Free Me (album)

Free Me
Studio album by Emma Bunton
Released	9 February 2004 (2004-02-09)
Recorded	2003; Sarm West Studios, Olympic Studios (London, England)
Genre	Pop soul bossa nova jazz-pop
Length	45:30
Label	Polydor
Producer	Yak Bondy Boo Dan Productions Cathy Dennis Simon Ellis Ray Hedges Tim Lever Pete Lewinson Steve Lewinson Mike Peden Mike Percy Fabien Waltmann
Emma Bunton chronology
A Girl Like Me (2001) Free Me (2004) Life in Mono (2006)
Alternative cover
US cover
Singles from Free Me
"Free Me" Released: 26 May 2003 "Maybe" Released: 13 October 2003 "I'll Be There" Released: 26 January 2004 "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" Released: 31 May 2004

Free Me is the second solo studio album by English recording artist Emma Bunton. It was released on 9 February 2004 by Polydor Records.^[1]

Background

The album was the second to follow her 2001 release, A Girl Like Me, and spent over twelve weeks inside the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number seven and selling over 141,712 copies, earning gold award status.

Singles

The lead single, "Free Me", was released in the spring of 2003. The song immediately picked up airplay, and the single sold well in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart. "Maybe" was released as the second single in the autumn of 2003, and also gained extensive airplay throughout the UK, peaking at number six, one position lower than its predecessor.

In the spring of 2004, the album and its third single, "I'll Be There", were released. The single, like its two predecessors, performed well on the charts, peaking at number seven, one position below "Maybe", and two positions below "Free Me". The album sold more copies in its first week than her debut solo record had, and would ultimately go on to outsell it by 25,000 copies. With this, Bunton became the only Spice Girls member to have sold more copies of her second album than her first in UK.

Later in the year, the fourth single, "Crickets Sing for Anamaria", was released. Despite its harder beat and grittier sound, by now the impact of Free Me was beginning to wear off, and the song only came in at number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart, totalling 25,000 copies, and becoming Bunton's lowest-selling single.

In the United States, both "Free Me" and "Maybe" were dance club regulars, reaching number four and number six on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play respectively.

Sound and composition

The album was largely produced by Mike Peden and Yak Bondy, who have produced tracks for S Club 7 and Lucie Silvas, to name a few. Other contributions on the album courtesy of Cathy Dennis, Henry Binns, and Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi. The album was released via 19 Recordings, which is a division of 19 Management, the company owned by Simon Fuller. Bunton says of the inspiration behind the album: "I've been listening to Motown since I was about five, and just loving it, being very passionate about the fact how it was all done live, and I thought, 'Hold on, I always talk about the fact I love '60s and Motown', so I thought I'd take elements of it, bits of it, and put it into my album, so that's exactly what I did." However, Bunton's songs on this album mainly started life as a simple scribble. She says, "I have a little book beside my bed, where I put all my ideas for songs and stuff. It's kind of weird, 'cuz usually when I'm having a dream, I'll wake up, and I'll write something down, then I'll look at it again and think, 'God, what was I dreaming about?'"

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
BBC Music	Favorable[2]
Blender	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
USA Today	[5]

The album was acclaimed by critics for its catchy and fun use of sounds from the Motown and the 1960s era. The BBC says the album is "light and frothy, like a good cappuccino, but this time it's with the sugar taken out". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave a positive review saying, "This music is stylish without being flashy, thanks in large part to the charmingly tuneful, sturdy songs (all but one bearing a writing credit from Emma). While Bunton may still have a small, sweet voice, she's developed a stronger presence on record, giving this album not just a face, but a fetching persona that's hard to resist".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Free Me.

B-sides

Leftover tracks

• "Sometimes" – 4:34
  • This song was released on a compilation album for the Chickenshed theatre company.
• "One Thing I Know" – 4:00
  • This track was co-written by Bunton for Free Me. It was recorded by another 19 Management act, S Club 8, for their album Sundown. Bunton's original vocals can clearly be heard on S Club 8's version.
• "Crazy Beautiful" – 3:55
  • Leaked online in October 2009.
• "Ladylike" – 3:34
  • Leaked online in October 2009.
• "In Another Life" – 3:26
  • Leaked online in October 2009.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References