Free Flying Soul | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 1, 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Studio | Neverland Studios, Berry Hill, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Christian alternative rock | |||
Length | 44:37 | |||
Label | Tattoo | |||
Producer | ||||
The Choir chronology | ||||
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The Choir studio albums chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Free Flying Soul is the ninth studio release,and eighth full-length album,from Christian alternative rock band the Choir,released in 1996. It earned the band its first industry recognition with a Dove Award win. [1] [2]
After the release of Speckled Bird ,lead singer and guitarist Derri Daugherty and drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong regrouped to work on their second worship album,At the Foot of the Cross,Volume Two:Seven Last Words of Christ. [3] Unlike Volume One,which was released on the band's Glasshouse Records label,then sold poorly and quickly went out of print, [4] Volume Two would get a larger release on Myrrh Records,with greater label support,including a radio special. [3] The album included more high-profile contemporary Christian and black gospel artists including Bryan Duncan,Babbie Mason,Charlie Peacock,Anointed,Brent Bourgeois (from Bourgeois Tagg) and Marty McCall (from First Call). [3] Daugherty and Hindalong then followed up with the Christmas-themed Noel,another multi-artist effort which included Kevin Max (from DC Talk),Buddy and Julie Miller,Riki Michele (from Adam Again) and Michael Pritzl (from the Violet Burning). [3]
After the Choir's one-off deal with R.E.X. Records for the release of Speckled Bird,Daugherty and Hindalong signed a new publishing deal with Benson Records. [5] Because Benson was looking to expand their roster of alternative rock artists,they hired saxophone and Lyricon player Dan Michaels—who had gained plenty of marketing and A&R experience running the Glasshouse label—to lead the new Tattoo Records imprint. [5] To successfully launch the new label,it made sense that the first release should be from an established artist. [5] As a result,the Choir went to work on their next album,which would turn out to be their last for a Christian record company.
Free Flying Soul was recorded in a scant six weeks. [5] As Hindalong only had lyrics for "Polar Boy" and "The Chicken" going into the studio,he initially thought that it would result in a record with a much darker mood. [6] However,Daugherty was in a very positive place after the recent birth of his daughter,so his contributions were "warm,whimsical chord progressions." [6] Even though the band flew in bass guitarist Tim Chandler for three weeks,then followed up the balance of recording with Wayne Everett in an attempt to "rough up" and "ruin things a bit," [6] the tone of the album turned out much more upbeat than their recent work,more in keeping with 1989's Wide-Eyed Wonder . Hindalong considers the final track,"The Warbler," to be “the finest guitar treatment Derri has given a song.” [6]
Upon initial release,the album cover artwork for Free Flying Soul differed for each of the two main audio formats at that time (CD and cassette). The cat clock featured in the interior artwork was Michaels' own,and the flying creature on the cover of the CD was brought on tour with the band,where it hung inside Hindalong's bass drum. [6]
The album was released in March of 1996 on CD and cassette. [7] "The Ocean" was sent to Christian radio as the first single,where it entered the Christian CHR charts at #18. [8]
An hour of the Choir’s 1996 performance at Cornerstone on their tour for Free Flying Soul was included on the video release,Tattoo Video Hoopla,Volume 1,in 1998,which also featured a concept video for "Sled Dog." [9]
When signing with Tattoo,the Choir agreed to a tour in support of Free Flying Soul as long as that tour would be its last. [10] With the assistance of Wayne Everett on percussion and Bill Campbell (from the Throes) on guitar, [11] the Choir played its "farewell tour" for four months in 1996, [7] which concluded in July at the Sonshine Festival in Minnesota. [8] The Choir's first live album,Let it Fly,chronicled this tour and was released in 1997. [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
CCM Magazine | Favorable [12] |
Cross Rhythms | [13] |
The News &Observer | Favorable [14] |
Daily Press | [15] |
Dayton Daily News | [16] |
AllMusic | [17] |
Critical reaction at the time was positive. Mark Sherwood,writing for Cross Rhythms,said the "lyrics are as always,deep," and added that,"musically,they are not afraid to experiment and try things out of the ordinary." He called "If You're Listening," a "standout track […] with lyrics that soothe the soul." [13] The News &Observer said the "dreamy guitar-pop tack" of the songs on Free Flying Soul "recall the 'progressive' rock of groups such as Genesis,only much more subtle and free of bombast." [14] Brent Castillo,writing for Knight Ridder in the Daily Press ,was in agreement,saying that the music was "atmospheric,murky and psychedelic. The affected electric guitars are heavy,but subdued. The rhythm of the percussion is often unusual with unexpected textures." He pointed out that the lyrics "often seem just out of reach. To understand them,you have to go out and grab them;they won't just fall into your lap." [15] James Lloyd,in the Dayton Daily News ,concurred,saying that "the lyrics and music are more likely to tease and tantalize than browbeat. But they are more subtle than simple." He added that "'Salamander,' 'Sled Dog,' 'The Warbler' and all manner of fauna are reflected in the titles,but beneath the surface,you'll find the human animal being examined." [16]
Retrospectively,the album has also been well-received. Darryl Cater at AllMusic called Free Flying Soul "a little less noisy" than Speckled Bird. While criticizing the songwriting for being "a bit short on fresh ideas this time," he pointed out that "there also moments of alluringly adventurous intelligence." He concluded that with this album,the band had struck a "rare balance of hope and humility." [17] Barry Alfonso,in The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music,wrote that Free Flying Soul was "an extension of what Speckled Bird had achieved," and was "among the group's most popular" releases. [1] Mark Allan Powell,writing in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music,said that Free Flying Soul "celebrates the ability to find pleasure in little things,including a few things that aren't always on conservative Christianity's approved pleasures menu:a glass of wine at a wedding ('Away with the Swine') or a cigar with a neighbor who's just had a child ('Yellow-Haired Monkeys')." He singled out "The Ocean" as an album highlight,calling the "Beatlesque Sgt. Peppers-type tune" "practically a worship song,likening the Christian church to a sea that is continually purified by the tears of God." [18]
