Free Me (album)
| Free Me | ||||
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| File:Emma Bunton - Free Me - UK album.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Emma Bunton | ||||
| Released | 9 February 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003; Sarm West Studios, Olympic Studios (London, England) |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:30 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer |
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| Emma Bunton chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
| U.S. cover
U.S. cover
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| Singles from Free Me | ||||
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Free Me is the second studio album by English recording artist Emma Bunton. It was released on 9 February 2004 by Polydor Records.[1]
Contents
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. The album was widely acclaimed by critics as being "one of the best solo Spice records ever" due to its catchy and fun use of sounds from the Motown and the 1960s era. 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. "One Thing I Know", an unreleased track co-written by Bunton for Free Me, 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.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| BBC Music | Favorable[2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
| USA Today | [4] |
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
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?'"
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Free Me.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free Me" |
|
Peden | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Maybe" |
|
Peden | 3:43 |
| 3. | "I'll Be There" |
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Peden | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Tomorrow" |
|
Bondy | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Breathing" |
|
Boo Dan Productions | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" | Peden | 2:46 | |
| 7. | "No Sign of Life" |
|
Ellis | 3:38 |
| 8. | "Who the Hell Are You" |
|
Hedges | 3:18 |
| 9. | "Lay Your Love on Me" |
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3:23 |
| 10. | "Amazing" (featuring Luis Fonsi) |
|
Peden | 4:06 |
| 11. | "You Are" |
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3:46 |
| 12. | "Something So Beautiful" |
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3:46 |
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Total length:
|
45:30 | |||
| US edition bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "Free Me" (Dr. Octavo Seduction Remix) | 3:38 |
| 14. | "Free Me" (Full Intention Freed Up Remix) | 4:01 |
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums Chart[5] | 9 |
| UK Albums Chart[6] | 7 |
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
| US Top Heatseekers[7] | 30 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Gold[8] |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 9 February 2004 | Polydor Records |
| Australia | 19 July 2004 | Universal Music |
| Brazil | 20 September 2004 | |
| Germany | 21 January 2005 | |
| United States | 25 January 2005 | 19 Entertainment |
References
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- ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/20040215/40
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