Free (For Real album)
Free is the second studio album by American R&B group For Real. It was released on September 17, 1996, via Rowdy Records. Recording sessions took place at D.A.R.P. Studios and Silent Studios in Atlanta, at Riversound Studios in Lithonia, at the Record Plant, SoulPower Studio and Saturn Sound in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Dallas Austin, Soulshock, Babyface, Craig B, Daryl Simmons, Mario Winans, Stephen Bray and Tony Shepperd. In the United States, the album debuted at number 100 on the Top R&B Albums chart. Its lead single, "Like I Do", peaked at number 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 45 on the UK singles chart and number 49 in New Zealand. The follow-up single, "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard", only made it to number 65 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song "Love Will Be Waiting at Home" previously appeared in Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album.
Track listing
;Sample credits- Track 3 contains portions of "Soulful Strut" performed by Young-Holt Unlimited.
Personnel
- Necia Bray – vocals
- Josina Elder – vocals
- Latanyia Baldwin – vocals
- Wendi Williams – vocals
- Craig B – bass, guitar, producer
- Daryl Simmons – keyboards & producer
- Vance Taylor – piano
- Ronnie Garrett – bass
- Tomi Martin – guitar
- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds – keyboards & producer
- Alex Alessandroni – acoustic piano
- Michael Thompson – bass
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Trevor Veitch – guitar
- Reggie Hamilton – bass
- James Raymond – keyboards
- Stephen Bray – percussion & producer
- Curt Bisquera – percussion & drum programming
- Abe Laboriel Jr. – percussion
- Bill Meyers – strings conductor
- Suzie Katayama – cello
- Henry Ferber – violin
- Ruth Johnson – violin
- Karie Prescott – viola
- Rick Sheppard – programming
- Dallas Austin – producer, executive producer
- Carsten "Soulshock" Schack – producer & mixing
- Mario Winans – producer
- Tony Shepperd – producer & engineering
- Kenneth Karlin – additional vocal producer, mixing
- Leslie Brathwaite – recording, mixing
- Manolo "Manny Marroquin" Marroquín – recording & mixing
- Brian Smith – recording & mixing
- Thom Kidd – recording
- Brad Gilderman – recording
- Jon Gass – mixing
- Neal H Pogue – mixing
- Carlton Lynn – engineering assistant
- Paul Thompson – engineering assistant
- Kenny Hickson – engineering assistant
- Alex Lowe – engineering assistant
- Kevin Lively – engineering assistant
- Mike Alvord – engineering assistant
- Ricciano "Ricco" Lumpkins – engineering assistant
- Herb Powers Jr. – mastering
- Sandy Lawrence – design
- RJ Muna – cover photo
- Arnold Turner – photography
- David Gates – A&R
- Kim Lumpkin – coordinator