There's always been a sticky sweetness emitting from the music of
FFH. The band's fourth release since 1998 (
Ready to Fly) delivers much the same sack of sugar while still mixing radio-ready gold nuggets into the batch. Songs like "You Found Me" and "Good to Be Free" would cause a diabetic coma with their sweet attack. Cuts like "If Not for Christ" and the title track reach deeper into the mix and have a richer, grittier feel. Jeromy Deibler delivers a solid performance on the disc. "I'll Join the Rocks" could have been lifted from any
Steven Curtis Chapman release. The nuances in the background vocals make the song one outstanding cut. Not to be surpassed, the vocals of
Jennifer Deibler are equally impressive. Songs like "Follow Love" and "It's a Good Day" are testament to a vocal style that's passionate and uplifting to hear. Production on the disc was chaired by Scott Williamson and is as shiny as they come. That's not necessarily a bad thing as many production touches make it listenable while others drive up the blood sugar.
Ready to Fly is a palatable opus for
FFH. The band doesn't break any new ground but does serve up a dose of enjoyable hit songs that will make radio sing. ~ Steven Douglas Losey