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The Detroit-born producer and performer's many
musical experiences started when he was 12, singing
in his church choir, with his mother the catalyst
for his powerful faith. Later he played bass
for the Winans, then spent more than a decade
as a vocalist with the popular urban group Commissioned.
He has since launched a successful solo career
and produced projects for numerous urban and
contemporary Christian acts. He is one of music's
elite, known for his soaring voice as well as
his production and songwriting talents, and he
has a shelf full of awards and nominations to
prove it.
On his new Benson album, The
Spirit of David, Fred Hammond uses his strong,
soulful voice, songwriting talent and love
of the gospl the way he believes they were
meant to be used. "Pastors
an friends have told me I have a Daviddic anointing,
from a psalmist standpoint," says Fred. "David
was a worshipper, and that's what I try to be."
Thus the album's title, which
is appropriate on many levels. As Fred explains, "A friend
of mine was listening to the stuff we were doing
for the ablum and said, ‘Man, you have the heart
and spirit of David.' And at that moment I knew
that's what I wanted to call the album. And the
more I htought about it, the more I thought the
title was perfect. I've faced a lot of giants
myself - I was fatherless, growing up in Detroit
public schools - and God delivered me in so many
different ways, just the way he delivered David."
He wrote or co-wrote most
of the songs, applying each to a time in David's
life. In the first part, "Praise and Thanksgiving", the
songs are about coming before the presence of
the Lord, singing praises. Then it moves into "Adversity & Triumph." David
was strong in many battles, but he was pursued
by Saul and had to go into hiding, so he suffered
adversity as well.
"The last part, ‘Restoration and Justification'
acknowledges that Christians can sometimes find
themselves separated from God, and they think
they can't get back in grace with God. But in
troubled times, David ran closer to God instead
of running away from Him. The whole album is
a guide to say, ‘Look how similar we are to David,
a person that we think of as a great man in God.'
You realize that David made it through al these
things, and you can make it, too."
The project reunited Fred
with Radical for Christ, the vocal ensemble
he introduced with the 1995 album, The Inner
Court, which he assembled in 1994. But the
sound of The Spirit of David is tighter and
more deliberately studio-polished. We focused
on making a real studio album, not a live one. "I want to make experiences,
not just records," says Fred.
Fans of Fred's street-edged
Commissioned grooves. Those who like a more
traditional choir sound will find plenty to
love on "The Spirit
of David." "What I did with Commissioned
was more current R&B, and what I've done
with Radical for Christ is more like regular
gospel," he says. "For example, we
love to do ‘David's Dance.' " That really
gets the audiences going. And ‘Shout Unto God'
gets the warriors pumped up to go into battle
for God. It's a war shout that activates praise." In
addition to these joy-filled jams, the album
offers introspective tunes and arrangements.
"I had a rough year, leaving Commissioned
and rebuilding. I've been doing this since I
was 22, and I'm 35 now, but I had to be a newcomer
all over again. That can make you tired. I had
to pray all the time, "Lord, don't let this
desensitize me. Rejuvenate me daily." "'Promise
Keeper' is a blessing song," he continues. ‘God
has never reneged on a promise to me. And ‘Blessings
and Honor' is special to me because of how it
was created."
Throughout his musical journey, Fred has asked
God to guide his creativity and talent. He is
certain that the work he is doing is exactly
what he should be doing at this point, and that
God has shaped his vision. |
