FFH

Wide Open Spaces
62 Records

After a three-year hiatus intended to restore their marriage, the husband-wife duo (Jeromy and Jennifer Deibler) of contemporary Christian music mainstay FFH has also completely restored its career.

“Wide Open Spaces,” their 12th album, is a 10-song collection of…  of a hard-to-peg sound that might best be described as “pop-worship.” For instance, by the end of the first song, “Undone,” it’s as if Naked Eyes, Kings of Leon and Michael W. Smith are coming out of your speakers at once, and somehow completely in harmony.

Something in the structure of the chorus of the second song, “Hold on to Me,” is somehow reminiscent of U2’s hit single “One,” which was released in 1991, the same year FFH formed. Just when you think you’ve traced their roots to the 1980s–90s border, the title track kicks in a la early 2000’s Sheryl Crow, with all of the modern, mandolin-pickin’ twang you’d expect of a band based in Franklin, Tenn. The next song? Why it starts with a beat from a lo-fi drum machine, of course.

Overall this is a well-crafted, deeply personal and highly enjoyable record that will take a long time to get old and keep you on your toes till it does. Welcome back.