Customer Reviews

Free

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Free" is the beautifully crafted and eagerly awaited second artist album from the lovely Lisa Shaw.
Written and produced by Dave Warrin and Lisa Shaw featuring guest producers Miguel Migs, Ethan White from Tortured Soul and Tim K, the CD is Lisa's latest studio effort since her debut album Cherry on Naked Music released in 2005.
Lisa originally from Toronto,Canada, but now residing in New York City, has been described by Rolling Stone Magazine to be... "So Cool!"
For others, her voice can be one best described as the 'dance/electronic Sade', both aching and soothing.
The album showcases Lisa's gorgeous voice through a great blend of electronic, soul and RnB lovingly packed on one disc.
She has built up a good reputation for up tempo soul and soulful house tracks over the past decade and this solid album can only enhance that.
"Honey" is a monster modern soul dancer that will set the floors alight.
"Free" is also a killer up tempo soulful dancer, and "Feel" is another good soulful dancer.
"I'am Okay" is a good mid tempo stepper and "Sky High" and "Better Days" are slightly slower mid tempo's.
The rest of the album is mainly soulful house shifters the best of which are "Like I Want To", "Can You See Him", "Find The Way" and "All Night".
In a nutshell, Lisa's latest is a vibrant and nice album and definitely one for those who prefer their music with more tempo.
Please, give this beautiful lady the spotlight!

Lisa has been said to be the Sade of house music and for good reason. Like Sade, Lisa's voice is as smooth as silk whether the song is down tempo or a dancefloor ripper.
"Betters Days" is a mellow chill out gem with an old school edge.
"Honey" drips Lisa's silky vocals over a bouncy R&B bassline.
"Find The Way" in my opinion is served buffet style. A little house, a little latin and jazz elements to show the versatility of Lisa's capabilities.
"Like I Want To" will force you to the dancefloor. The beat on this track is pumpin' and I LOVE the synthesizer licks as well as a great bassline. A real floor filler.
"Free" is another dancefloor smoker. Lisa's voice is mesmerizing.
"Music In You" another floor thumper. The music as well as Lisa's vocals simply possesses you on the floor.
"All Night High" is a very hott house track with kickin' beats and a bumpin' bass. Lisa hypnotizes you with her sexy vocals.
"Feel" is a feel good song. What a great song to listen or dance to. Love Lisa's vocals on this one too ;)
"Can You See Him" has a new sound for Lisa as the others. It's a welcome addition to her accomplishments. Change IS good. Lovin' this fresh dance tune.
"I'm Ok" another R&B tune. Listen to Lisa on this one. Does she sound magnificent or what? Thanks Lisa for gracing us with this song. You're more than Ok ;)
"Tomorrow" showcases Lisa's wonderful voice on this moody track. The real chillout song.
"Inside My Love" brings the islands to us in this raggae influenced song. The music and the lyrics makes this listener feel the ocean spray and the sun's rays. What a great song.
"Sky High" finishes this work of art with a R&B masterpiece. It has an oldschool sound with a knockin' rimshot.
In conclusion. I think Lisa really outdid herself on this CD. Musically AND vocally, this is a project she should really be very proud of.
Now for the consumer. You have to get this CD. Lisa has chilled us out, taken us to the dancefloor for quite a workout, detoured to the islands and delivers top shelf R&B.
Caution: Be careful playing this CD in your car. They stop people for petalpushing. Get it now and be prepared for a sizzling summer.

I LOVE this album! She is such a superstar. I like all her work. She has such a great style and lovely voice. If you like to relax and have music that helps you feel this way I say go get this album - and any other work she does as well. You will not regret this purchase for sure.

Let me start by saying a few things. First off, it is sad that this album is now out of print because it is quite good. Secondly, even though I love both artists, I think it's somewhat ridiculous to compare Lisa Shaw to Samantha James. One does a disservice to both artists in doing so. Besides being in the genre of Electronic Dance music, the two artists are not that similar. Lisa Shaw is heavily influenced by Soul music. Anyone who has heard S.O.S. Band, Change, Slave, Shalamar and other Soul/Funk groups of the late 70's and 80's can hear that influence in Lisa Shaw's music but one cannot hear much of that in Samantha James.

