POP MUSIC REVIEW : Kirk Franklin Brings Passion to a Mix of Pop, Spirituals

Gospel singer Kirk Franklin paced and talked like a man on a mission on Sunday at the Universal Amphitheatre, where he easily earned endless hosannas from the audience for his lively mix of old-style spirituals and modern pop.

The 25-year-old Texas minister was a charming and excitable host, leading his 10 singers through sometimes tearful solo turns and pumping new life into familiar Christmas carols. “People are going to think we’re out of our minds shouting up in the Amphitheatre,” Franklin teased, only minutes after arriving on stage to the sound of a hard funk beat. Soon after came the warm, hymn-like balladry of “Silver & Gold” and the R&B; crossover hit “Why We Sing.”

It’s that blending of old and new into a passionate and genuinely moving sound that has taken Franklin to a growing secular audience. His debut album, “Kirk Franklin and the Family,” this year became the first gospel collection to make Billboard’s R&B; Top 10 chart since 1972.

A similarly modern take on classic gospel came from support act Fred Hayward, who sang lively, funked-up carols with the help of nine backup singers. His four-piece band carved a jazzy, contemporary groove behind him without abandoning gospel’s soulfulness.

Earlier in the concert, a blast from gospel’s glorious past came from the veteran players of the Canton Spirituals, who got the crowd to its feet immediately, and scolded anyone who dared sit back down.