What started out as a cottage industry for Worship music icons Bill & Gloria Gaither was a full-blown phenomenon before too long, as Gaither-related album releases became more and more popular. By the time of FREEDOM BAND's release, virtually anything with the Gaither name on it was guaranteed a place on the Billboard album charts, a fact to which the Gaithers' prolific catalog attests. FREEDOM BAND has the same kind of consistency with previous Gaither recordings that allows a McDonald's hamburger in Tokyo to promise the same culinary experience as one purchased in Idaho. In the case of FREEDOM BAND, those sonic constants are carefully coordinated choral vocals belting out celebratory tunes with as much fervor as concision.
Things kick off appropriately enough with the mission statement of the title tune, before segueing into the unadulterated praise song "Bless That Wonderful Name." It's not all gospel-tent uptempo material here, though. The slow, stately "Statue of Liberty"'s solemn march tempo offers a patriotic statement that's sure to have extra impact in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. "Stand by Me" is not the Ben E. King tune, but it packs just as much of a devotional punch. Anyone who's enjoyed previous Gaither releases need have no reservations about spending some time with the FREEDOM BAND.
