I will live, and not die
I will win with tears in my eyes
I’ll be judged and criticized
Only by those too afraid to try – F.A.V.O.R.
Kirk Franklin is a gospel artist from Fort Worth Texas who became a church music director at the age of eleven. Over the course of his career he has won 13 Grammy’s and 21 Dove Awards and he shows no sign of slowing down. Long Live Love is his twelfth studio album and has already received many critical acclaims.
Long Live Love continues with Kirk Franklin’s unique blending of gospel, choir, and hip-hop elements. Each song is full of inspiration and encouragement. Trouble and hardship are acknowledged however God’s promises and presence are also professed. Kirk Franklin arranges the music to help the listener feel surrounded by a community of voices cheering them on.
F.A.V.O.R. and Love Theory start the album with an infectious energy and draws worshippers in. Several slower ballads follow. Kirk Franklin is not shy getting right to the heart of struggle, offering God’s words as encouragement no matter what the hardship. After three ballads, Kirk Franklin picks up the energy again with OK, a song that includes pointed critiques of the capitalist American dream. Spiritual begins with a smooth bass groove that builds one of the funkiest tracks on the album including an impromptu jam at the end. The album ends with Wynter’s Promise, a song of longing towards heaven because of a lost loved-one.
Each track speaks Biblical truth and offers encouragement to those struggling. Kirk Franklin’s masterful arrangements stand above much of the contemporary music being created. He is respected by many as one of the greatest gospel singers and arrangers in the 20th century. And yet Kirk Franklin experiences significant moments where his voice is muted by others.
When Kirk Franklin was accepting his latest Dove award for Gospel Artist of the Year in October 2019, he took 45 seconds to highlight a recent police-shooting in his hometown. He asked the audience to pray for both the black victim’s family and the police officer’s family. The awards ceremony edited the TV broadcast to remove that part of his speech. Kirk Franklin made a similar prayer for racial reconciliation at the 2016 Dove Awards which also was removed.
While we don’t fully understand the reasons for these omissions, or the intent of the people making these decisions, the harm is real. Kirk Franklin’s voice is too valuable and encouraging for our culture to be quieted and ignored. The album Long Live Love helps is one avenue we can hear this voice.