For immediate release.
Music is magic. It has an innate ability to traverse generations, erasing time spent and foretelling things to come. At the strike of a chord, the inflection of certain voices can instantly transport the listener back to a time and a space, invoking the emotions and sentiments with which they are synonymous. Even more is the case for the combination of voices. Inspired harmonies and blends that transcend music theory are often the result of shared experiences and history made. Such is the case with music’s latest supergroup, F K & M. Comprised of three of the most recognizable and iconic voices in Gospel Music, Fred Hammond, Keith Staten, and Marcus Cole, F K & M hearkens back to a beloved brotherhood forged in Contemporary Gospel’s golden era, while simultaneously foreshadowing a beautiful new season.
Hammond, Staten, and Cole each became cherished contributors to the legacy of contemporary Gospel music as members of Commissioned, one of the most acclaimed and revered Gospel groups of all time.
Although initially, the three were never on the groups roll at the same time – Hammond and Staten were both founding members of the sextet going back to the early 1980’s, while Cole joined a 1990’s iteration as the group’s popularity spawned various solo and alternate careers – they each offered lead vocals with signature styles that elicited individual and collective successes and fanfare, and prove that the ties that bind this fraternity remain strong and impactful.
Hammond is one of the most iconic voices in inspired music with his seemingly endless tenor that could, at his behest, prompt either tears or a two-step, depending on the song’s cadence and timbre. Staten’s impassioned delivery, simultaneously forceful and tender, inexplicably evokes conviction and celebration.
Cole’s impressive vocal agility rivals any other and is representative of a generation that marries the
discipline of its predecessors with the ingenuity and innovation of its contemporaries. Together, as F K & M, they introduce a new sound for a new generation, and open the door to infinite phonic possibility.
The single, “Change Your Mind,” is a beautifully comforting reminder of God’s grace, His mercy, His
omniscience and His sovereignty, laced with affirming scriptural references atop gorgeously lush
instrumentation. Establishing the ballad’s intention, it opens with Hammond’s trademark emotive delivery of the lyrics “If you could see what I see, then you’re never far away from me…if you knew what I knew then you’ll never feel the way that you do. Let’s leave these troubles all behind, and if you’ll follow me, then I can change your mind.” Instantly, it is clear that “Change Your Mind” is a reminder that God’s ways are not our ways and that we are tasked with aligning our minds with the mind of Christ as a prerequisite to the abundant life that God has promised to those who follow Him. The second verse welcomes Cole to the fold as he melodically paints a familiar picture of disappointment and frustration just before adding his signature flourishes to the song’s paraphrase of the popular Biblical text found in Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”) referenced here via the scintillatingly syncopated “I.know.all.the.plans.I.made.for…you.” Staten joins in the second chorus and takes the reins into the bridge with conviction and prowess that effortlessly withstands the song’s subtle tempo change and modulations.
Hammond, who is heard embellishing throughout, rejoins the triumphant triad as they share lead vocals on ad-libs as the song vamps to its end.
At a time when much of Gospel music is criticized as linear and monotonous, F K & M are poised to add much-desired textures and layers, and sophisticated structure, to the modern sonic landscape with real music, performed by real musicians, for music lovers. It’s a formula they each know well.
“Change Your Mind,” will impact radio this month and is slated for digital release later this Summer from DARE records.