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]
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.[5] Jason King of Vibe critiqued that the record was "too melancholic for urban radio" and contained "standard relationship" lyrics, but praised the "beautifully threadbare" arrangements and felt it was reminiscent of Wonder's 1972 album Music of My Mind, concluding that: "And though DeBarge has yet to develop Stevie's breadth of vision, with Free, he's well on his way to higher ground."[4]
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