Free (Chico DeBarge album)

Free
Studio album by
Chico DeBarge
ReleasedMarch 5, 2003
Length50:23
Label
ProducerChico DeBarge
Chico DeBarge chronology
The Game
(1999) 		Free
(2003) 		Addiction
(2009)

Free is the fifth studio album by American singer Chico DeBarge. It was released by Alove Entertainment and Koch Records on March 5, 2003 in the United States. The album debuted and peaked at number 43 on the US Top Independent Albums chart,[1] and produced the single "Home Alone." In 2017, the album was remastered and re-released as Free Remastered. It features six additional tracks such as DeBarge's contribution "Hard Times" from the Beauty Shop (2005) soundtrack.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Vibe[4]

People magazine wrote: "Blending the lush romanticism of Maxwell with the hot-butter sexuality of D'Angelo, DeBarge creates the perfect soundtrack for a night of cuddling under the covers. Like many of today's R&B Romeos, the singer [...] evokes Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye throughout this disc [...] Produced and almost entirely written by DeBarge, Free has a warm, personal vibe tailor-made for lovers.[5] Jason King of Vibe critiqued that the record was "too melancholic for urban radio" and contained "standard relationship" lyrics, but praised the "beautifully threadbare" arrangements and felt it was reminiscent of Wonder's 1972 album Music of My Mind, concluding that: "And though DeBarge has yet to develop Stevie's breadth of vision, with Free, he's well on his way to higher ground."[4]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."It's Cool"Chico DeBargeDeBarge2:52
2."Free"DeBargeDeBarge3:27
3."Smile (interlude)"DeBargeDeBarge0:31
4."Smile"DeBargeDeBarge3:10
5."The Unloved"DeBargeDeBarge4:48
6."Style"DeBargeDeBarge6:35
7."Home Alone"DeBargeDeBarge3:54
8."Virtuous"DeBargeDeBarge4:41
9."Page from the Journal"DeBargeDeBarge3:27
10."Questions"DeBargeDeBarge3:52
11."Availability"DeBargeDeBarge3:33
12."Not 2 Gether"
  • DeBarge
  • Joe
3:24
13."Next Time"
  • DeBarge
  • Joe
  • DeBarge
  • Joe
4:57
14."Royalty (Outro)"DeBargeDeBarge1:11
Total length:50:23
Free Remastered (2017) bonus tracks[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Math"DeBargeDeBarge2:04
16."When You Gonna"DeBargeDeBarge2:58
17."Be Beautiful"DeBargeDeBarge2:28
18."Hard Times"DeBargeDeBarge2:46
19."Supermodel"DeBargeDeBarge2:10
20."Close to You" (featuring Sean Pen)
  • DeBarge
  • Pen
DeBarge2:47

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Free.[6]

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[7] 43
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 79

Release history

The Game release history
Region Date Format Label Ref(s)
Various March 5, 2003
  • Alove
  • Koch
 [3]
Various September 12, 2017
  • CD
  • digital download
 Skye [2]

References

  1. ^ allmusic.com
  2. ^ a b c "Free Remastered by Chico DeBarge". iTunes. September 12, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Free - Chico DeBarge". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b King, Jason (October 2002). "Chico DeBarge 'Free'". Vibe. 10 (10). Vibe Media: 180. ISSN 1070-4701. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Free". People. April 7, 2003. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Free (liner notes). Chico DeBarge. Koch Records. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "Chico DeBarge Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  8. ^ "Chico DeBarge Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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