Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: BeBe Winans (vocals, piano); Andrew Ramsey (guitar); Andy Snitzer (tenor saxophone); Jim Hynes (trumpet); Michael Davis (trombone); Marc Harris, Nigel Lowis (keyboards); DeDe Holt (drums); Stevie Wonder, Stephanie Mills, Brian McKnight, CeCe Winans, JOE, Marvin L. Winans. | | Producers: Kedor Massenburg, Evan Lamberg, BeBe Winans. | | LOVE & FREEDOM was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album and "Coming Back Home" was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. | | Personnel: BeBe Winans (piano, background vocals); Russ Desalvo (guitar, keyboards); Andrew Ramsey, Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Stevie Wonder (harmonica); Andy Snitzer (tenor saxophone); Jim Hynes (trumpet); John Wheeler (trombone); Vance Taylor (piano); Marc Harris (keyboards, programming); Daryl Simmons, Eric Johnson , Nigel Lowis (keyboards); Dorian Daniels (bass synthesizer); Christopher Jennings, Dee Dee Holt (drums); Patrick Carroll (percussion, drum programming); Melvin Gentry (programming); Cindy Mizelle, Wanda Watkins, Fonzi Thornton, Juanita Edwards, Jesse Katina, Joseph Katina, John Katina, Luther Vandross, Paulette McWilliams, Ann McCrary, Tawatha Agee, Tiffany Palmer, Brian McKnight (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Jan Fairchild; All-Star; Alvin Speights; Mick Guzauski; Peter Mokran; Rob Chiarelli; Steven Barkan; Tom Bender. | | Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY; Barking Doctor Studios, New York, NY; Battery Studios, New York, NY; Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY; EMI Studios, Santa Monica, CA; Entropy Recording, Nashville, TN; Father's Image, Nashville, TN; Furnace Studios, NY; Legend Entertainment, OH; Maw Studios, New York, NY; Red Bus Studios, London, England; Right Track, NY; Silent Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN; Traken Studio, Los Angeles, CA. | | Photographer: Barron Claiborne. | | Arranger: Russ Desalvo. | | Gospel vocalist BeBe Winans follows up 1997's Bebe Winans with a decent second release, entitled Love and Freedom. He aims to discover his own musical perfection while trying to ignore the massive success of his gospel singing family. Love and Freedom is spirited with urban loops and heavy soul, but BeBe lacks spark. Known for his incredible collaborations with sister CeCe Winans, Bebe loses such fire found in his previous material. He does, however, bring things to the helm by working with some of R&B's most notable stars. "Jesus Children of America" features songwriting skills of Stevie Wonder, and "Everyday" showcases the vocalic beauty of fellow gospel starlet Stephanie Mills. This may carry the overall material, but noticeably, BeBe is still yearning to break out his well-known, passionate skills. Let's hope it comes sooner than later. ~ MacKenzie Wilson | | It's easy to get distracted by the high-powered guest appearances on LOVE & FREEDOM. When Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, and Stephanie Mills (among others) drop by to lend a hand, all ears are certain to be at attention. But to focus on this would be to miss the true substance of BeBe Winans' very personal, individualistic brand of R&B. Winans is no R. Kelly-style monomaniacal sex fiend singing endlessly of lusty affairs. As the album title implies, he's got deeper things on his mind. Though romance is certainly a part of the program, Winans transcends the carnal and aspires to the spiritual, his songs striking at the deepest recesses of the heart. | | While the production on LOVE & FREEDOM is utterly contemporary, there's a depth and resonance far beyond that of much cookie-cutter generic neo-R&B. The feel is generally subtle and mid-tempo, but funky grooves are ever-present. Naturally, the center of the entire affair is Winans' soulful singing, simultaneously understated and emotive as it weaves captivatingly through these tunes. |
Engineer: Neal Pogue; Jan Fairchild; Angelo Quaglia; Gareth Lucking; Jeff Chestek; Ken Wallace; Mick Guzauski; Anthony Jeffries; Steven Barkan; Tony Green; Charlie Paakkari |
Musical Guests | | Stevie Wonder | | Stephanie Mills | | Joe | | Brian McKnight | | CeCe Winans | | Marvin Winans |
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