TracksSomeday, Ghost Towns Along the Highway, The Americans, Forgiveness, Freedom's Road, Jim Crow, Our Country, Rural Route, My Aeroplane, Heaven Is a Lonely Place
NotesFreedom's Road, the culmination of a year's worth of composing, arranging, recording and mixing is a collection of songs that reflect the climate and concerns of present day America. Lyrically, the album is not overtly political but offers an insightful, plain-spoken perspective on contemporary conditions. The lyrics, contemplative and hopeful, are set off by the garage-born organic sound of Mellencamp and his band. Band members participating in the sessions for Freedom's Road included Mike Wanchic (guitar, vocals), Andy York (guitar, vocals, flute-a-phone), Miriam Sturm (violin), John Gunnell (bass), Dane Clark (drums), and Troye Kinnett (keyboards). The album's tone and themes are underscored by such Mellencamp-penned originals as 'Ghost Towns Along the Highway,' 'Rural Route,' and 'The Americans.' of the album's title track, Mellencamp notes, 'Freedom's Road' is a promise that you have to go through hell to redeem. Billboard called Our Country an appreciable fable of tolerance, hope and empowerment, citing his latest offering as 'a jubilant return.'