Groove To This!

Kim Burrell - A Force of Nature

2009-02-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Goodness! You would think after all the hype about the Super Bowl that I'd be planted in front of the TV, but I had to get this post in about one of my favorite singers, Kim Burrell.

She hasn't actually released her own project since doing "Live In Concert" in 2002, but she has collaborated with several artists including Richard Smallwood & Vision, Missy Elliot & a trio with R. Kelly & Kelly Price. Several R&B and pop artists list her as being one of their influences, including Beyonce, Jessica Simpson, Mariah Carey & Chris Brown. From all accounts, she lives the message behind the music, so it would be safe to call her a minister instead of just a gospel artist.

I'm sharing a video where Kim is during a service where she's freestyling on one of her songs, "Have Faith" doing the runs she's known and loved for. Enjoy, and have a good evening!

Darryl Coley - Anointed Voice!

2009-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! A little earlier than usual, but still happy to be here!

Tonight's post is about one of the most anointed gospel singers out there, Darryl Coley. He is a East Bay native of the San Francisco area who has as much of a jazz influence in his music as gospel. He was born in 1955 and was brought up in church, though his mother also loved to listen to classical and jazz music during the week. He was a musical prodigy that learned the clarinet in high school and taught himself how to play the piano. He's sung with the legendary Hawkins family, and actually served as musical director for Tramaine Hawkins. He's also performed with Nancy Wilson, who he considers to be a mentor for him. The clip I'm sharing here is from a live recording session in Los Angeles called "He's Right On Time". The song is "You Are My Everything", and the female soloist is B.J. Crosby.

They've both had health issues in the past year, so remember to keep them in your prayers. And have a blessed evening!

Shekinah Glory Ministries - Praise & Worship

2009-01-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

Good evening, all. I'm finding out I'm more of a night person than I realized since updating this blog on a regular basis.

Tonight I wanted to introduce you to a group called Shekinah Glory Ministries out of the midwestern part of the USA. They are part of a new wave of ministers within the traditionally black church that sing mostly praise & worship selections not during what is called 'devotion' time but as part of the main service. In the case of this group they have now released three CD/DVD sets that encompass a full fledged praise & worship session. Usually in the gospel field you won't see a group this large except if they're doing the more traditional choir selections like the _________ Mass Choir [fill in the blank with your favorite state name, and you'll have it]. But the focus of this group, as well as other groups like Tye Tribett & Greater Annointing, Fred Hammond & Radical for Christ, is to bring the whole congregation into the actual presence of God during the service. For many years persons would attend services with the expectation of being entertained by the choir, but they would take on a passive role and not participate in the service. Take a look at this video of the song "Yes", and see if you could stay in your seat.

With that, I wish you a good night's rest. See you tomorrow!

Ministry or Entertainment?

2009-01-29T20:20:00.000-08:00

Good evening, all!

Tonight's post won't be that long, but it is on a subject that should make us think a little bit.

There's a debate in the Gospel music community about whether some artists have gone too far with their music. They're concerned that the artists are now being more influenced by the dollar and/or the hip-hop culture that surrounds them than being directed by God in the choices of songs, attire & music they do.

Usually the artists in question tend to be younger, and not at all polished singers that may have a true love for the Lord, but don't sing the traditional style of Gospel music that their parents [and critics] grew up with. Some artists that have had that 'performer' label pushed on them include folks like Kirk Franklin, Tonex, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, and others. Something like this video by VOU featuring Damita Haddon would be an example of what they would say is too "worldly".

However, something that reminds them of church service would be perfectly fine by them. Artists like Shirley Caesar, Albertina Walker, the Canton Spirituals, and any of the mass choirs [Georgia, Mississippi, Colorado, etc.] have more appeal for them. [By the way, I enjoy them, too!] Even a video by someone like Vickie Winans, who some of the same critics would say is too "forward", when she's singing something like "More Than Enough" is more "acceptable" to them.

The thing we have to remember is that while we may have certain preferences in the style of music we like to listen to, the main thing is this: do the lyrics of the songs being performed bring glory to God, or to the performer? We can't know what's going on in the minds of the artists/ministers - only God can do that. But we can listen to what's being said and make our own judgements on that. In the meantime, these artists can reach people for God that we can never imagine being able to touch. So just keep all of them in your prayers.

Have a blessed evening!

Looking Back - Love Camp

2009-01-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Good evening, everyone!

I was just looking at a video featuring one of my all time favorite gospel artists, Richard Smallwood. He was teaching at a music and arts workshop teaching the choir the song "Holy, Holy". The kicker is this. Instead of the workshop & concert happening in the US, this was actually held in Japan! Here's the actual video of the finished product.

It took me back to a time where my husband & I were really into trying to participate in as many workshops as possible, and we heard about a workshop called "Love Camp" that was happening in the East Bay Area of California. The first year the featured artist was Darryl Coley, and the second year was Richard Smallwood. This is a good way to find out things about the background behind Gospel music as well as getting a chance to learn some new songs and performing them at the end of the week. After you get over the awe of seeing some well-known artists, you find out real quickly that they're regular folks with God-given gifts that they choose to share with others, and that you have your own gift that you can learn to hone and share with others too. The big thing I remember about the second year was that even though I took part in the rehearsals, because of a previous commitment I couldn't take part in the concert on that Saturday. I was mad, even though I knew my hubby would be part of the choir and would represent us well. I got the surprise of a lifetime when I got to talk to Mr. Smallwood that Friday night and shared how much of a blessing it was to be in his workshop. He encouraged me to keep on ministering in music, and to keep praying for him as he ministered around the world. That's a promise I've been happy to keep!

