Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Multi award-winning gospel singer Fred's latest "live" album was recorded at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, Texas (with studio overdubs added later). As you would expect from an artist of Hammond's calibre, it's a slick affair. Kicking off with the slightly overblown "Always Praise", Hammond and crew soon settle down to a considered time of praise with gentler numbers such as "I Sing Hallelujah" and "Let Me Touch The Hem" sitting next to the more upbeat and inventive "The Lord Is Good" and "John 3:16". Many contemporary gospel artists tend to use a live release as an opportunity to showcase their sizeable vocal dexterities at great length but not so Hammond who presents each song with maximum skill and minimum fuss to let the message of Christ's love shine through. Resisting every temptation to ramp proceedings up to a raucous ending, Hammond instead closes this otherwise self-penned release with low key readings of established praise songs like Darlene Zschech's "Worthy Is The Lamb" and Vineyard Music's Jude Del Hierro's "More Love, More Power" to prove that Fred's own soulful brand of gospel music is much more than noise, showmanship and bluster.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.