All lyrics by Steve Hindalong. All music by Derri Daugherty,unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Music | Length |
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1. | "Salamander" | Derri Daugherty, Steve Hindalong | 3:24 |
2. | "Polar Boy" | Daugherty, Tim Chandler, Hindalong | 4:34 |
3. | "Sled Dog" | Daugherty, Hindalong, Chandler | 3:00 |
4. | "Away with the Swine" | 3:01 | |
5. | "The Ocean" | 4:16 | |
6. | "If You're Listening" | 5:40 | |
7. | "The Chicken" | Chandler, Daugherty, Hindalong | 6:26 |
8. | "Slow Spin" | Chandler, Hindalong | 1:48 |
9. | "Leprechaun" | Chandler, Hindalong | 2:47 |
10. | "Yellow-Haired Monkeys" | Daugherty, Hindalong | 1:29 |
11. | "Butterfly" | 4:05 | |
12. | "The Warbler" | Hindalong | 4:07 |
Total length: | 44:37 |
The Choir
Additional musicians
Production
The Choir is an atmospheric alternative rock band currently comprising Derri Daugherty on guitar and lead vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums, and Dan Michaels on saxophone and Lyricon. Long-time bass guitarist Tim Chandler died in 2018, and guitarist Marc Byrd was the fifth member of the band between 2005–2014. As of 2023, the band has released 18 full-length studio albums, three EPs, five live albums, one single-disc compilation, one retrospective box set, and is still actively recording new material.
Voices in Shadows is the first studio album by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1985.
Shades of Gray is the second studio release, and first EP, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1986. All five songs were later included as bonus tracks on the CD release for Chase the Kangaroo.
Diamonds and Rain is the third studio release, and second full-length studio album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1986. It is the first release under the band's new moniker after dropping "Youth" from their name.
Chase the Kangaroo is the fourth studio release, and third full-length studio album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1988. Considered by critics to be one of their finest albums, Chase the Kangaroo is listed at No. 50 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music, published in 2002, and No. 4 on the list of the "Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All Time" by HM Magazine in 2010.
Circle Slide is the sixth studio release, and fifth full-length studio album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1990. Considered by some critics to be the band's best album, and even called "one of the best Christian albums ever made," Circle Slide was listed at No. 53 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. This would be the final album the Choir would record for Myrrh Records.
Kissers and Killers is the seventh studio release, and the sixth full-length studio album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1993. It was their first release after leaving Myrrh Records, and according to drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong, represented a major turning point for the band: "We went independent after this, and never were on a label where there were expectations of any kind of a 'ministry' or anything like that."
Speckled Bird is the eighth studio release, and seventh full-length studio album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1994. The album is largely a remixed and reworked version of the independent Kissers and Killers project with an additional five tracks.
O How The Mighty Have Fallen is the 11th studio release, and tenth full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2005. Guitarist Marc Byrd officially became the fifth member of the band with this album.
Mutt is an album by the band Lost Dogs, released on Fools of the World and Lo-Fidelity Records in 2004.
Wide-Eyed Wonder is the fifth studio release, and fourth full-length studio album, from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1989. This would be the first studio album with new bass guitarist Robin Spurs, and would mark the band's first attempt to cross over to the mainstream market.
Flap Your Wings is the tenth studio release, and ninth full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2000. It earned the band its first Grammy Award nomination.
Love Songs and Prayers: A Retrospective is the first compilation album from Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1995.
Burning Like the Midnight Sun is the 12th studio release, and 11th full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2010.
de-plumed is the 13th studio release, and 12th full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2010. It was the band's first "unplugged" recording, featuring reinterpretations of songs from prior albums.
The Loudest Sound Ever Heard is the 14th studio release, and 13th full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2012.
Peace, Love & Light is the 15th studio release, second EP, and first digital-only album by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released on November 27, 2013. This is also the band's first Christmas-themed release. As a "stretch goal" in the Choir's Kickstarter campaign for their 2014 album Shadow Weaver, this EP was provided exclusively to funders who pledged $60 or more.
Shadow Weaver is the 16th studio release, and 14th full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2014. This was the last album to feature Marc Byrd as a member of the band, and the first time the Choir used crowdfunding to finance a new studio project. In 2019, UTR Media named Shadow Weaver as one of the "30 Best Gourmet Albums of the Decade (2010-2019)."
Bloodshot is the 17th studio release, and 15th full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2018. This was the final studio album to feature bass guitarist Tim Chandler, who died in October that same year.
Deep Cuts is the 18th studio release, and 16th full-length studio album, by Christian alternative rock band the Choir, released in 2021. This is the band’s first studio album to be recorded after the death of long-time bass guitarist Tim Chandler, who died in 2018.
Footnotes
Bibliography