Free (Gavin DeGraw album)
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Free is Gavin DeGraw's third album. The album was released on March 31, 2009.
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 (album). “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
It was a pleasure to make an album with understated production where the featured element was the content.[1]
DeGraw, 2009
The album was recorded towards the end of 2008 and completed in January 2009 and released on March 31st 2009, less than a year after the release of his previous album.[1]
Singles
The first single, "Stay", was leaked through the internet on March 11. Dowload on iTunes: [1]
Track listing
All songs written by Gavin DeGraw except "Indian Summer" written by Chris Whitley.
- "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 (iTunes exclusive)
Reception
Critical
Critics were generally favorable of the album. Giving the album three-out-of-four stars, USA Today said that "DeGraw's haunting, bluesy drawl sometimes overwhelms this earnest, soulful-ish material. But when the annoyances are gone...the balance is beautiful."[2] 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."[3]
Charts
Free entered the Billboard 200 at #19,[4] selling 29,000 copies, whereas his last album Gavin DeGraw debuted at #7 in May 2008, selling 66,000 copies.[5] In its second week, Free dropped to #97, a drop of seventy-eight places.
| Chart (2008)[6] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums Chart | 29 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 96 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 76 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[7] | 19 |
References
- ^ a b Gardner, Elysa (February 13, 2009), "DeGraw is a 'Free' man on third album". USA Today
- ^ Shriver, Jerry; Jones, Steve; Mansfield, Brian (March 31, 2009), "ALBUMS". USA Today.
- ^ Arnold, Chuck (April 6, 2009), "QUICK CUTS". People. 71 (13):49
- ^ "Week Ending April 5, 2009: A Prince Beats A King (Of Pop)". Yahoo!
- ^ "Diamond Dominates Billboard 200 With First No. 1". Billboard
- ^ Artist Chart Album History - Gavin DeGaw - Gavin DeGraw
- ^ Artist Chart History - Gavin DeGaw
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