Free Flying Soul

Free Flying Soul is the ninth studio release, and eighth full-length album, from alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1996. It earned the band its first industry recognition with a Dove Award win.

Background
After the release of Speckled Bird, lead singer and guitarist Derri Daugherty and drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong regrouped to work on their second worship album, At the Foot of the Cross, Volume Two: Seven Last Words of Christ. Unlike Volume One, which was released on the band's Glasshouse Records label, then sold poorly and quickly went out of print, Volume Two would get a larger release on Myrrh Records, with greater label support, including a radio special. The album included more high-profile contemporary Christian and black gospel artists including Bryan Duncan, Babbie Mason, Charlie Peacock, Anointed, Brent Bourgeois (from Bourgeois Tagg) and Marty McCall (from First Call). Daugherty and Hindalong then followed up with the Christmas-themed Noel, another multi-artist effort which included Kevin Max (from DC Talk), Buddy and Julie Miller, Riki Michele (from Adam Again) and Michael Pritzl (from the Violet Burning).

After the Choir's one-off deal with R.E.X. Records for the release of Speckled Bird, Daugherty and Hindalong signed a new publishing deal with Benson Records. Because Benson was looking to expand their roster of alternative rock artists, they hired saxophone and Lyricon player Dan Michaels—who had gained plenty of marketing and A&R experience running the Glasshouse label—to lead the new Tattoo Records imprint. To successfully launch the new label, it made sense that the first release should be from an established artist. As a result, the Choir went to work on their next album, which would turn out to be their last for a Christian record company.

Recording and production
Free Flying Soul was recorded in a scant six weeks. As Hindalong only had lyrics for "Polar Boy" and "The Chicken" going into the studio, he initially thought that it would result in a record with a much darker mood. However, Daugherty was in a very positive place after the recent birth of his daughter, so his contributions were "warm, whimsical chord progressions." Even though the band flew in bass guitarist Tim Chandler for three weeks, then followed up the balance of recording with Wayne Everett in an attempt to "rough up" and "ruin things a bit," the tone of the album turned out much more upbeat than their recent work, more in keeping with 1989's Wide-Eyed Wonder. Hindalong considers the final track, "The Warbler," to be “the finest guitar treatment Derri has given a song.”

Artwork and packaging
Upon initial release, the album cover artwork for Free Flying Soul differed for each of the two main audio formats at that time (CD and cassette). The cat clock featured in the interior artwork was Michaels' own, and the flying creature on the cover of the CD was brought on tour with the band, where it hung inside Hindalong's bass drum.

Release
Free Flying Soul was released in March 1996 on CD and cassette. "The Ocean" was sent to Christian radio as the first single, where it entered the Christian CHR charts at #18. In the early 2000s, Free Flying Soul was released for digital download on iTunes and is now widely available on various music streaming platforms.

Tour
When signing with Tattoo, the Choir agreed to tour in support of Free Flying Soul as long as that tour would be its last. With the assistance of Wayne Everett on percussion and Bill Campbell (from the Throes) on guitar, the Choir played a 30-city "farewell tour" for four months in 1996, which concluded in July at the Sonshine Festival in Minnesota. Common Children, featuring Marc Byrd—who would later become a member of the Choir in 2005—was the featured opening act on this tour.

An hour of the Choir’s 1996 performance at Cornerstone on this tour was included on the video release, Tattoo Video Hoopla, Volume 1, released in March 1997, and this also featured a music video for "Sled Dog."

Let It Fly
To chronicle this tour, the Choir released their first live album Let it Fly in March of 1997, which was a collection of tracks recorded at five different concerts in Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. Brian Quincy Newcomb, a frequent contributor to CCM Magazine and founding editor of Harvest Rock Syndicate, also provided opening and closing remarks. Writing for 7ball, reviewer Scott W. Christopher said that "Let it Fly has all of the sweet charm and distorted fury of a bootleg recording," and added that the album was a "wonderful keepsake" and a "good cross-section of their work." The album was released as an enhanced CD, which included the "Sled Dog" music video, interviews, and a pictorial biography of the band.

