Just Be Free

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Professional reviews
Just Be Free

Studio album by Christina Aguilera
Released	August 21, 2001 (U.S.)
Recorded	circa. 1995
Genre	Pop
Length	45:99
Label	Warlock Records
Producer(s)	Bobby Allecca, Michael Brown, Tim Camponeschi
All Music Guide link
Christina Aguilera chronology
My Kind of Christmas (2000)	Just Be Free (2001)	Stripped (2002)

Alternative Cover

Just Be Free is an unofficial album of American pop singer Christina Aguilera's early demo recordings, which were submitted when she was fourteen and fifteen years old. These tracks were never intended to be released to the public, but were instead used as a tool to enter the music industry.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, by which time she was a household name, a single emerged into record stores called "Just Be Free", one of the demos Aguilera recorded. When RCA Records discovered the single, they officially advised fans not to purchase it, since it was unauthorized, and had German authorities pull the single off shelves as well. Months later, Warlock Records was set to release Just Be Free, an album which contains the demo tracks. Aguilera filed a breach of contract and unfair-competition suit against Warlock and former producers Michael Brown and Robert Alleca in an effort to block the release, arguing that the album didn't reflect her music direction because of her age when she recorded it, and how they used Aguilera's name, likeness and image without permission to advertise a product.^{[citation needed]}

In the end, the two parties came to a settlement to release the album to the public. She lent out her name, likeness and image for an unspecified amount of damages. Many of the details of the lawsuit remain confidential. When the album was released on August 21, 2001, it had a photograph of Aguilera when she was fifteen years old, and the following statement from her written in its liner notes:

Dear Friends:

Just Be Free was recorded when I was 14 and 15 years old. At that young age, I made the recordings as a possible stepping stone to a career in music, which is my ultimate passion. They were made just so that I could get my foot in the door of the music business.

I did not intend that the recordings would be widely released, especially after I signed with a major record label. I have not updated or finished the versions recorded in my childhood, and they are being released "as is," although I tried to prevent the release for several years.

The recordings do not in any way reflect my current musical taste and where I am as an artist. The growth and vocal development I experienced as I matured into young adulthood is not reflected in the recordings. The album of new recordings that I intend to release this fall will be the album that truly reflects my artistry, my vision, and my passion. The Just Be Free recordings will hopefully be a footnote in a musical career that I dream will last for many years to come.

1 Track listing
2 Personnel
3 Additional Credits
4 Charts
5 References

[edit] 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 Come" (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

[edit] Personnel

Christina Aguilera - 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

[edit] Additional Credits

"Just Be Free" - Co-produced & Remixed by Seth Lawrence Berman and Sean Tyas
"By Your Side" - Co-produced & Remixed by The Platinum Brothers
"Move It" - Co-produced & Remixed by William "Prez" Bush
"Our Day Will Come" - Co-produced & Remixed by Christopher Star

[edit] Charts

Chart (2001)^[1]	Peak position
Billboard 200	71
Billboard Independent Albums	3

[edit] References

^ Billboard.com Christina Aguilera album chart. Accessed: December 3, 2006

v • d • e Christina Aguilera
Discography
Albums
Christina Aguilera (1999) • Stripped (2002) • Back to Basics (2006)
Other Albums
Mi Reflejo (2000) · My Kind of Christmas (2000) · Just Be Free (2001)
Singles
"Reflection" · "Genie in a Bottle" · "The Christmas Song" · "What a Girl Wants" · "I Turn to You" · "Come on Over Baby" · "Pero me acuerdo de ti" · "Christmas Time" · "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" · "Falsas Esperanzas" · "Lady Marmalade" · "Dirrty" · "Beautiful" · "Fighter" · "Can't Hold Us Down" · "Infatuation" · "The Voice Within" · "Car Wash" · "Tilt Ya Head Back" · "Ain't No Other Man" · "Hurt" · "Tell Me" · "Candyman"
Related articles
Discography · Awards · B-Sides/Unreleased songs · RCA Records