Freedom's Road Explained

Freedom's Road
Type:studio
Artist:John Mellencamp
Cover:Freedom's_road.JPG
Released:January 23, 2007
Recorded:June–October 2006
Genre:Rock, country rock
Length:48:46
Label:Universal South
Producer:John Mellencamp
Prev Year:2004
Next Title:Life, Death, Love and Freedom
Next Year:2008

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.[1] 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.

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
  12. "Ghost Towns Along The Highway" - acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
  13. "Someday" - acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
  14. "Rural Route" - acoustic (Best Buy exclusive)
  15. "The Americans" - rough mix (Best Buy exclusive)

Personnel

References

  1. Jonathan Cohen, "Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots", Billboard.com, January 31, 2007.

External links