On Ready to Fly, FFH is eager to prove that they are no longer just "that vocal pop group." They are a band, as they demonstrate by playing everything from piano to guitar, trumpet, and bass throughout the album's twelve tracks.

If you know FFH, you know what to expect: melodic, acoustic pop with intricate vocals and a heavy emphasis on vertical lyrics. As to those lyrics, Ready to Fly finds the foursome visiting familiar ground while also branching out and trying new themes. Songs like "You Found Me" (with its funky piano groove), "It's A Good Day," "I'll Join the Rocks," and "His Love Goes On Forever" are the kinds of songs we're used to from FFH.

But other songs find them trying on new ideas, like "Ready to Fly" and "Ready For A World," which both speak to the desire inside the heart of every Christian to leave this world behind. Or "Follow Love," something of a commissioning song for departing missionaries, and "Waltz For Jennifer," a love song from Jeromy Deibler to his wife. "If Not For Christ" finds Deibler trying his hand at writing a hymn.

If the worth of an album is derived from the strength of its songs, then Ready to Fly is very strong indeed.