While I would agree that Cherry may be a better album, I think Free is still great. Few artists will ever make an album like Cherry. It's not something one can even plan for, it just happens. I've been listening to Free for a couple of years and it's grown on me considerably. Break down of the tracks:

1. Better Days: Not really a House/Dance record at all. Straight forward Soul song. Really good track.

2. Honey: Mid-tempo Dance track but still musically interesting.

3. Find The Way: Seems like a personal track. Bit of a Gospel feel lyrically. Being a fan of Black Gospel myself, I think it's great for her to incorporate that influence.

4. Like I Want To: My favorite track. Great intro. Definitely a Dance record but is a great composition musically. Worthy of Jam & Lewis or maybe Kashif. I think it's that good.

5. Free: Sounds like Blue Six even though Jay Denes had nothing to do with it. Could have fit well on Beautiful Tomorrow.

6. Music In You: Really good track. Miguel Migs influence and tastes can really be heard on this one. Could have fit on Those Things quite well.

7. All Night High: This track has really grown on me. Very moody for a Dance track -as was a lot of the songs on Cherry. Could have fit on that album well. Quite beautiful track really. One of my favorites.

8. Feel: I think this song could have done with a better intro but it's still quite good. Once again, it's a moody track. Not the stereotypical House/Dance record that one may have a tendency to hear in a club.

9. Can You See Him: Not much can be said about this one except that I think it's good. Lisa can sometimes make use of a really breathy vocal and make it poignant. Vanessa Daou has that ability. Probably comes from a shared Jazz influence.

10. I'm Okay: Really good intro like some of the tracks on Cherry. Kind of Jazzy. The beauty of Electronic music is the ability to create atmosphere. This track has it in spades.

11. Tomorrow: As many have noted, Lisa Shaw is obviously a fan of Sade and her influence can be heard here. This track is easily worthy of Sade.

12. Inside My Love: Decent track but one could take it or leave it. Not a stand out track; probably my least favorite.

13. Sky High: Ends as it begins, with a straight forward Soul track. This isn't a House song by any stretch of the imagination. One would not hear something like this on a Samantha James album. At least I would highly doubt it.

Anyway, that is how I would break down the album. I think it's great and like Cherry, it transcends the genre of House/ Dance music. I didn't rate Cherry because there was more than enough good ratings for that album. This album suffered more than it should have so I thought it deserved a good review.

A sexy, smoky, stellar album that's pretty much flawless from start to finish. This isn't a dance CD and shouldn't be confused as such just because Shaw has appeared on the Naked Music compilations...although the mood of this album is very conducive to being naked! Great job, Lisa! Give us more!

Since i got this album i havent been able to stop listening to it ...by far one of the best albums i heard soo far im a new fan of Lisa Shaw.... i came across her music browsing through my ringback tones and instantly fell in love ...

If you love Lisa Shaw, it's a great sophomore album. If you're in search of music beyond mainstream hype, show some support and pick it up. The albums is about a 50/50 mix of uptempo house and smooth laid back cuts. No real reason to be disappointed. Great Album.

I'm OK is so hot...it knox my sox off...I love so much that she lends her voice to...she is the best..I'm hoping to see her with Migs at Mighty in SF on April 2.....I'm sure that at 57 I will be the oldest person there but oh well!!

Ah, she's back! If you have never heard of Lisa Shaw, you're in for something good. If you have, and you're a fan like me, you should definitely pick this up! Second albums are usually much different than firsts - and this is no exception, so don't expect the exact same thing as "Cherry". Her first solo release was part of the Naked Music label (and produced by the amazing Jay Denes). Dave Warrin does a good job (with some help from Miguel Migs, among others) for Salted Music, understandably going for a bit of a different sound. However, Lisa is still Lisa and her vocals are amazing.

I'm not just giving this album 5 stars for the sake of giving it 5 stars as a fan - Lisa is a truly gifted artist. Be prepared for something a bit different than before, but be prepared for something great nonetheless.

I just wish she didn't have such a long gap between recordings. A very enjoyable listen.