Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 7: Freedom

Whiteheart Retrospective

• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 1: Introduction
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 2: The Self-Titled Debut
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 3: Vital Signs
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 4: Hotline
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 5: Don’t Wait for the Movie
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 6: Emergency Broadcast
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 7: Freedom
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 8: Powerhouse
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 9: Tales of Wonder
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 10: Highlands
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 11: Inside
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 12: Redemption
• Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 13: The Other Songs

Over the last 8+ years, Rambling Ever On has published a lot of content about the album Freedom, by Whiteheart, much of it written by yours truly. I wrote a 30th anniversary tribute to the album back in 2019. You can read that here. The album landed at number 2 in our Top 100 Christian Rock Albums list, which you can check out here. We also did a Top 40 Whiteheart songs list, and Freedom was well represented. You can find that here.

Clearly, we love this album. Also very clearly, I am a bit obsessed with it. Freedom is my favorite album of all time, Christian or secular. I have felt this way for the better part of 30 years. All totaled, I’ve probably written over 3,000 words on this album alone, but there are always more things that I can say about it, so that’s exactly what we are going to do today. Buckle up.

For the first and only time in their history, Whiteheart would have no lineup changes between albums.¹ This stability was important for a few reasons.

First, it meant that everyone in the band had input, a say in the direction of the new album. This created an atmosphere of iron sharpening iron. Second, this same group of musicians had been together since the tour for Don’t Wait for the Movie. They had grown together, learned from each other, and developed incredible chemistry and cohesion. By this point, these 6 guys had spent countless hours on stage and on the road with each other. They knew they had the talent and the heart to create something lasting and important.

Collectively, Emergency Broadcast felt like a missed opportunity to the band. Whether it was due to rushing things or other factors, they all knew they were capable of so much more. To realize that potential, the band called in legendary CCM producer, Brown Bannister. It might have felt like an odd choice, considering Bannister was mainly known for pop albums and artists. He had produced Amy Grant, Twila Paris, and the Imperials. And even though he hadn’t ventured into the rock and roll arena like this, his track record spoke for itself. In his career, Bannister has won 25 Dove Awards and 15 Grammy Awards. He has also been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

The band was ready. First, they had chosen a producer who would harness their talent and vision. Second, unlike previous albums, they spent a good deal longer workshopping their new material in a rented rehearsal space. During this extended preproduction phase, they were able to identify the very best songs to take to the studio. It was also during this time they finetuned each song. Whiteheart entered the studio, the world-famous Bennett House in Franklin, Tennessee, and created magic.

I’m entirely incapable of writing about this album with any detachment or objectivity. Whiteheart is my favorite band of all time. Freedom is my favorite album of all time. I’ve spent over 30 years with this album, and it has only grown in my estimation. From the opening notes of the first track, “Bye, Bye Babylon”, you can feel there is something different about this one. Confidence does not really capture it. It’s not hubris either. It’s a sense of total surety. It’s palpable throughout the album. Every piece of the puzzle had fallen into place for Whiteheart, and they knew without a doubt this was going to be special.

I have eschewed going song by song during this retrospective, instead highlighting specific songs or moments, but for this album, I feel I need to look a little more closely at each song to do it justice. There have been many great opening songs in the history of rock and roll, yet I would argue that “Bye, Bye Babylon” is top tier.

In my previous deep dive into Freedom, I described it as “blisteringly propulsive”. I think I’ll stick with that. It’s a song that punches you in the face in the best sort of way. It’s also a statement maker. Just listen to the interplay between the guitars and the bass. And the rhythm section of McHugh and Sims was spectacular on every level; the entire album is enhanced due to their chemistry. Vocally, Rick Florian sounded better than ever, giving listeners the soaring highs but bringing in an added grit and growl that really help the song stick. Bonus points for the epic rock and roll scream to end the song.

While the band downshifts a bit for the second track, “Sing Your Freedom” packs no less of a punch. In fact, in many ways, it surpasses the incredible opener with more texture, layers, and depth. With echoes of U2 at their anthemic peak, the song is an epic musical declaration that just keeps getting better with every passing second. It’s also the first song on the album to give listeners extra moments of awesomeness. Multiple tracks on Freedom add ending flourishes, extended jam sessions, or beautiful codas which only make the songs deeper and more timeless.

“Let the Kingdom Come” is a massive favorite for most Whiteheart fans. The opening bass line. The slow build. The passionate vocals by Mark Gersmehl. The thrilling bridge when Rick takes over the lead vocals. The driving progression led by Chris McHugh’s thundering drums. The guitars taking over. The quiet before the storm. The MASSIVE drum fill. The gang vocals singing, yelling “Let the kingdom come!” And finally, the explosive, take no prisoners climax of the song when they throw everything they have into the song. What’s not to love? For the record, I have head banged to this song on more than one occasion.

In my previous article about Freedom, I discussed two songs in more detail. The fourth track of the album, “Over Me”, was one of them. Here is what I said 5 years ago, and I think it still applies today.

“Over Me” is the simpler song, with a borderline power ballad structure, yet pushing so hard against those boundaries it barely qualifies. In a perfect world, this song would have been massive. It has every element you need: emotion, powerful vocals, top-notch musicianship. Instead of taking the easy road with a big rock-and-roll guitar solo, the band downshifts into a gentle guitar bridge leading to the final chorus.

