Freedom's Road

Last updated

Freedom's Road
Freedom's road.JPG
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 23, 2007
RecordedJune–October 2006
Genre Rock, country rock
Length48:46
Label Universal South
Producer John 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
Metacritic 65/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [3]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Music BoxStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
NeuFutur(6.2/10) [6]
The Phoenix Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Stylus Magazine C+ [10]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

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."

Contents

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
  1. "Ghost Towns Along The Highway" – acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
  2. "Someday" – acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
  3. "Rural Route" – acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
  4. "The Americans" – rough mix (Best Buy exclusive)

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [12] 5

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References

  1. 1 2 "Freedom's Road by John Mellencamp". metacritic.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. "Freedom's Road". Entertainment Weekly . January 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 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. February 6, 2007. 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. "John Mellencamp Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.