"Set Me Free" is a song by American singer

Jermaine Stewart William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American R&B singer, best known for his 1986 hit single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off", which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also peaked wi ...

, which was released in 1992 as the only single from his unreleased fifth studio album '' Set Me Free''. It was written by Stewart and

Jesse Saunders Jesse Saunders (born March 10, 1962) is an American house music artist, DJ, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. His 1984 single, "On & On", co-written with Vince Lawrence, was the first record with a house DJ as the artist that ...

, and produced by Saunders. It reached No. 45 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

Background

"Set Me Free" was Stewart's debut single for Reprise Records and saw him embarking on a Hip Hop/House-influenced sound. "Set Me Free" was aimed at the club scene, with various remixes created by David Shaw and Winston Jones. When the single was met with limited commercial success, Reprise shelved the upcoming album of the same name. Stewart began recording a new album, ''Believe in Me'', in the mid-1990s, but he died of AIDS-related liver cancer in March 1997 before it was completed.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by David Florimbi and

Rupert Wainwright Rupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, with credits including ''Blank Check'' (1994), ''The Sadness of Sex'' (1995) and ''Stigmata'' (1999). He is also a music video producer and multiple award-winner. British-born, Wain ...

, and produced by Paul Schiefer for Fragile Films, with Terance Power as the executive producer.

Critical reception

On its release, Larry Flick of '' Billboard'' commented, "Long-absent Stewart switches labels with a slick, trend-conscious funk jam that benefits greatly from his warm and appealing voice. Tasty remixes inject a slinky, R&B-juiced house tone that could work equally well over urban airwaves and on club dancefloors."

Formats

12-inch single #"Set Me Free" (Classical Club Mix) - 6:46 #"Set Me Free" (Classical Club-Stremental) - 6:20 #"Set Me Free" (Ambient House Mix) - 4:16 #"Set Me Free" (Funky Dub Version) - 6:14 #"Set Me Free" (Piano Trax) - 5:57 #"Set Me Free" (Don't Call Me I'll Call U R&B Version) - 5:30 CD single #"Set Me Free" (I Gotta Go Single Edit) - 3:44 #"Set Me Free" (Album Version) - 4:17 #"Set Me Free" (Don't Call Me I'll Call U R&B Version) - 5:30 #"Set Me Free" (Classical Club Mix) - 6:46 #"Set Me Free" (Ambient House Mix) - 4:16

Personnel

* Executive Producer – Benny Medina * Keyboards – Cevin Fisher, Fred McFarlane, Peter Daou * Producer - Jesse Saunders * Co-producer – Jermaine Stewart * Remixes of "Set Me Free", Additional Producer – David Shaw, Winston Jones * Remixer of "Set Me Free (Ambient House Mix)" - Jesse Saunders

Charts

References

{{Jermaine Stewart 1992 songs 1992 singles Jermaine Stewart songs Reprise Records singles Songs written by Jermaine Stewart