Kirk Franklin is back in church. And Gospel Music Buzz was in the building.
Ahead of his first-ever double album ๐ ๐๐บ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐บ, arriving October 30, Franklin returned to his roots with a live church recording in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. GMB co-founder Sherwyn Williams and correspondent Romell Hall, making his GMB debut, were on the ground capturing fan moments, artist conversations, and the atmosphere around the sanctuary.
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Setting the Stage
The line wrapped around the building hours before the recording started. Our team caught a quick snippet of the choir’s soundcheck before the doors shut so nothing would leak. After decades of supporting Franklin’s music, fans were hungry for that classic live church experience: full band, full choir, and a room that sings back.
Franklin has described parts of the new project as “very 1992 Kirk,” a nod to the choir-driven live recordings that launched his career. For the Fort Worth native, recording at home carried extra weight.
Testing the Super Fans
One of the highlights is our “finish the lyric” challenge. Fans jumped in on classics like “Silver and Gold,” “Something About the Name of Jesus,” and “Imagine Me.” Some knew every word. Some did not. All of it made the cut.
Artist Conversations
Gospel recording artist Dion Kipper called Franklin “the absolute best” and pointed to albums like Hero and The Fight of My Life as major influences on his songwriting. He was also honest about what live recordings take: they’re stressful, expensive, and demanding, with limited rehearsal and a lot of moving parts. When it clicks, the unity comes through in the music.
Ted Wynn flew in from Atlanta just for the night. He spoke about the synergy that only a sanctuary can create and the courage a live recording requires, with sound, performance, and the room’s energy all locked in at once.
