John De Freitas’ – Qué Alegría Qué Gozo, or Walk in Love

John De Freitas’ – Qué Alegría Qué Gozo, or Walk in Love

CD UNIVERSE: https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=11201336

John De Freitas’ debut gospel record Qué Alegría Qué Gozo, or Walk in Love in English, hits stores at the end of this summer, but I don’t think the mastermind behind its seven glory giving songs is planning on selling a million copies and living off of the royalties. In the tradition of the many composers who came before him, each of them as devoted to Christ and His word as he is, John De Freitas doesn’t much care for the money or the industrial side of the entertainment business. What he does care about is making music that penetrates our consciousness and makes us think about God and His creations in a completely new light; one that is as humbling as it is affirming in all of the riches that love can deliver.

Walk in Love starts off with “Incomparable,” a bachata styled song that exotically spins us along with its rollicking beat. Joined by a cast of able backing vocalists, De Freitas struts his way through the Spanish verses with a swagger that is exclusive to a man who is completely sure of himself and his place in the universe. With love in his voice and Christ in his heart, he lyrically dances with the colorful instruments supporting him with a carefree attitude that is absolutely infectious when you open yourself up to it. The salsa-inspired “Fuiste A Mi Encuentro” follows and doesn’t just continue the enveloping grooves, it enhances them for us to get a closer look at the vocalist who is responsible for their design.

“Qué Alegría Qué Gozo” fires off a merengue style beat with articulate self-control before totally coming undone from the girth of De Freitas’ swaying vocals, and could possibly be described as the lynchpin of the entire record. None of the seven songs on this album feel like they’re competing for attention over the other six, but rather that they’re each telling a piece of a story that is as old as time and has been translated into hundreds of different languages, not unlike their composer’s source of inspiration. The sweet ballad “Sirve” wraps up the first half of Qué Alegría Qué Gozo with zeal and could easily stand on its own as a successful contemporary Christian single.

I wasn’t expecting “Walk in Love” to deploy the slick reggae rhythm that it does in the fourth track of the album, but rather than sounding out of place it actually ties everything together nicely as an added accent to the already diverse collection of material presented here. De Freitas isn’t done yet though, with the bossa nova adapted “Supernatural” and the powerful “He Has Done it All For Us” adding two more bursts of emotional virtuosity before Qué Alegría Qué Gozo comes to a poignant conclusion. I don’t think that I was able to appreciate the imprint that this record left on me until after I had listened to it at least two or three times through, but when I examine Qué Alegría Qué Gozo from top to bottom I’m forced to draw a single conclusion; John De Freitas has arrived to challenge gospel music to evolve and incorporate the multicultural face of Christianity like never before, and as long as he’s making records like this one, he’s going to do just that.

ALL MUSIC: https://www.allmusic.com/album/walk-in-love-que-alegria-que-gozo-mw0003149084

John De Freitas’ music has been heard all over the world due to the radio plugging services offered by Musik Radio Promotions. Learn more – https://musikandfilm.com/

Michael Rand