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In some ways, For Free plays like the culmination of David Crosby's late career purple patch. Working once again with James Raymond -- his son who has turned out to be an unusually empathetic and intuitive producer -- Crosby mines similar territory as he has on the records he's released since 2014's Croz, yet For Free contains its own distinctive vibe. It's smoother, for one, lacking the twilight haze of Lighthouse as well as the loose-limbed adventure of Here If You Listen, the 2018 record he made in concert with Snarky Puppy's Michael League, Becca Stevens, and Michelle Willis. The slickness is reminiscent of the glory days of pre-MTV soft rock, a connection underscored by two key guests: Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen, who both contribute songs redolent of their signature styles. McDonald lends his signature harmonies to "River Rise" while Fagen offers "Rodriguez for a Night," a song that sounds as if it could've been excavated from the Gaucho sessions. These, along with the Joni Mitchell cover that lends the album its title, anchor For Free, allowing Crosby to ease into reflective jazz-funk grooves that give him plenty of space to harmonize and reflect. The nimble beats and warm surfaces give For Free an appealing buoyancy while also putting the quiet coda of "Shot at Me" and "I Won't Stay for Long" in sharp relief. Here, Crosby hints at his folkier origins without dispensing with the musical elasticity that characterized the rest of For Free, an expansion that serves as a gentle reminder that Crosby is in the midst of the longest sustained burst of creativity in his entire career.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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David Crosby, Composer, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - MICHAEL MCDONALD, Composer, Backing Vocals, FeaturedArtist - Gary Novak, Drums - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Piano, Synth Bass, Synthesizer
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Composer, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Dan Garcia, Engineer - Steve DiStanislao, Drums - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Piano, Synth Bass, Synthesizer - Greg Liesz, Pedal Steel Guitar - Steve Postell, Composer, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Drum Programmer, Synth Bass, Synthesizer - Grace Raymond, Backing Vocals
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
Dean Parks, Guitar - David Crosby, Composer, Engineer, MainArtist - Donald Fagen, Composer - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Steve Tavaglione, Tenor Saxophone - Gary Novak, Drums - Dan Garcia, Engineer - Andrew Ford, Bass - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Arrangement Horn, Fender Rhodes Piano, Synthesizer - Walt Fowler, Flugelhorn, French Horn - Becca Stevens, Backing Vocals - Michelle Willis, Backing Vocals
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Composer, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Gary Novak, Drums - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Piano, Synth Bass, Synthesizer - Steve Postell, Guitar
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Composer, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Gary Novak, Drums - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Producer, Engineer, Synth Bass, Synthesizer, Wurlitzer Organ - Shawn Tubbs, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar - Michelle Willis, Backing Vocals
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Joni Mitchell, Composer - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Producer, Engineer, Piano - Sarah Jarosz, FeaturedArtist
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Abe Laboriel, Jr., Drums - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Backing Vocals, Synthesizer - Shawn Tubbs, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar - Eli Thomson, Bass - Michelle Willis, Backing Vocals
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
Dean Parks, Composer, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar - David Crosby, Composer, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Gary Novak, Drums - Dan Garcia, Engineer - JAMES RAYMOND, Producer, Engineer, Fender Rhodes Piano, Synth Bass, Synthesizer
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
David Crosby, Engineer, MainArtist - Bernie Grundman, Engineer - Steve Tavaglione, Woodwinds - Dan Garcia, Engineer - Steve DiStanislao, Drums - JAMES RAYMOND, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Piano, Drum Programmer, Synth Bass, Synthesizer
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
Album review
In some ways, For Free plays like the culmination of David Crosby's late career purple patch. Working once again with James Raymond -- his son who has turned out to be an unusually empathetic and intuitive producer -- Crosby mines similar territory as he has on the records he's released since 2014's Croz, yet For Free contains its own distinctive vibe. It's smoother, for one, lacking the twilight haze of Lighthouse as well as the loose-limbed adventure of Here If You Listen, the 2018 record he made in concert with Snarky Puppy's Michael League, Becca Stevens, and Michelle Willis. The slickness is reminiscent of the glory days of pre-MTV soft rock, a connection underscored by two key guests: Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen, who both contribute songs redolent of their signature styles. McDonald lends his signature harmonies to "River Rise" while Fagen offers "Rodriguez for a Night," a song that sounds as if it could've been excavated from the Gaucho sessions. These, along with the Joni Mitchell cover that lends the album its title, anchor For Free, allowing Crosby to ease into reflective jazz-funk grooves that give him plenty of space to harmonize and reflect. The nimble beats and warm surfaces give For Free an appealing buoyancy while also putting the quiet coda of "Shot at Me" and "I Won't Stay for Long" in sharp relief. Here, Crosby hints at his folkier origins without dispensing with the musical elasticity that characterized the rest of For Free, an expansion that serves as a gentle reminder that Crosby is in the midst of the longest sustained burst of creativity in his entire career.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:37:14
- Main artists: David Crosby
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC ℗ 2021 Three Blind Mice, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
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