| Free Will | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Gil Scott-Heron |
| Cover: | Free Will cover.jpg |
| Released: | August 1972 |
| Recorded: | March 2–3, 1972 |
| Studio: | RCA Studios (New York, New York) |
| Genre: | Progressive soul,[1] jazz-funk[2] |
| Length: | 36:43 |
| Label: | Flying Dutchman/RCA FD-10153 |
| Producer: | Bob Thiele |
| Prev Title: | Pieces of a Man |
| Prev Year: | 1971 |
| Next Title: | The Revolution Will Not Be Televised |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
Free Will is the second studio album by American poet Gil Scott-Heron, released in August 1972 on Flying Dutchman Records. Recordings sessions for the album took place on March 2 and 3, 1972, at RCA Studios in New York City, and production was handled by producer Bob Thiele. It is the follow-up to Scott-Heron's critically acclaimed studio debut, Pieces of a Man (1971), and it is the second album to feature him working with keyboardist Brian Jackson. Free Will is also Scott-Heron's final studio album for Flying Dutchman.[3] The album reissued on compact disc in 2001 by Bluebird Records with alternative takes of eight tracks from the original album.
Free Will featured a format that divides the LP's two sides, musically. The first side is made up of five recordings done by Scott-Heron and the entire band, which once again featured Brian Jackson playing a major role as he did on the previous album, Pieces of a Man. The title track opens up the album with a meditation on personal responsibility. One of Scott-Heron's best known performances, "The Get out of the Ghetto Blues" is a moving ghetto warning and features bluesy instrumentation by pianist Brian Jackson and guitarist David Spinozza. The second side functions more as a live rap session with Brian Jackson on flute and a couple of percussionists. "Ain't No New Thing" emphasizes Scott-Heron's black pride, which he previously displayed on his debut album, by presenting an argument about the placement of black culture into the American mainstream:
"Wiggy" is a haiku-like appreciation of natural black hair. The themes of police brutality, violence, and self-exploration are still present as they were on Scott-Heron's previous albums. "No Knock", a reference to a police policy whereby knocking is not required before entering a house, and "... And Then He Wrote Meditations", a tribute to John Coltrane, continue these themes.