Critical reception
Critical reaction at the time was positive. Mark Sherwood, writing for Cross Rhythms, said the "lyrics are as always, deep," and added that, "musically, they are not afraid to experiment and try things out of the ordinary." He called "If You're Listening," a "standout track […] with lyrics that soothe the soul." The News & Observer said the "dreamy guitar-pop tack" of the songs on Free Flying Soul "recall the 'progressive' rock of groups such as Genesis, only much more subtle and free of bombast." Brent Castillo, writing for Knight Ridder in the Daily Press, was in agreement, saying that the music was "atmospheric, murky and psychedelic. The affected electric guitars are heavy, but subdued. The rhythm of the percussion is often unusual with unexpected textures." He pointed out that the lyrics "often seem just out of reach. To understand them, you have to go out and grab them; they won't just fall into your lap." James Lloyd, in the Dayton Daily News, concurred, saying that "the lyrics and music are more likely to tease and tantalize than browbeat. But they are more subtle than simple." He added that "'Salamander,' 'Sled Dog,' 'The Warbler' and all manner of fauna are reflected in the titles, but beneath the surface, you'll find the human animal being examined." In the lead review for 7ball, reviewer Chris Well called the album "a welcome letter from an old friend," saying that the band "is no longer trying to find themselves; they seem content with who they are and where they are going." He added that "Free Flying Soul [is] exactly the sort of record that lasts—we will be listening to this for decades."

Retrospectively, the album has also been well-received. Darryl Cater at AllMusic called Free Flying Soul "a little less noisy" than Speckled Bird. While criticizing the songwriting for being "a bit short on fresh ideas this time," he pointed out that "there also moments of alluringly adventurous intelligence." He concluded that with this album, the band had struck a "rare balance of hope and humility." Barry Alfonso, in The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music, wrote that Free Flying Soul was "an extension of what Speckled Bird had achieved," and was "among the group's most popular" releases. Mark Allan Powell, writing in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, said that Free Flying Soul "celebrates the ability to find pleasure in little things, including a few things that aren't always on conservative Christianity's approved pleasures menu: a glass of wine at a wedding ('Away with the Swine') or a cigar with a neighbor who's just had a child ('Yellow-Haired Monkeys')." He singled out "The Ocean" as an album highlight, calling the "Beatlesque Sgt. Peppers-type tune" "practically a worship song, likening the Christian church to a sea that is continually purified by the tears of God."

Accolades

 * CCM Magazine
 * Readers' Choice: Best Alt/Rock Album (included in list)
 * 7ball
 * 1996: Best of the Year (#5)

Awards and nominations

 * 28th Annual Dove Awards (1997) – Alternative/Modern Rock Album of the Year (winner)

Track listing
All lyrics by Steve Hindalong. All music by Derri Daugherty, unless otherwise noted.

The Choir

 * Derri Daugherty – lead vocals, guitars
 * Steve Hindalong – drums, percussion, child's piano, vocals, lead vocal on "Slow Spin"
 * Tim Chandler – bass guitar, guitars
 * Dan Michaels – Lyricon

Guest performers

 * Wayne Everett – guitar, percussion, bongos, hand claps, chimes, sleigh bells, vocals
 * Phil Madeira – Chamberlin strings and flutes
 * Chrissy Colbert – bass guitar effects
 * Marc Byrd – vocals
 * Jenny Gullen – vocals
 * Jerry Chamberlain – vocals
 * Sharon McCall – vocals

Production

 * Steve Hindalong – producer
 * Derri Daugherty – producer, engineer, mixer ("The Ocean," "Slow Spin" at Neverland Studios)
 * Skye McCaskey – engineer
 * Paul Salvo – mixer (Scrimshaw Sound)
 * Tim Chandler – inspiration, additional production
 * Wayne Everett – inspiration, additional production
 * Norman Jean Roy – cover and creature photos
 * Jim Dantzler – art direction, design (Flywheel Design)
 * Dan Michaels – art coordination, clock photo
 * Gina Gigglio – styling, creature hunt

The Choir

 * Derri Daugherty – lead vocals, guitar
 * Steve Hindalong ("you can call him Skinny") – drums, vocals
 * Tim Chandler – bass guitar
 * Dan Michaels ("from Akron, Ohio") – saxophone, Lyricon

Guest performers

 * Wayne Everett – percussion
 * Bill Campbell – guitar
 * Brian Quincy Newcomb – narrator (opening and closing remarks)

Production

 * Paul Thur – engineer (live sound)
 * Dave Leonhardt – engineer (monitor)
 * Skye McCaskey – recording
 * Derri Daugherty – mixing (at Neverland)
 * Eric Wolf – mastering
 * Keith Rintala – lighting director
 * Jim Dantzler – art direction, design
 * Dan Michaels – art coordination
 * Dough Rioux – crew (bus driver)
 * Recorded at Penn State University – University Park, PA; Calvin College − Grand Rapids, MI; Babes – Austin, TX; Evangel College – Springfield, MO; Christ United Methodist Church – Dayton, OH.