songs. The Choir suddenly had an album's worth of new material. This second recording session took place mere weeks after the death of Gene Eugene, lead singer and songwriter for Adam Again, who had died suddenly on the floor of his recording studio, The Green Room, in Huntington Beach, California. Eugene, a prolific producer and engineer, was a close personal friend of the band — Michaels in particular — and had worked on a number of their releases. At only 38 years old, Eugene's death was a shock, and as a result, the song "Hey Gene" was created in response, incorporating lines from Michaels' eulogy at the funeral. "Mercy Lives Here" was the first time since Voices in Shadows that Daugherty wrote the lyrics as well as the music to a Choir song. Originally intended for a solo album, the song was inspired by his visit to a bar in Akron, Ohio filled with a strange assortment of characters. The album's closing song, "Beautiful Scandalous Night," was a re-recording of the same song from the worship record At the Foot of the Cross, Volume One: Clouds, Rain, Fire from 1992. Artwork and packaging The cover painting for Flap Your Wings, described by one critic as "equal parts representation and abstraction," was done by Michael Knott, the frontman for Lifesavers Underground and the co-founder of Blonde Vinyl Records. Knott continues to create art and sell his work online. Release Flap Your Wings was strategically released just one day before the band performed live at the 2000 Cornerstone Festival, which served as a launching pad for the new release. The album was released on CD only, and independently, as Galaxy21 Records — which would release future Choir albums — had not yet been founded. Because the band viewed the new album as a response to their most avid fans, only 8,000 copies were manufactured. "Hey Gene" was released as the first single from the album. Given the album's independent status and limited release, the members of the Choir were surprised to learn that Flap Your Wings was nominated in the Best Rock Gospel Album category for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, which were held in 2002. Although placing first in an online poll conducted by Christianity Today as to which artist deserved to win the Grammy that year, DC Talk took home the award for the album Solo. Response Critical reaction Critical