Singer Fred Hammond has left Commissioned

SINGER, bassist and producer Fred Hammond has left top R&B gospel team Commissioned. The 34 year old has long been credited as the group's driving force, who, in their 12 years of existence have recorded nine successful albums for first Light then Benson. Hammond is adamant that Commissioned will continue. He told Billboard, "I am retiring but it's not really a break-up. The group is going to continue on." Hammond, who has his third album as a solo artist, the choir-oriented 'The Inner Court', out in the UK via Nelson Word, said about the change, "The whole last year was agonising. I knew there was going to be some sort of change. I just didn't know who, what, where, when and how. The agonising part was I didn't want to go. Commissioned were my comfort zone."