UAA’s Fred Hammond has been a leading architect of modern gospel music, particularly praise and worship, for over 40 years. From his time in groups like Commissioned and United Tenors to leading the choir Radical for Christ and maintaining a long solo career, it’s easy to see why Hammond’s visit to the Tiny Desk is frequently requested and long overdue. Fans for every Hammond era will find moments to sing along here. The recent “Love Never Fails” is designed to charge up your faith. Hammond takes us back to his Commissioned days with the 1986 track “Running Back to You.” His mega-hits “Jesus Be a Fence Around Me” and “No Weapon” are the perfect one-two punch for anyone needing spiritual encouragement against trying times. When we get to the perennial fan-favorite “We’re Blessed” (with a little bit of “Glory to Glory” sprinkled in), Hammond declares: “Tiny knows how to party in the Holy Ghost!” If the audience in the room that day is any indication, you won’t want the show to end either. So just restart the video and keep the praise party going.
