Free Like We Want 2 B is an album by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, released in 1995 by Elektra Records.[1][2] It was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Reggae Album" category.[3]

Free Like We Want 2 B
Studio album by
Released1995
GenreReggae
LabelElektra
ProducerThe Melody Makers
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers chronology
Joy and Blues
(1993)
Free Like We Want 2 B
(1995)
Fallen Is Babylon
(1997)

The album peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard 200.[4] "Hand to Mouth" was a top 10 hit in Jamaica[5] and "Power to Move Ya" charted number 13 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[8]

Trouser Press wrote that "Stephen steps out of his brother's happyface shadow with a sound and ideas of his own, rubbing salt in old political scars with the enervated resentment of 'Bygones'."[9] Entertainment Weekly determined that "Ziggy refuses to be defined by his last name alone, but he soon he eases into the uplifting rhythms that are his birthright."[8]

AllMusic wrote that "R&B and extensive use of keyboards enhance and strengthen the record, demonstrating that the band has the ability to grow and experiment while staying true to their Jamaican roots."[7]

Track listing

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  1. "Power To Move Ya" (David Marley)
  2. "Free Like We Want 2 B" (David Marley)
  3. "Today" (David Marley)
  4. "Water and Oil" (David Marley; Stephen Marley)
  5. "Live It Up" (David Marley)
  6. "Tipsy Dazy" (Stephen Marley)
  7. "Bygones" (Stephen Marley)
  8. "Hand to Mouth" (David Marley; Stephen Marley)
  9. "In The Flow" (David Marley)
  10. "Don't Go Nowhere" (David Marley)
  11. "G7" (David Marley)
  12. "Keep On"" (Stephen Marley)
  13. "Beautiful Mother Nature" (David Marley)

Song uses in other media

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The documentary Life and Debt used the album's song "G7".[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Thompson, Dave (May 12, 2002). "Reggae & Caribbean Music". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Ziggy Marley". Recording Academy. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Ziggy Marley". Billboard.
  5. ^ White, Timothy (September 15, 1998). "Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley". Macmillan – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  7. ^ a b "Free Like We Want 2 B - Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, Ziggy Marley | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  8. ^ a b "Free Like We Want 2 B". EW.com.
  9. ^ "Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers". Trouser Press. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  10. ^ Stephanie Black Life & Debt, Credits "Life and Debt" Film website, 2001, retrieved 20 July 2018