMusic said "Williamson's sound is by and large in a strong John Denver vein, with an optimistic, warm sound, and a fairly natural guitar tone. A few Aboriginal sounds creep into the mix from time to time, but seem to stand in comfortably and naturally, rather than as an afterthought or a simple nod to the outback that Williamson calls home. The music is simple and warm, built with a touch of timelessness that's almost intentional, but not quite to the degree that it can be called out. It's a fine album, and has just enough vocal goodness to pull in a few listeners from outside of the country realm. "[8]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Flowers on the Concrete"John Williamson2:32
2."Drink a Little Love"Williamson3:11
3."Dark Irish Eyes"Williamson3:33
4."Hillbilly Road"Williamson3:04
5."Catch a Virgin"Williamson2:22
6."Cydi"Williamson3:00
7."Pmarra Knatcha (My Home in the Bush)" (with Warren H. Williams)Williamson, Warren H. Williams3:15
8."Australia Is Another Word for Free"Williamson2:50
9."Better Than a Picture" 2:09
10."Rivers, Wood 'n' Wire"Williamson3:11
11."Beach of Love"Williamson2:34
12."Tomorrow's Worries"Williamson3:33

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 6

Year-end charts

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Chart (2008) Position
ARIA Country Albums Chart[10] 6
ARIA Australian Artist Albums Chart[11] 39
Chart (2009) Position
ARIA Country Albums Chart[12] 41

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[13] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Date Format Label Catalogue
Australia 13 August 2008[14]
Gumleaf, EMI Music 2163402

References

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  1. ^ "Better Than a picture number 1 for three weeks". John Williamson. August 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Year by Year". John Williamson. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  3. ^ "True blue Hillbilly Tour packs Empire". The Chronicle. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ^ "John is on the Hillbilly Road". Echo News. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  5. ^ "John Williamson leads country nominations". ABC. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  6. ^ "CMAA 2000–2008". Country Music Association of Australia. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Another Gold Record for John". John Williamson. July 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  8. ^ a b Greenberg, Adam. "Album Review: John Williamson Hillbilly Road". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Australiancharts.com – John Williamson – Hillbilly Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  10. ^ "2008 ARIA COUNTRY ALBUMS CHART". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  11. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Australian Artist Albums 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  12. ^ "2009 ARIA COUNTRY ALBUMS CHART". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  13. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Hillbilly Road by John Williamson (DD)". Apple Music. Retrieved 23 September 2018.