Free (Chico DeBarge album)

Free
Free
Studio album by Chico DeBarge
Released	March 5, 2003
Length	50:23
Label	Alove; Koch;
Producer	Chico DeBarge
Chico DeBarge chronology

Free is the fifth studio album by American singer Chico DeBarge. It was released by Alove Entertainment and Koch Records on March 5, 2003 in the United States. The album debuted and peaked at number 43 on the US Top Independent Albums chart,^[1] and produced the single "Home Alone." In 2017, the album was remastered and re-released as Free Remastered. It features six additional tracks such as DeBarge's contribution "Hard Times" from the Beauty Shop (2005) soundtrack.^[2]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]

AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five.^[3] People magazine wrote: "Blending the lush romanticism of Maxwell with the hot-butter sexuality of D'Angelo, DeBarge creates the perfect soundtrack for a night of cuddling under the covers. Like many of today’s R&B Romeos, the singer [...] evokes Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye throughout this disc [...] Produced and almost entirely written by DeBarge, Free has a warm, personal vibe tailor-made for lovers.^[4]

Track listing[edit]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"It's Cool"	Chico DeBarge	DeBarge	2:52
2.	"Free"	DeBarge	DeBarge	3:27
3.	"Smile (interlude)"	DeBarge	DeBarge	0:31
4.	"Smile"	DeBarge	DeBarge	3:10
5.	"The Unloved"	DeBarge	DeBarge	4:48
6.	"Style"	DeBarge	DeBarge	6:35
7.	"Home Alone"	DeBarge	DeBarge	3:54
8.	"Virtuous"	DeBarge	DeBarge	4:41
9.	"Page from the Journal"	DeBarge	DeBarge	3:27
10.	"Questions"	DeBarge	DeBarge	3:52
11.	"Availability"	DeBarge	DeBarge	3:33
12.	"Not 2 Gether"	DeBarge Joe	DeBarge Joe	3:24
13.	"Next Time"	DeBarge Joe	DeBarge Joe	4:57
14.	"Royalty (Outro)"	DeBarge	DeBarge	1:11
Total length:				50:23

*Free Remastered* (2017) bonus tracks^[2]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Math"	DeBarge	DeBarge	2:04
16.	"When You Gonna"	DeBarge	DeBarge	2:58
17.	"Be Beautiful"	DeBarge	DeBarge	2:28
18.	"Hard Times"	DeBarge	DeBarge	2:46
19.	"Supermodel"	DeBarge	DeBarge	2:10
20.	"Close to You" (featuring Sean Pen)	DeBarge Pen	DeBarge	2:47

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Free.^[5]

Dexter Browne – photography
Gabe Chiesa – mixing engineer
Chico DeBarge – executive producer, producer
Michel Hand – engineer

Jean Marie Horvat – mixing engineer
Rob Reister – engineer, mixing engineer
Scooby – egnineer
Smurf – executive producer

Charts[edit]

Chart (2003)	Peak position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[6]	43
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[7]	79

Release history[edit]

*The Game* release history
Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref(s)
Various	March 5, 2003	CD digital download	Alove Koch	^[3]
Various	September 12, 2017	CD digital download	Skye	^[2]

References[edit]

^ allmusic.com
^ ^a ^b ^c "Free Remastered by Chico DeBarge". iTunes. 12 September 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Allmusic review
^ "Picks and Pans Review: Free". People. April 7, 2003. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
^ Free (liner notes). Chico DeBarge. Koch Records. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Chico DeBarge Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
^ "Chico DeBarge Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.

[1] usic.com

[remaster-2] "Free Remastered by Chico DeBarge". iTunes. 12 September 2017.

[AllMusic-3] Allmusic review

[4] "Picks and Pans Review: Free". People. April 7, 2003. Retrieved July 11, 2022.

[liner_notes-5] Free (liner notes). Chico DeBarge. Koch Records. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_BillboardIndependent_Chico_DeBarge-6] "Chico DeBarge Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.

[BillboardRandBHipHop-7] "Chico DeBarge Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.

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