Free (Gavin DeGraw album)
Encyclopedia
Free is singer-songwriter
Gavin DeGraw
's third album. The album was released on March 31, 2009. It was his final album for J Records
.
To keep himself from overthinking the songs, DeGraw made Free in less than two weeks at the Brooklyn studio of his producer Camus Celli, who has worked with such artists as Tina Turner
, David Byrne
, Lana Wolf
and Arto Lindsay
. DeGraw and Celli have known each other since working together on an early version of DeGraw’s 2003 major-label debut Chariot
. “I’ve been in the studio with several different producers so I already knew what I wanted,” DeGraw says. “This was my opportunity to be involved in the production and I knew Camus could get the sounds I was going for.”
The trust he had in Celli and the collaborative spirit of their partnership freed DeGraw to dig deep and tap into something he hadn’t tapped into for a while. “This album reveals the honesty about my love of music,” he says. “It isn’t about the biggest, the strongest, or the loudest. It’s about simplicity in its purest form. It doesn’t sound like the big machine. It sounds like where you go to escape the big machine.”
Download on iTunes: http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D308193192%2526id%253D308193167%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D4 The second single, "Dancing Shoes", was released later in 2009.
The song "Glass" was featured on the 18th episode from the sixth season of the series One Tree Hill
.
, except "Indian Summer" by Chris Whitley
.
All songs
Except on "Waterfall"
said that "DeGraw's haunting, bluesy drawl sometimes overwhelms this earnest, soulful-ish material. But when the annoyances are gone...the balance is beautiful." Chuck Arnold with People
magazine also gave the album three-out-of-four stars and found that DeGraw "gets back to his soulful essence on this simple, stripped-down collection of early and new songs." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album 3 out of 5 stars saying, "He could use at least one hook as big as "I Don't Wanna Be," but Free manages to flow easily and warmly, something that couldn't quite be said of the blue-eyed soul bluster of his first two albums."
at #19, selling 29,000 copies, whereas his last album Gavin DeGraw
debuted at #7 in May 2008, selling 66,000 copies. In its second week, Free dropped to #97, a drop of seventy-eight places.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
's third album. The album was released on March 31, 2009. It was his final album for J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
.
To keep himself from overthinking the songs, DeGraw made Free in less than two weeks at the Brooklyn studio of his producer Camus Celli, who has worked with such artists as Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
, Lana Wolf
Lana Wolf
Lana Wolf sang with many international artists, among which are The Trammps, George McCrae, Londonbeat, Frans Bauer, René Froger, Gerard Cox and Linda, Roos and Jessica as well as with the Metropole Orchestra....
and Arto Lindsay
Arto Lindsay
Arthur Morgan Lindsay is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He is a 1974 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida....
. DeGraw and Celli have known each other since working together on an early version of DeGraw’s 2003 major-label debut Chariot
Chariot (album)
Chariot is the debut studio album by singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, first released in 2003 on J Records. It was re-released in 2004 as "Chariot ," which included all of the original "Chariot" content as well as a bonus disc...
. “I’ve been in the studio with several different producers so I already knew what I wanted,” DeGraw says. “This was my opportunity to be involved in the production and I knew Camus could get the sounds I was going for.”
The trust he had in Celli and the collaborative spirit of their partnership freed DeGraw to dig deep and tap into something he hadn’t tapped into for a while. “This album reveals the honesty about my love of music,” he says. “It isn’t about the biggest, the strongest, or the loudest. It’s about simplicity in its purest form. It doesn’t sound like the big machine. It sounds like where you go to escape the big machine.”
Development
The album was recorded towards the end of 2008 and completed in January 2009 and released on March 31, 2009, less than a year after the release of his previous album.Singles
The album's first single, "Stay", was leaked through the internet on March 11, 2009.Download on iTunes: http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D308193192%2526id%253D308193167%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D4 The second single, "Dancing Shoes", was released later in 2009.
The song "Glass" was featured on the 18th episode from the sixth season of the series One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (season 6)
Season six of One Tree Hill, an American television series, began on September 1, 2008 and concluded on May 18, 2009 with a total of 24 episodes. This is the third season to air on The CW Television Network television network...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Gavin DeGrawGavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
, except "Indian Summer" by Chris Whitley
Chris Whitley
Christopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following...
.
- "Indian Summer" - 4:43
- "Free" – 3:56
- "Stay" – 3:33
- "Mountains to Move " - 5:46
- "Glass" - 3:53
- "Lover Be Strong" - 4:28
- "Dancing Shoes" - 3:46
- "Waterfall" - 4:41
- "Why Do the Men Stray?" - 3:05
- "Never the Same" - 4:19 (iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
exclusive) - "Young Love" - 3:46 (outtake – limited time Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
exclusive) - "Get Lost" - 4:06 (outtake – bonus track)
Personnel
MusiciansAll songs
- Piano, vocals, acoustic guitar - Gavin Degraw
- Guitar - Audley Freed
- Bass - Andy Hess
- B3, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Arap String Ensemble - George Lanks
- Drums - Charley Drayton
Except on "Waterfall"
- Vocals - Gavin Degraw
- Guitar, omnichord - Jack Petrucelli
- Bass - Alvin Moody
- Drums - Matt FlynnMatt FlynnMatthew Clayton Flynn is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.-Early years:...
Critical reception
Critics were generally favorable of the album. Giving the album three-out-of-four stars, USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said that "DeGraw's haunting, bluesy drawl sometimes overwhelms this earnest, soulful-ish material. But when the annoyances are gone...the balance is beautiful." Chuck Arnold with People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine also gave the album three-out-of-four stars and found that DeGraw "gets back to his soulful essence on this simple, stripped-down collection of early and new songs." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album 3 out of 5 stars saying, "He could use at least one hook as big as "I Don't Wanna Be," but Free manages to flow easily and warmly, something that couldn't quite be said of the blue-eyed soul bluster of his first two albums."
Charts
Free entered the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at #19, selling 29,000 copies, whereas his last album Gavin DeGraw
Gavin DeGraw (album)
Gavin DeGraw is singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw's self-titled second album. The album was released on May 6, 2008.The album debuted at number seven on the U.S...
debuted at #7 in May 2008, selling 66,000 copies. In its second week, Free dropped to #97, a drop of seventy-eight places.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums Chart | 29 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 96 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 76 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
19 |