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 | ||||
| Released | January 23, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | June–October 2006 | |||
| Genre | Rock, country rock | |||
| Length | 48:46 | |||
| Label | Universal South | |||
| Producer | John Mellencamp | |||
| John Mellencamp chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| Music Box |  [5] |
| NeuFutur | (6.2/10)[7] |
| The Phoenix | [8] |
| PopMatters |   [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Stylus Magazine | C+[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
edit"Our Country" was nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards (held February 10, 2008).
Track listing
editAll songs written by John Mellencamp.
- "Someday" – 3:08
- "Ghost Towns Along the Highway" – 4:40
- "The Americans" – 5:11
- "Forgiveness" – 4:30
- "Freedom's Road" – 4:19
- "Jim Crow" – 3:22
- "Our Country" – 3:47
- "Rural Route" – 3:08
- "My Aeroplane" – 4:41
- "Heaven Is a Lonely Place" – 4:32
- "Rodeo Clown" [hidden track after several minutes of silence] – 4:25
- "Ghost Towns Along The Highway" – acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
- "Someday" – acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
- "Rural Route" – acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
- "The Americans" – rough mix (Best Buy exclusive)
Personnel
edit- 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
edit| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[12] | 5 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Freedom's Road by John Mellencamp". metacritic.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Freedom's Road". Entertainment Weekly. January 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (February 10, 2007). "Spotlight on an America divided". Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via LA Times.
- ^ Metzger, John. "John Mellencamp – Freedom's Road (Album Review)". www.musicbox-online.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ "John Mellencamp: Freedoms Road". popmatters.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ "John Mellencamp – Freedom's Road". neufutur.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ "The Phoenix review". thephoenix.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ "Freedom's Road". rollingstone.com. February 6, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ "Stylus Magazine review". stylusmagazine.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots", Billboard.com, January 31, 2007.
- ^ "John Mellencamp Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
