Freedom Highway (Rhiannon Giddens album)

Last updated
Freedom Highway
Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017 (2017-02-24)
Genre Americana, Folk, Old-time
Length49:53
Label Nonesuch
Producer Dirk Powell
Rhiannon Giddens chronology
Tomorrow Is My Turn
(2015)
Freedom Highway
(2017)
There Is No Other
(2019)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.7/10 [1]
Metacritic 80/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Uncut 8/10 [12]

Freedom Highway is the second solo studio album of Folk/Americana musician and Carolina Chocolate Drops front woman Rhiannon Giddens. It was released via Nonesuch Records on February 24, 2017. [13] Freedom Highway was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2017 Americana Music Honors & Awards. The title track "Freedom Highway" is a 1965 civil rights protest song written by Roebuck Staples and title track of The Staple Singers' album of the same name.

Contents

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."At the Purchaser's Option"Rhiannon Giddens/Joey Ryan4:15
2."The Angels Laid Him Away" Mississippi John Hurt 2:32
3."Julie"Rhiannon Giddens4:29
4."Birmingham Sunday" Richard Fariña 6:15
5."Better Get It Right the First Time"Rhiannon Giddens/Dirk Powell/Justin Harrington3:24
6."We Could Fly"Rhiannon Giddens/Dirk Powell4:52
7."Hey Bébé"Rhiannon Giddens/Dirk Powell3:19
8."Come Love Come"Rhiannon Giddens5:19
9."The Love We Almost Had"Rhiannon Giddens/Bhi Bhiman4:18
10."Baby Boy"Rhiannon Giddens/Lalenja Harrington4:28
11."Following the North Star"Rhiannon Giddens1:55
12."Freedom Highway" Roebuck Staples 4:47
Total length:49:53

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [14] 49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [15] 60
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [16] 88
French Albums (SNEP) [17] 114
Irish Albums (IRMA) [18] 52
Scottish Albums (OCC) [19] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] 94
UK Albums (OCC) [21] 39
US Billboard 200 [22] 124
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [23] 8

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References

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  2. "Reviews for Freedom Highway by Rhiannon Giddens". Metacritic . Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Freedom Highway – Rhiannon Giddens". AllMusic . Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  4. Denselow, Robin (February 23, 2017). "Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway review – powerful and timely". The Guardian . Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  5. Gill, Andy (February 22, 2017). "Album reviews: Sleaford Mods – English Tapas, Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer, Thundercat – Drunk, and more". The Independent . Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  6. Breen, Joe (February 23, 2017). "Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway album review: Personal voice with a political edge". The Irish Times . Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  7. Nelson, Chris (February 23, 2017). "Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway". Mojo . Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  8. Spencer, Neil (February 19, 2017). "Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway review – timely and arresting". The Observer . Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  9. Bernstein, Jonathan (February 23, 2017). "Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  10. Hermes, Will (March 23, 2017). "The New Protest Singers". Rolling Stone : 49–50.
  11. Hodgkinson, Will (February 24, 2017). "Pop: Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway" . The Times . Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  12. Deusner, Stephen (March 8, 2017). "Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway". Uncut . Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  13. "First Listen: Rhiannon Giddens, 'Freedom Highway'". NPR.org. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
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