::ALBUM REVIEW::

Follow Kirk Franklin’s recent public woes including his controversial announcement made on the Oprah Winfrey Show about his battle over pornography, his concerns over his marriage, his former affiliation with the morally-afflicted R&B crooner R. Kelly and his musical struggle to reidentify himself with traditional gospel lovers and you would really think that he his in a “battle for his life.” That may be some of the reason behind the naming of Kirk Franklin’s latest release (The Fight Of My Life) and his eight project to date. But deep listens into the material offered on Franklin’s project reveals additional battles in the world of Kirk Franklin. The front cover reveals an angry Franklin triumphing over a defeated opposing fighter in a boxing ring; symbolizing that the victory from his biggest worries has been won. And you can feel that celebration and enjoyment easily from the album’s sixteen cuts and his heavy dose of talented artistry backing him up including power background vocalists Anaysha Figueroa, GMWA charmer Charmaine Swimpson and Men of Standard’s Isaac Caree, Ann McCrary, Joy Hill and CMM/pop artist Anthony Evans. Franklin has always been able to pull together a choir and get them in tip-top shape, but the material featured here shows Franklin back in his element: delivering fun, exciting and matured material that piggybacks on the first half of his glory years.

Opening the album is the album’s biggest proclamation of Franklin’s victories - “Declaration (This Is It).” Thankfully, it’s the only obvious sample used on the album, unlike his previous collection Hero which almost made sampling feel like a sin. This time, he borrows Kenny Loggins’ 1979 hit “This Is It”, tweaks the original to another key with Loggins almost sound liking Melba Moore and carves out a zesty knockout that stands strong with Franklin’s biggest urban singles. Amazingly, the best of the album goes beyond the opener. “Still In Love” uses ol’ skool disco vibes from Anita Ward’s Ring My Bell” and measures up to the success of Franklin’s “Looking For You.” It’s an irresistible feel-good vibe that rides on beautiful harmonies, sweet instrumentation, the legendary Larry Gold’s bountiful strings and Franklin’s careful spoken word injections. “Little Boy”, infused with wise parental direction and a timeless message of Christ’s return graciously delivered by the legendary Rance Allen, flows with a funky, sassy horn-drenched groove that feels like a 21st century Funkadelic gospel showdown. “Help Me Believe”, one of the album’s sensitive ballads, purrs with the tenderness of heart-warming love songs like “A Letter To My Friend” yet sparking with innovative poetic prose and effective choral delivery. “It Would Take All Day” is a sweet adult-contemporary set-up gloriously accented with Jerome Harmon’s skillful piano runs, Doc Powell’s guitar and embellishing string arrangements by Larry Gold. “He Will Supply”, originally recorded on Dr. Margaret Douroux’s JDI project, gets revived and uses traditional batter and Franklin’s usual setup on Sunday morning gospel. The song literally feels like a James Cleveland soulful workout - going from laid-back warmups and later transitions into a dynamic finale’ saturated in a sweaty sultry campaign of evangelistic labor. The majority of the album lingers on Franklin’s roots and widely-acclaimed mature material. Songs like the jazzy, string-laced and Thomas Whitfield-embellished “Chains”, “Still (In Control)” and “Hide Me” are delightful additions to the album’s strong agenda and showcase yet another step of musical growth for the gospel superstar.

Even the urban episodes presented on The Fight Of My Life demonstrates Franklin’s studious studying of modern-day hip-hop giants. “I Like Me” is a Timbaland meets Jay Z adventure that finds Franklin and Da’ T.R.U.T.H. bringing affirming encouragement to listeners with low esteem with their on-fire lyrics set to a heavy-bass, banging beat. “Jesus” uses a youthful chorus on a Kanye West-styled cut filled with plenty of ol’ skool influences including horn arrangements and luscious string throw-ins that almost sound like Honey Cone’s “Want Ads.” On “A Whole Nation,” Franklin addresses his disappointment upon the fathers of our generation and preaches along side lead vocalist eleven-year old Donovan Owens for them to do their part in raising their children. It’s another one of Franklin’s “fights” and one he has fearlessly addressed concerning his very own childhood. Powerful lyrics and a pound of seriousness makes this track one of the biggest preachy works from Franklin’s pen.

While the big marketing buzz of Franklin’s multi-platinum success headlines his current strategy to sale records, The Fight Of My Life actually doesn’t need that kind of a push at all. It’s an excellent record from start to finish - with the exception of the Daughtry-tinged "I Am God." But even with the inclusion of an unexpected rock cut, this probably could be his career’s magnum opus. And when critics, like myself, thought Franklin couldn’t surpass previous works of excellence, he reinvents himself again by reaching back to his classic, beloved sounds while remaining relevant to the face of modern gospel and R&B. With no overemphasized sampling, big headlining secular artists, irritating gimmicks and album fillers present, The Fight Of My Life is a mature representation of Franklin’s ingenious potential and provides yet another stellar foundation for gospel artists to build on.