Fred Hammond Family Entertainment Presents…Life in the Word

Fred Hammond Family Entertainment Presents
Life in the Word
fHammond Family Entertainment 2010
http://www.fhammondfamilyent.com/

Life in the Word is the first project to be released by iconic gospel artist Fred Hammond on his new imprint, fHammond Family Entertainment. The album reflects the label’s purpose, which is to foster “out of the box thinking and creativity.”

And that it does.

First, Hammond produced, co-wrote songs and mentored singers on the project — not out of the ordinary — but what’s different is that he sings only two of the tracks. Life in the Word shines the spotlight on fresh new solo talents such as Dynna Wells, Michael Bethany, Faith Anderson, Candace Laster and Lowell Pye. All the singers demonstrate that they have the moxie and the chops to be there, and they do Hammond and his songwriters proud.

Hammond may not be the featured vocalist but his presence in the music is undeniable. The songs contain his trademark bracing urban AC beat, especially the title track and “You Do Great Things,” which is the current single. The songs don’t have the same immediate wow factor as “Nobody Like You Lord” or “They That Wait,” but they are appealing and have Hammond’s urban contemporary P&W fingerprints on them.

The real plums of Life in the Word are the featured singers. For example, Wells sparkles with warmth and personality on the alternately comforting and intensely emotional “Home Inside My Praise.” Bethany, who co-produced the album, lends his coolly handsome voice to “Need My Time With You.” On “Walkin’ in Victory,” Men of Standard alumnus and current solo hitmaker Lowell Pye almost sounds like Hammond in his muscular delivery.

Adding to Life in the Word’s maverick appeal is the bonus DVD containing episodes of Hammond’s “Warehouse Worship” program. The CD also contains several interstitials, Biblical passages recited by the featured artists. Most are done with appropriate gravitas and backed by new age-y instrumentation, but one where Wells coaches her young daughters through the reading of Psalms 8:1-4 has an hilarious outcome. On another, Hammond serves as preacher – and a remarkably good one, too – as Wells declares the words of I Samuel 12:24.

A sleeper on the CD is the concluding selection, “Just to be Close to You.” Not the BeBe and CeCe Winans hit, this one is a lovely praise and worship ballad rendered soulfully by Hammond and memorable long after the CD has stopped spinning.

Life in the Word is an auspicious debut for fHammond Family Entertainment. It proved it this week, too, debuting on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart at number two.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “You Do Great Things,” “Life in the Word,” “Just to be Close to You.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.