Just Be Free
Encyclopedia
Just Be Free is a demo album released by Warlock Records
featuring music recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera
. The music was recorded when Aguilera was 15 and had met Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown, the pair gave Aguilera the opportunity to use a recording studio and they spent time presenting her with demo music with the understanding that they could use the material for their own purpose, but also claiming they would not commercially release it. Musically the album was compiled with dance
style music in addition to ballad
style tracks all conceived to showcase Aguilera's vocals in an effort to reach out to record label's, a venture which actually backfired after the recordings were not very well received amongst critics.
The recordings were produced after Aguilera finished time with The New Mickey Mouse Club which was finishing its final season and even saw Aguilera record Spanish language tracks. When Aguilera was acknowledged about the release of the album, she hired lawyer Carla Christofferson to help stop the release, as they were not the quality she was associated with at that time. Warlock Records then filed their own lawsuit in an effort to continue with the release, and finally the case settled out of court, and one specification was for a letter, written by Aguilera to be featured inside each copy. The letter noted background information, and stated the music did not reflect her current musical style. Critically the album was not well received, and although her vocals were well received, the cheap production and lyrics were less so, commercially the album has sold over 128,000 copies in the United States.
based producers Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown. The pair eventually built a relationship with Aguilera and her family and offered studio time to Aguilera however they told her that the demo recordings she would produce would be property of theirs, but the pair also told her that they would never commercially release the demo's. She recorded eleven "rough and unfinished" tracks which then went on to become the Just Be Free studio sessions. The early tapes were conceived as a way of introducing Aguilera to the music industry, described as a "foot in the door" attempt to build interest in her musical abilities. During the recording sessions Aguilera experimented with languages recording songs such as the title track "Just Be Free" in Spanish. Although the rightful writers of the content have been disputed, the recording sessions have been described as influential on future recordings from Aguilera. Musically the album generally consisted of ballad material which was created in an effort to showcase Aguilera's vocal talents although in addition to the ballads recorded in these sessions, dance music became a prominent theme throughout the eleven tracks she recorded during this time.
agreed that the production was low-budget describing the content as "teen-jailbait" due to lyrics such as "Why don't you stay with me tonight" and gave the album a D-rating overall. Pier Dominguez author of A Star is Made commented that the sessions demonstrated "Christina's raw vocal agility" despite calling the content "dull", adding "Christina's hunger for success actually comes through in these songs, as she sings her heart out with strained emotion, trying to sound as if she's letting all her inhibitions run free. If she did in fact co-write the songs then they were also a demonstration of Christina's songwriting dexterity, because the album's lyrics could be called unoriginal and perhaps even cheesy, it could not be said that they were not catchy". Stephanie McGrath from JAM! Music also saw why Aguilera wouldn't want the album released, and like Dominguez found that it still showed potential, McGrath described the tracks saying "The songs themselves are terrible, dated club tracks, overwhelmed by poor effects and mundane beats." Commercially the album has sold over 128,000 copies in the United States and peaked at number 71 on the Billboard 200
.
Warlock Records
Warlock Records is an independent record label based in New York City that was founded by Adam Levy in the late 1980s. Artists that once recorded for Warlock Records included C-Bo, the Jungle Brothers, and Todd Terry. In 1992, the label acquired the catalog of Sleeping Bag Records and its sub-label...
featuring music recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
. The music was recorded when Aguilera was 15 and had met Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown, the pair gave Aguilera the opportunity to use a recording studio and they spent time presenting her with demo music with the understanding that they could use the material for their own purpose, but also claiming they would not commercially release it. Musically the album was compiled with dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
style music in addition to ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
style tracks all conceived to showcase Aguilera's vocals in an effort to reach out to record label's, a venture which actually backfired after the recordings were not very well received amongst critics.
The recordings were produced after Aguilera finished time with The New Mickey Mouse Club which was finishing its final season and even saw Aguilera record Spanish language tracks. When Aguilera was acknowledged about the release of the album, she hired lawyer Carla Christofferson to help stop the release, as they were not the quality she was associated with at that time. Warlock Records then filed their own lawsuit in an effort to continue with the release, and finally the case settled out of court, and one specification was for a letter, written by Aguilera to be featured inside each copy. The letter noted background information, and stated the music did not reflect her current musical style. Critically the album was not well received, and although her vocals were well received, the cheap production and lyrics were less so, commercially the album has sold over 128,000 copies in the United States.
