Stay Free (album)

Stay Free
Studio album by Ashford & Simpson
Released	9 August 1979
Recorded	1979
Studio	Sigma Sound, New York City
Genre	R&B, disco
Length	39:10
Label	Warner Bros.[1]
Producer	Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
Ashford & Simpson chronology
Is It Still Good to Ya (1978) Stay Free (1979) A Musical Affair (1980)
Singles from Stay Free
"Found a Cure" Released: June 1979 "Nobody Knows" Released: October 1979

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	B+[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]

Stay Free is an album by the American R&B duo Ashford & Simpson, released in 1979.[4][5] It peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200.[6]

"Found a Cure" peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Disco Top 100 chart.[7]

Critical reception

Robert Christgau praised the "groove" of the songs, but noted that Stay Free didn't reach the same highs as previous albums.[3] The Bay State Banner thought that the duo's "production adds tough, jumping instrumental accompaniment behind them, and keeps their torrid exchanges prominently in the middle of an aggressively mixed work."[8]

AllMusic wrote that "the title track was spectacular, and the rest of the album was expertly produced, performed, and arranged."[2] The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that the pair "sang about marriage, commitment and difficult relationships with frankness and a sense of romance that was untainted by sentimentality."[9]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson

1. "Found a Cure" – 7:01
2. "Stay Free" – 5:28
3. "Dance Forever" – 5:48
4. "Nobody Knows" – 6:34
5. "Crazy" – 3:40
6. "Finally Got to Me" – 4:41
7. "Follow Your Heart" – 4:46

Personnel

• Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson - lead vocals, backing vocals
• Eric Gale, Steve Khan - guitar
• Francisco Centeno, Anthony Jackson - bass
• Chris Parker, Steve Gadd, Jimmy Young - drums
• Ralph MacDonald - percussion, congas, Syndrums
• David Carey - timpani
• Ray Chew - Minimoog synthesizer, piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano
• Valerie Simpson - piano
• Ullanda McCullough, Chandra Armstead, Frank Floyd, Jo Armstead - backing vocals
• Eddie Daniels, George Young - flute
• Seldon Powell - horns
• Alfred Brown - strings
• John Davis, Paul Riser, Rob Mounsey - string and horn arrangements

References

1. Wikane, Christian John (April 3, 2008). "Ashford & Simpson: The Warner Bros. Years, PopMatters".
2. "Stay Free". AllMusic.
3. "Ashford & Simpson". Robert Christgau.
4. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8 – via Google Books.
5. Berry, Bill (Nov 8, 1979). "Ashford & Simpson". Jet. Vol. 57, no. 8. p. 23.
6. "Ashford & Simpson". Billboard.
7. "Disco Top 100". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 36. Sep 8, 1979. p. 48.
8. Lane, George (30 Aug 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. Vol. 14, no. 47. p. 21.
9. Tucker, Ken (20 July 1984). "4 Concerts, One a Real Must-See". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E22.