For Free (album)

For Free
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 23, 2021
RecordedAugust–December 2020
StudioThe 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)
GenreRock
Length37:29
Label
  • Three Blind Mice
  • BMG
ProducerJames Raymond
David Crosby chronology
Here If You Listen
(2018)
For Free
(2021)

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]

The album was Crosby's final release prior to his death in January 2023.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
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

For Free track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."River Rise" (featuring Michael McDonald)David Crosby, James Raymond, Michael McDonald3:33
2."I Think I"Crosby, Raymond, Steve Postell4:52
3."The Other Side of Midnight"Raymond3:14
4."Rodriguez for a Night"Crosby, Donald Fagen, Raymond3:17
5."Secret Dancer"Crosby, Raymond3:14
6."Ships in the Night"Crosby3:25
7."For Free" (featuring Sarah Jarosz)Joni Mitchell3:43
8."Boxes"Raymond4:14
9."Shot at Me"Crosby, Dean Parks3:13
10."I Won't Stay for Long"Raymond4:29
Total length:37:29

Personnel

Production

  • 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

Chart performance for For Free
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

  1. ^ "For Free by David Crosby on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  2. ^ Andy Greene (2021-05-20). "David Crosby to Celebrate 80th Birthday With New LP 'For Free'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ a b "For Free by David Crosby Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  5. ^ "For Free - David Crosby". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  6. ^ "Review: With His Latest Album, 'For Free,' David Crosby Again Gives All". American Songwriter. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  7. ^ "David Crosby continues late-career revival with atmospheric, harmony-laden collection". Classic Rock. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-25 – via Loudersound.
  8. ^ "David Crosby – 'For Free' review: countercultural icon faces mortality with grace". NME. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  9. ^ "Austriancharts.at – David Crosby – For Free" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – David Crosby – For Free" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – David Crosby – For Free" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Crosby – For Free" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Crosby – For Free" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  14. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 30 (dal 23.7.2021 al 29.7.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – David Crosby – For Free". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  18. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2021.