Free Me

Free Me
Studio album by Emma Bunton
Released	9 February 2004 (2004-02-09) (see release history)
Recorded	2003
Genre	Pop, soul, Motown, sophisti-pop, bossa nova, world
Length	45:30
Label	Polydor
Producer	Mike Peden, Yak Bondy, Cathy Dennis, Simon Ellis, Tim Lever, Peter Lewinson, Steve Lewinson, Mike Percy
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Rolling Stone link
Emma Bunton chronology
A Girl Like Me (2001) Free Me (2004) Life in Mono (2006)
Alternate cover
U.S. cover
Singles from Free Me
"Free Me" Released: 26 May 2003 "Maybe" Released: 13 October 2003 "I'll Be There" Released: 24 January 2004 "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" Released: 31 May 2004

Free Me is the second studio album by English pop singer-songwriter Emma Bunton, released in the United Kingdom and Canada on 9 February 2004 and in the United States on 25 January 2005.

Record and single releases

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 the "one of 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.

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 then 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.

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 U.S., both "Free Me" and "Maybe" were dance club regulars, reaching number four and number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play respectively.

Motown 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?'"

Bunton on the singles

• "Free Me": "I got to dress up like a Bond Girl in this video, which was great fun, and the director, Tim Royes, was great to work with. We shot this video in Rio just after the carnival had taken place, so it was just perfect."

• "Maybe": "The 'ba da das' in this song are actually inspired from music in German porn movies that the writer, Yak Bondy, played to me... not the movies, but the music. It just had that kind of catchy, kinky, vibe to it, so I thought, 'Yeah, I'll take it!' The video is based around the movie Sweet Charity, and I always have such a laugh performing this song, 'cuz the dancing is mad!"

• "Crickets Sing for Anamaria": "I came across this track on the Astrud Gilberto album when I was filming the "Free Me" video—and I took this at first, and was unsure of how I'd work it myself, but when I got my musicians in again, it all fell into place and I love the track. It's a perfect song for the summer."

Track listing

USA CD

1. "Free Me" (Emma Bunton, Helene Muddiman, Mike Peden) – 4:27
2. "Maybe" (Bunton, Yak Bondy) – 3:43
3. "I'll Be There" (Bunton, Muddiman, Peden) – 3:24
4. "Tomorrow" (Bunton, Bondy) – 3:56
5. "Breathing" (Bunton, Henry Binns, Yoyo Olugbo) – 4:03
6. "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" (Marcos Valle, Ray Gilbert) – 2:46
7. "No Sign of Life" (Bunton, Simon Ellis, Stephen Lee) – 3:38
8. "Who the Hell Are You" (Bunton, Nigel Butler, Ray Hedges) – 3:19
9. "Lay Your Love on Me" (Bunton, Cathy Dennis) – 3:25
10. "Amazing" (featuring Luis Fonsi) (Bunton, Muddiman, Peden, Nina Marander) – 4:06
11. "You Are" (Bunton, Tim Lever, Mike Percy) – 3:46
12. "Something So Beautiful" (Bunton, Peter Lewinson, Steve Lewinson) – 3:44
13. "Free Me" (dr. octavo seduction radio edit) 3:39
14. "Free Me" (full intention's freed up radio edit) 4:00

Charts

Uk Sales: 141,712 (Gold)

Release history