Background
After news that The New Mickey Mouse Club would be filming its final season, Aguilera was determined to land a record deal, she spent time in Philadelphia recording demo tracks with various producers and found herself more determined than ever to have an album released by the time she had finished High School and in the time she was taping the final season of the show she found herself working with New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
based producers Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown. The pair eventually built a relationship with Aguilera and her family and offered studio time to Aguilera however they told her that the demo recordings she would produce would be property of theirs, but the pair also told her that they would never commercially release the demo's. She recorded eleven "rough and unfinished" tracks which then went on to become the Just Be Free studio sessions. The early tapes were conceived as a way of introducing Aguilera to the music industry, described as a "foot in the door" attempt to build interest in her musical abilities. During the recording sessions Aguilera experimented with languages recording songs such as the title track "Just Be Free" in Spanish. Although the rightful writers of the content have been disputed, the recording sessions have been described as influential on future recordings from Aguilera. Musically the album generally consisted of ballad material which was created in an effort to showcase Aguilera's vocal talents although in addition to the ballads recorded in these sessions, dance music became a prominent theme throughout the eleven tracks she recorded during this time.
Lawsuit and release
After discovery that Alleca and Brown would be releasing the album, Aguilera started developments to sue the pair in an effort to stop the release. Aguilera filed a suit against Warlock Records and the affiliates Platinum Recordings and JFB Music for "improper use of her name and license on the upcoming album Just Be Free". Carla Christofferson, her lawyer at the time, explained that "We're trying to stop them from releasing these early recordings which is not the quality she is associated with right now." Though the President of Warlock Records, Adam Levy felt that despite Aguilera disliking the material he found it to be a look into her life, he said "It's a great look at what she was doing, We're pleased [to be putting the record out]. I'm more pleased for the album's producers who wanted to get it out. I hope the fans can appreciate it." Christofferson responded by alleging that Warlock Records tried to "boot strap" on Aguilera's success. In response to the lawsuit, Warlock Records filed their own lawsuit in an attempt to ensure the release of the record. During the proceedings, Aguilera agreed to let Warlock Records release Just Be Free after reaching a settlement with the company and its affiliates. She allowed the release under the condition that the label would have to include a letter written by Aguilera in each album released.Reception
The album received generally negative reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of allmusic saw why Aguilera was not happy with the release of the material calling them "pre-professional" and labelled them "generic early-'90s dance-pop" adding that the record did not match the quality of her self-titled debut album with the production being "bland" of which Erlewine described as a "footnote in her career". David Browne of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
agreed that the production was low-budget describing the content as "teen-jailbait" due to lyrics such as "Why don't you stay with me tonight" and gave the album a D-rating overall. Pier Dominguez author of A Star is Made commented that the sessions demonstrated "Christina's raw vocal agility" despite calling the content "dull", adding "Christina's hunger for success actually comes through in these songs, as she sings her heart out with strained emotion, trying to sound as if she's letting all her inhibitions run free. If she did in fact co-write the songs then they were also a demonstration of Christina's songwriting dexterity, because the album's lyrics could be called unoriginal and perhaps even cheesy, it could not be said that they were not catchy". Stephanie McGrath from JAM! Music also saw why Aguilera wouldn't want the album released, and like Dominguez found that it still showed potential, McGrath described the tracks saying "The songs themselves are terrible, dated club tracks, overwhelmed by poor effects and mundane beats." Commercially the album has sold over 128,000 copies in the United States and peaked at number 71 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Track listing
- "Just Be Free" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 3:43
- "By Your Side" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 4:07
- "Move It" (Dance Mix) (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 3:55
- "Our Day Will ComeOur Day Will Come"Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson which was a #1 hit in 1963 for Ruby & The Romantics.-Ruby & the Romantics:...
" (Mort Garson; Bob Hilliard) – 4:05 - "Believe Me" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 4:17
- "Make Me Happy" (LaForest Cope; Michael Brown) – 3:54
- "Dream a Dream" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 4:51
- "Move It" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 3:44
- "The Way You Talk to Me" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 3:37
- "Running out of Time" (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 4:05
- "Believe Me" (Dance Remix) (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 4:36
- "Just Be Free" (Spanish) (Bob Allecca; Michael Brown; Christina Aguilera) – 3:41
Personnel
- Christina AguileraChristina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
– vocals, background vocals - Bob Alecca – Executive Producer
- Michael Brown – Executive Producer
- Bryan N. Calhoun – A&R Supervision
- Amy Knong – Art Direction & Design
- Eliud "Liu" Ortiz – Mixing Engineer
- Greg Smith – Assistant Mix Engineer
- Chris Gehringer – Mastering Engineer