For Free is the eighth and final solo studio album by American musician David Crosby. The album was released on July 23, 2021, by Three Blind Mice and BMG Rights Management with cover art produced by Joan Baez.[1][2][3]
| For Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 23, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | August–December 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Bamboom Room (Altadena, California) Hz Werks (Van Nuys, California) Joel Jacks' Studio (Santa Ynez, California) Groove Masters (Santa Monica, California) Stubbs Recording (Spring Hill, Tennessee) Tomorrow's Sound Today (Memphis, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 37:29 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | James Raymond | |||
| David Crosby chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album was Crosby's final release prior to his death in January 2023.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| American Songwriter | [6] |
| Classic Rock | [7] |
| NME | [8] |
For Free received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 84, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 6 reviews.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "River Rise" (featuring Michael McDonald) | David Crosby, James Raymond, Michael McDonald | 3:33 |
| 2. | "I Think I" | Crosby, Raymond, Steve Postell | 4:52 |
| 3. | "The Other Side of Midnight" | Raymond | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Rodriguez for a Night" | Crosby, Donald Fagen, Raymond | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Secret Dancer" | Crosby, Raymond | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Ships in the Night" | Crosby | 3:25 |
| 7. | "For Free" (featuring Sarah Jarosz) | Joni Mitchell | 3:43 |
| 8. | "Boxes" | Raymond | 4:14 |
| 9. | "Shot at Me" | Crosby, Dean Parks | 3:13 |
| 10. | "I Won't Stay for Long" | Raymond | 4:29 |
| Total length: | 37:29 | ||
Personnel
edit- David Crosby – vocals
- James Raymond – acoustic piano (1–5, 7, 8, 10), synthesizers (1–6, 8–10), synth guitar solo (1, 4), synth bass (1–3, 6, 9, 10), synth acoustic guitar (3, 8), drum programming (3), Fender Rhodes (4, 9), percussion (4), horn arrangements (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (6), backing vocals (8)
- Shawn Tubbs – guitars (1), acoustic guitar (6, 8), electric guitar (6, 8)
- Steve Postell – acoustic guitar (2), backing vocals (2), guitars (5)
- Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar (2)
- Dean Parks – guitars (4), acoustic guitar (9), electric guitar (9)
- Andrew Ford – bass (4)
- Elijah Thomson – bass (8)
- Gary Novak – drums (1, 4-6, 9)
- Steve DiStanislao – drums (2, 10)
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums (8)
- Steve Tavaglione – tenor saxophone (4), EWI (10)
- Walt Fowler – trumpet (4), flugelhorn (4)
- Michael McDonald – backing vocals (1)
- Gracie Raymond – backing vocals (3)
- Becca Stevens – backing vocals (3)
- Michelle Willis – backing vocals (3, 6, 8)
- Sarah Jarosz – vocals (7)
- Brian Wilson – count-in vocal (10)
Production
edit- James Raymond – producer, arrangements, recording, mixing
- Dan Garcia – recording, mixing
- David Crosby – mixing
- Nate Hassely – assistant engineer
- Joel Jacks – assistant engineer
- Jason Mariani – assistant engineer
- Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – assistant engineer
- Shawn Tubbs – guitar recording (1, 6, 8)
- Dean Parks – guitar recording (4, 9)
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Louise Hendy – artwork design
- Joan Baez – sleeve artwork, original painting
- Mike Chadwick – management
Studios
- Recorded at The Bamboom Room (Altadena, California); Hz Werks (Van Nuys, California); Joel Jacks' Studio (Santa Ynez, California); Groove Masters (Santa Monica, California); Stubbs Recording (Spring Hill, Tennessee); Tomorrow's Sound Today (Memphis, Tennessee).
- Mixed at The Bamboom Room; Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California); Carbonite Sound (Ojai, California).
- Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] | 73 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] | 35 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11] | 67 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] | 48 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 23 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[14] | 84 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 10 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 14 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 53 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[18] | 2 |
References
edit- ^ "For Free by David Crosby on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- ^ Andy Greene (2021-05-20). "David Crosby to Celebrate 80th Birthday With New LP 'For Free'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- ^ "David Crosby – 'For Free' review: countercultural icon faces mortality with grace". NME. 2021-06-22. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
- ^ a b "For Free by David Crosby Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- ^ "For Free - David Crosby". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- ^ "Review: With His Latest Album, 'For Free,' David Crosby Again Gives All". American Songwriter. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- ^ "David Crosby continues late-career revival with atmospheric, harmony-laden collection". Classic Rock. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-25 – via Loudersound.
- ^ "David Crosby – 'For Free' review: countercultural icon faces mortality with grace". NME. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – David Crosby – For Free" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – David Crosby – For Free" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – David Crosby – For Free" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Crosby – For Free" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Crosby – For Free" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 30 (dal 23.7.2021 al 29.7.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – David Crosby – For Free". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2021.