Freedom's Road
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. 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.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" – 4:25
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 – vocal duet on "Jim Crow"
- Little Big Town – backing vocals
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
| February 10, 2007 | The Billboard 200 | 5 |
Singles – Billboard
| 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 |