For Free (album)
| For Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 23, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | August–December 2020 | |||
| Studios | The Bamboom Room (Altadena, California) Hz Werks (Van Nuys, California) Joel Jacks' Studio (Santa Ynez, California) Groove Masters (Santa Monica, California) Stubbs Recording (Spring Hill, Tennessee) Tomorrow's Sound Today (Memphis, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 37:29 | |||
| Labels |
| |||
| Producer | James Raymond | |||
| David Crosby chronology | ||||
| ||||
For Free is the eighth and final studio album by American singer-songwriter David Crosby, released on July 23, 2021, by Three Blind Mice and BMG, a month prior to his 80th birthday. It marks his final studio recording released during his lifetime before his death in January 2023.
Background
For Free represents the culmination of Crosby's late-career creative revival that began in the mid-2010s. The album was produced by keyboardist James Raymond, Crosby's son, who served as his key musical collaborator since the late 1990s in the group CPR. The recording took place between August and December 2020 across multiple studios, adapting to remote production constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The title track is a cover of a 1970 song written by Crosby's long-time friend Joni Mitchell for her album Ladies of the Canyon, recorded as a duet with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz.
The album incorporates notable guest appearances. The opening track "River Rise" features guest vocals by Michael McDonald. "Rodriguez for a Night" features lyrics written specifically for Crosby by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen[1]. The album cover art features a portrait painting of Crosby created by fellow folk singer and friend Joan Baez.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| American Songwriter | [4] |
| The Arts Desk | [5] |
| Classic Rock | [6] |
| Mojo | [7] |
| NME | [8] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[9] |
| Record Collector | [10] |
| Rolling Stone |  [11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
For Free received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84 based on six reviews[13]. Reviewers praised Crosby's vocal strength, contemplative lyrics dealing with aging and mortality, and the album's sophisticated West Coast rock and jazz-influenced production[14][15].
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "River Rise" (featuring Michael McDonald) | David Crosby, James Raymond, Michael McDonald | 3:33 |
| 2. | "I Think I" | Crosby, Raymond, Steve Postell | 4:52 |
| 3. | "The Other Side of Midnight" | Raymond | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Rodriguez for a Night" | Crosby, Donald Fagen, Raymond | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Secret Dancer" | Crosby, Raymond | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Ships in the Night" | Crosby | 3:25 |
| 7. | "For Free" (featuring Sarah Jarosz) | Joni Mitchell | 3:43 |
| 8. | "Boxes" | Raymond | 4:14 |
| 9. | "Shot at Me" | Crosby, Dean Parks | 3:13 |
| 10. | "I Won't Stay for Long" | Raymond | 4:29 |
| Total length: | 37:29 | ||
Personnel
- David Crosby – vocals
- James Raymond – acoustic piano (1–5, 7, 8, 10), synthesizers (1–6, 8–10), synth guitar solo (1, 4), synth bass (1–3, 6, 9, 10), synth acoustic guitar (3, 8), drum programming (3), Fender Rhodes (4, 9), percussion (4), horn arrangements (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (6), backing vocals (8)
- Shawn Tubbs – guitars (1), acoustic guitar (6, 8), electric guitar (6, 8)
- Steve Postell – acoustic guitar (2), backing vocals (2), guitars (5)
- Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar (2)
- Dean Parks – guitars (4), acoustic guitar (9), electric guitar (9)
- Andrew Ford – bass guitar (4)
- Elijah Thomson – bass guitar (8)
- Gary Novak – drums (1, 4–6, 9)
- Steve DiStanislao – drums (2, 10)
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums (8)
- Steve Tavaglione – tenor saxophone (4), EWI (10)
- Walt Fowler – trumpet (4), flugelhorn (4)
- Michael McDonald – backing vocals (1)
- Gracie Raymond – backing vocals (3)
- Becca Stevens – backing vocals (3)
- Michelle Willis – backing vocals (3, 6, 8)
- Sarah Jarosz – vocals (7)
- Brian Wilson – count-in vocal (10)
Production
- James Raymond – producer, arrangements, recording, mixing
- Dan Garcia – recording, mixing
- David Crosby – mixing
- Nate Hassely – assistant engineer
- Joel Jacks – assistant engineer
- Jason Mariani – assistant engineer
- Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – assistant engineer
- Shawn Tubbs – guitar recording (1, 6, 8)
- Dean Parks – guitar recording (4, 9)
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Louise Hendy – artwork design
- Joan Baez – sleeve artwork, original painting
- Mike Chadwick – management
Studios
- Recorded at The Bamboom Room (Altadena, California); Hz Werks (Van Nuys, California); Joel Jacks' Studio (Santa Ynez, California); Groove Masters (Santa Monica, California); Stubbs Recording (Spring Hill, Tennessee); Tomorrow's Sound Today (Memphis, Tennessee).
- Mixed at The Bamboom Room; Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California); Carbonite Sound (Ojai, California).
- Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).
Charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 73 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 35 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 67 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 48 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] | 23 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] | 84 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[22] | 10 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 14 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[24] | 53 |
| UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[25] | 2 |
References
- ↑ Collar, Matt. "For Free - David Crosby". AllMusic. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ "For Free by David Crosby Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ "For Free - David Crosby". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ "Review: With His Latest Album, 'For Free,' David Crosby Again Gives All". American Songwriter. July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ Thomson, Liz (July 17, 2017). "Album: David Crosby - For Free". The Arts Desk. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ "David Crosby continues late-career revival with atmospheric, harmony-laden collection". Classic Rock. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021 – via Loudersound.
- ↑ It is Crosby's stubbornly enduring voice--the will to live and create in that gift after he came so close to throwing it away--that binds the wonder and mission on For Free. [Aug 2021, p.81]
- ↑ "David Crosby – 'For Free' review: countercultural icon faces mortality with grace". NME. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ Layman, Will (August 4, 2021). "David Crosby Reaches for Transcendence (and Groove) with 'For Free'". PopMatters. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ Dalton, Nick (August 30, 2021). "David Crosby - For Free". Record Collector. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ A fine set of yacht-y, good-natured, mind-finding tunes. [Jul/Aug 2021, p.133]
- ↑ Staunton, Terry (August 20, 2021). "David Crosby – For Free". Uncut. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ "For Free by David Crosby Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ Zimmerman, Lee. "David Crosby's 'For Free' Is Yet Another Masterpiece". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ↑ Cooper, Leonie (July 22, 2021). "David Crosby – 'For Free' review: countercultural icon faces mortality with grace". NME.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – David Crosby – For Free" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – David Crosby – For Free" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – David Crosby – For Free" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Crosby – For Free" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Crosby – For Free" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 30 (dal 23.7.2021 al 29.7.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 30/7/2021 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – David Crosby – For Free". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 30/7/2021 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 30/7/2021 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2021.