I’ll just be honest, I did not think it was possible for me to like a Kid Cudi album this much anymore. I enjoy both Man on the Moon’s quite a bit (the first one especially), but since then I don’t have positive feelings towards any entry in Cudi’s discography. Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven is one of the worst albums of the 2010s, and most of his other works at the time are bad to varying degrees. If you count Kids See Ghosts, I would say that’s been my favorite of his since 2010, and even then I do not count myself among that album’s truthers that have placed it among the best of the decade – I just think it’s more good than bad. I only really planned to give Free a quick check before I likely moved onto something else, and I was shocked by how much it pulled me in.
Free getting off to a strong start was vital for me. There’s a pretty basic instrumental track to start the album, but “Neverland” and “Mr. Miracle” are both very pop-rocky in a way that I think works so much better for Cudi than the mopiness of some of his other ‘rock’ tracks on SB2H or WZRD, and “Mr. Miracle” is pretty anthemic in a bit of the way “Erase Me” (one of my favorite Cudi tracks) is. The strings on “Stargazing” sound excellent, and the grandiose instrumental perfectly complements some of Cudi’s best singing. I love the outro here too. “Picnic In Paris” is a very sweet love song, and as usual, Cudi’s singing is very strong here, especially on the hook.
I also find Cudi being a bit more positive and optimistic on Free to work well for me. “Past Lives” is a synth-pop track. And it sounds great. Cudi’s vocal whine sounds magnificent, and lyrically I actually think it’s a strong point for the album about trying to find balance during both the good and bad moments of life. There’s some more strong writing on “Truman Show” as Cudi does some self-reflection and takes some agency in his life, as well as moving on from his past angsty ‘man on the moon’ persona. Even on the tracks I wasn’t in love with, like the closing track “Salt Water”, I find myself much more willing to accept the lyrical hiccups (‘Is this thing real or placebo?’) when they exist to try and show some of his more dedicated fans his growth towards being happy instead of him doing a Kurt Cobain impression again.
As much as I do enjoy Free, it’s not without some warts – most of which are frequently occurring aspects of Cudi’s music. His writing skills are his writing skills; he’s never been incredible at writing lyrics, he still isn’t, and at times the melodrama can be a bit tedious. His writing is better than normal here, but you won’t mistake him for Kendrick Lamar. “Ashes” is also just an outright bad song without much going on. With that said, this works so much better than any of his other attempts at switching genres. There’s no forced seriousness or angst; it’s just a much more authentic and open version of Cudi on some of the best sounding production he’s had in nearly ten years. If the Cudi bridge is too burned for you to want to give this a listen, I understand, but I promise if those hums have ever pulled you in before, they’ll get you again on Free.
I really enjoyed this review! Its clear and insightful, with a great balance of praise and constructive criticism. The writers enthusiasm for Cudis growth on Free is palpable and makes me want to listen to the album.