Love & Freedom

by MacKenzie WilsonGospel 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.