And the dénouement is probably the one thing I point to most when talking about this album. They could have easily ended the song at the 3:50 minute mark, and it would have been amazing. Instead, they build to a beautiful, refashioned rendition of the chorus with Gordon Kennedy handling the lead vocals. It is inventive and courageous and adds just the right touch to complete the song.

“Eight Wonder”, the fifth track on the album, has a nearly impossible task. It has to follow one of the strongest opening runs of songs ever. It’s also the first true ballad on the album, which makes it stand out even more. That said, it’s a beautiful song, with a lovely, gentle spirit, and an incredible vocal performance by Rick Florian.

Whiteheart gets back to the rock and roll business on the next song, throwing caution to the wind and turning the volume up to 11. “Power Tools” is frenetic energy in the best sort of way. It’s a scathing indictment of the false Gospel being peddled by tele-evangelists and their ilk. It’s pointed and fun and the band flexes a few muscles along the way.

They follow that barn burner with what is likely the most creative song on the album. “Invitation” is funky, with ever-so-slight shades of hip hop, though in the most organic way possible. There is no pandering. This was rock and roll filtered through the minds of Gordon Kennedy and Tommy Simms. Tommy handles a good bit of the lead vocals and adds a mid-song scat that has put a smile on my face more times than I can count. “Invitation” is a song that shows off the band’s incredible talents and their eagerness to take chances.

Seven songs in and it’s been all thriller, no filler. (Sorry about that. I won’t make any more lame jokes.) You could excuse the band for throwing in a second-tier song at this point, since everything else has been so good. Well, instead of doing that, they decided to make the next song THE BEST SONG THEY EVER RECORDED.²

“The River Will Flow” is my song. It has been for years. I don’t know if another song will ever be able to top it, but I keep my ears open. Here’s what I said about it 5 years ago for my 30th Anniversary article on Freedom:

“The River Will Flow” has been my life song for a long time. I honestly do not remember when I finally realized it was my favorite song, but since that day, I revisit it often. Epic is the best word for it. Every instrument, every note is precise and intentional. From the opening bass line all the way through the magnificent closing chorus, the passion builds.

Mark Gersmehl handles lead vocals and does some of his best work, his voice soaked with emotion. He is joined by a bevy of singers including Dave Perkins, Margaret Becker, Eddie DeGarmo, and Steven Curtis Chapman, each adding their own touch to the grand conclusion. I could go on, but that is enough. The song speaks my language better than any other song. It is uplifting, encouraging, and endlessly rewarding.

The song is the perfect distillation of late 80’s pop rock, with elements of Peter Gabriel and U2 sprinkled in, but it’s all Whiteheart. It’s also the fullest expression to date of the “Kingdom now, Kingdom still to come” imagery the band would revisit time and time again throughout their catalogue. More on that at the conclusion of the series.

Here’s where things get a bit controversial. While “Set the Bridge on Fire” was always meant to be part of the album, the way I first heard the album was on cassette, which did not include it. According to Billy Smiley, the record label was trying to push CD’s, so they removed one song from the cassette version – “Set the Bridge on Fire”. I did not get the CD until living with Freedom for a long time, so my brain always hears this song as being something separate. It’s not fair but it’s the truth. All that said, the song is good, though it doesn’t hit the highs of the rest of the album.

Whiteheart closes out Freedom with two of the best ballads they ever recorded. “Let It Go” (much better than the Disney tune) and “I’ll Meet You There” are good enough songs that on lesser albums, they would be the hands-down favorites. Don’t get me wrong, fans still love them, rightfully so. But due to the overwhelming strength of the rest of the album, these two gems can be overlooked by some.

“Let it Go” is the more up-tempo of the two. For starters, it features one of Rick’s greatest vocal performances. But the whole band brings it. If I wanted, I could gush about the rhythm section for every song on this album, and this song is no exception. Tommy’s bass is particularly riveting. And though we’ve mentioned this before, the final guitar riff that closes out the song is nothing short of perfection. Give me 10 straight minutes of the band jamming that tune and I could die a happy man.

The album ends with “I’ll Meet You There”. It’s a bittersweet song for sure. Gordon Kennedy, Tommy Sims, and Chris McHugh were all leaving Whiteheart after this album to pursue other musical endeavors. ³ It’s a goodbye song and one that has comforted me more times than I can recall. It’s earnest and pure and the best sort of sentimentality. Kennedy and Sims provide harmonies to Florian’s lead vocals and it’s everything you could want.

I listened to this song on repeat during the end of my senior year in high school as I prepared to leave my home and friends in Panama. It was a great help to my 17-year-old heart in processing the massive transition I was about to face.

That’s Freedom. Again, I can’t write about it with any sort of objectivity. It’s my favorite album ever and will likely remain in the spot until the day I die. I’m okay with that, though there is a part of me that hopes something else will take its spot. Not because I will love it any less but because someone, somewhere creates music that hits me even harder than this perfect album by Whiteheart. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Next week we will look at the much anticipated follow up to Freedom. Powerhouse would be a huge transition album for the band, and that doesn’t always spell success. Were they able to overcome the obstacle that replacing 3 essential members would present? Come back next week to find out.

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Phill Lytle

Phill Lytle loves Jesus, his wife, his kids, his family, his friends, his church, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, 80s rock, the Tennessee Titans, Brandon Sanderson books, Whiteheart, Band of Brothers, Thai food, the Nashville Predators, music, books, movies, TV, writing, pizza, vacation...

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