''Freedom's Road'' is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

, 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.Jonathan Cohen
"Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots"
Billboard.com, January 31, 2007. 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 Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman (née Roads), Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbr ...

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 The Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing qua ...

at the

50th Annual Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...

(held February 10, 2008).

Track listing

All songs written by

. # "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" idden 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

*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 Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

– vocal duet on "Jim Crow" *

– backing vocals

Charts

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control 2007 albums John Mellencamp albums Republic Records albums