Freedom's Road
| Freedom's Road | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by John Mellencamp | ||||
| Released | January 23, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | June–October, 2006 | |||
| Genre | Rock, country rock | |||
| Length | 48:46 | |||
| Label | Universal Republic | |||
| Producer | John Mellencamp | |||
| John Mellencamp chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| 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] |
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."
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.
Contents
Grammy Awards
The Seventh track "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.
- "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
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Sample from John Mellencamp's "Our Country". From the album Freedom's Road.
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| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
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
With
- Joan Baez – vocal duet on "Jim Crow"
- Little Big Town – backing vocals
Charts
Album - Billboard (America)[12]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| February 10, 2007 | The Billboard 200 | 5 |
Singles - Billboard (America)[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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Critic reviews at Metacritic
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
- ↑ Los Angeles Times review
- ↑ Music Box review
- ↑ PopMatters review
- ↑ NeuFutur review
- ↑ The Phoenix review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ Stylus Magazine review
- ↑ Jonathan Cohen, "Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots", Billboard.com, January 31, 2007.
- ↑ Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart Billboard.com - Discography - John Mellencamp - Freedom's Road
- ↑ Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - John Mellencamp
