(Photo : United Tenors)

Fred Hammond is a man with a kingdom mindset.  Never with a tunneled vision of building his own empire, Hammond is about furthering what is pivotal to God's church.  With countless Grammy, Dove and Stellar awards dotting over his twenty odd years of ministry, Hammond commands respect and admiration.  However, instead of tiling up more hits and awards, Hammond took a back seat in 2010.  In releasing "Life in the World," Hammond allowed his protégées to take the lead voices on most of the tracks passing the baton on to them to shine for Jesus.  Then last year, aching at the high numbers of Christian marriages withering into divorce, Hammond released "God, Love and Romance."  A stellar of an album that grounds marital relationships in God's holiness, the album brought healing to innumerable couples.  For this year's "United Tenors," he has decided to join voices with fellow Gospel artists Dave Hollister, Eric Roberson and Brian Courtney-Wilson for a record.  With Hammond's statute he need no more bolstering, but such a partnership was formed for the sake of impressing upon his fans that real men do get together to praise the Lord.  Real men do pray together.  Thus far, "United Tenors" is already impacting fans as it debut at #1 on Billboard's Gospel album chart and #7 on Billboard's 200 pop album chart.

Together this quartet represents the movers and shakers of Gospel music.  But with this record, they have all checked their egos at the door.  Instead of each trying to out-sing each other, they have united to sing in tight harmony for the Lord.  Bursting out of the speakers is the energetic album opener "Unshakeable." With this song's crisp electronic drum beat and a fresh hip sound, Hammon belies his age as it comfortably sits side by side with today's younger artists such as Tasha Cobbs and Jonathan Nelson.  When it comes to the album's lead single "Here in Our Praise" levity has taken a recess as this song is soaked with the Spirit's presence as they sing:  "Here in your presence, is your power, glory, mercy and your grace. And we won't be the same, let your presence rain over us."  While "Love Like That" carries the love of Jesus along a rhythm groove with some heavy percussions calling to mind the New Jack Swing of the early 90s. 

Gauranteed to have us press the "repeat" button is "I'm in the Midst."  This is old school R&B ballad at its best heightened by the song's Psalm-like lyrics assuring us about the presence of God in our most troubled times.  Fears are going to be assuaged with the warm and catchy romper "My God is Real."  And the boys are up to some foot-stomping churching with "Let Us Pray" ---- a sober call for men to step up to the gap and give our Lord no rest through our ardent prayers.  While versatility continues with the Drake sounding "I'm Reminded" that boasts some cool sounding scratching sounds.  "Never A Day," on the other hand, slouches down for a slow and silky jazzy cruise where KEM or Sade would be found.

Yet, traditionalists who like their Gospel freighted with the call-and-response choral dynamics will like "I Need You."  This track finds Hammond taking stock of a lifetime of ministry; and at the end of the day he realizes that regardless of how times change, he still needs Jesus.  This is truly a man who has the kingdom of God at heart.   And it shows right through these 14 cuts.