Ready to Fly (CD - 2003)

Additional personnel includes: Schuyler Duryee, Michael Boggs (acoustic guitar); Lincoln Brewster, Jerry McPherson (guitar); Brian Smith (trumpet, bass); Jeff Roach (piano, synthesized bass); Scott Williamson (keyboards, drums); Joey Canaday (bass); Ken Lewis (percussion); The Nashville String Machine.

Producers: Scott Williamson, David Hamilton.

Personnel: Jerry McPherson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki); Michael Boggs (acoustic guitar); Schuyler Duryee, Lincoln Brewster, Andrew Ramsey, Dave Cleveland (electric guitar); Nashville String Machine (strings); Jim Hammerly (accordion); Brian Smith (trumpet); Jeff Roach (piano, keyboards, bass synthesizer); Byron Hagen (piano, keyboards); Jeromy Deibler (piano); Scott Williamson (Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, drums, tambourine, drum programming); David Hamilton (keyboards, programming); Steve Brewster, John Hammond (drums); Ken Lewis (percussion).

Audio Mixers: Scott Williamson; Shane D. Wilson; Todd Robbins; Bill Deaton.

Liner Note Author: Jeromy Deibler.

Recording information: Bulldog Studio, Franklin, TN; Dark Horse Recording, Franklin, TN; HMP Studio, Brentwood, TN; Linc's Crib, Roseville, CA; OceanWay, Nashville, TN; The Bennett House, Franklin, TN; The Border, Franklin, TN; The Carpal Tunnel; The Sound Kitchen, Franklin, TN.

Photographer: Russ Harrington.

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

With READY TO FLY, chart-topping CCM quartet FFH (which stands for "Far From Home") delivers an energetic album chock full of Beatlesque hooks, sweet vocal harmonies and multi-layered production. Much less alternative rock-influenced than contemporaries such as Newsboys and DC Talk, the group's unique style of slightly '60s-leaning, angst-free music should appeal to any fan of energetic good-time pop in the vein of Hanson or The Monkees. Lead vocalists Jeremy and Jennifer Deiber both have memorable voices, the former possessed of a distinctive twang that occasionally recalls vintage Leon Russell. For non-believers, the band's obvious passion, mastery of sharp melodies, and penchant for varied instrumental textures make the overtly Christian lyrics an easy, and often quite sweet, pill to swallow. minimize