Since I mentioned Darryl, I had to include this video with Wes Morgan from West Coast Prayze. Enjoy both of them, and have a blessed evening!

Top Gospel CD's

2009-01-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's Tuesday night, and I'm back from celebrating my Mom's birthday. After all that talking and catching up with my family, I just wanted to give you some ideas of some CD's you might want to check out.

I mentioned yesterday that Heather Headley was one of the featured soloists on Celebration of Gospel. Well, she also released a CD called "Audience of One" that is currently at the top spot on the Billboard Christian and Gospel chart, as well as being in the top 10 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart. Gospel sister/duo Mary Mary is at #2 with their current CD "The Sound", which is a departure for them as they incorporate more praise & worship and pop sound into their standard contemporary gospel sound. Sunday Best winner Crystal Aiken's self-titled CD is at #3, with Marvin Sapp's "Thirsty" holding down the #4 spot. The Sunday Best runner-up Shari Addison rounds out the top five gospel CD list. I would say any of these projects would be a good addition to your iPod/CD player list, but I'd be partial to Marvin Sapp's CD if you absolutely had to pick one.

I know "Never Would Have Made It" is the song everyone talks about from this CD, but the video I'm featuring is "Magnify", which is more uptempo and is more like the music followers of Commissioned would recognize from him. Hope you enjoy it, and have a great evening!

Celebration of Gospel - The Highlights

2009-01-26T19:43:00.001-08:00

Good evening, all!

I hope you all got a chance to see the Celebration of Gospel 2009 on BET last night. This year's show was more grounded than last year, if only because while they did incorporate non-Gospel artists in it, this year there were much more Gospel singers participating and more songs than spoken word interludes. Even host Steve Harvey wasn't as prominent this year as last year. Maybe the comments he made about one of the artists' dresses last year put him in the semi-dog house.

This year's highlights included the following:

* A duet of "Jesus is Love" featuring Heather Headley and Smokie Norful. Heather just came out with her first Gospel CD this month, but the way she ministered the song with Smokie shows you that the girl grew up in the church! A pleasant surprise, indeed.

* A group song featuring Kirk Franklin, Rance Allen, and two of the four original members of Men of Standard, Issac Carree & Lowell Pye. They did a big band version of "Little Boy" from The Fight of My Life. That was just TOO smooth, and had lyrics that a LOT of the listeners needed to hear.

** Probably the highlight of the broadcast was the appearance of Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, with special guests Marvin Sapp & DJ Rogers singing "God Favored Me" from Souled Out. After a year of constant accusations & rumors surrounding him, Hezekiah came out with this song as an answer to his critics & an encouragement to his followers. There were very few dry eyes in the audience when this song was done!

That's it for now. I'll probably have more to say on this tremendous show later on this week. Heck, this might take the entire week! Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Guest Article on Beverly Crawford

2009-01-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon! Since I will be traveling out of town this evening, I wanted to present an article by a guest author on one of Gospel Music's greatest evangelists, Beverly Crawford. I hope you enjoy it! Have a blessed evening!

Gospel Singer Beverly Crawford Career Profile
By Richard Blake

Effervescent gospel vocalist and ordained evangelist, Evangelist Beverly Crawford, was born in the early sixties in Gainesville, Florida. One of seven children in a household headed by her pastor father, Walter Camp. The young Beverly became exposed to gospel music from the earliest time she could remember. Like many other gospel divas, she began singing at a very age, making her debut at the tender age of three, at her father's church. Raised in Gainesville, the young Beverly joined her four sisters by singing at their father's church. By this time music was already in her blood and the young Beverly was already rehearsing future performances: years later she recalled with mild amusement how she would often sing as a young child in front of her father's house, with a stick as a microphone; and the grass as her audience!!

The young Beverly began performing her four sisters in the family gospel group which became know as the Camp Sisters, and quickly gained popularity through Gainesville and surrounding areas of Florida.

After surviving cancer, in 1989 Beverly and her husband Todd Crawford founded the Potter's House Ministries, a development inspired by Beverly's renewed and unshakable faith in God and her passion to serve Him through ministering and music. Also that same year, Todd recorded a video of the Camp Sisters performing and sent copies to various gospel promoters and media organizations. Gospel legend Dr. Bobby Jones was suitable impressed by the recording. Jones, who hosts the Bobby Jones Gospel, a television programme hosted on the Black Entertainment Channel, invited Beverly and the other Camp Sisters group to his Sunday morning show. After several successful appearances, Beverly was invited by Bobby Jones to join his group, New Life.

Beverly performed with Bobby Jones and New Life for six successful years. She featured on recordings Bring It to Jesus and the Music City Mass Choir's We Need to Hear It From You, before launching out on a solo career.

Beverly's solo career began with the release of her first debut album Jesus, Precious King in 1995 under the Warner Bros label. This was followed three years later in 1998 by her second album release, Now That I'm Here. Precious King brought Crawford a Stellar Award nomination and Now That I'm Here brought her recognition with a Grammy Award nomination in 1999.

Crawford released a studio album Beverly, in 2001 on T.D Jake's Dexterity Records platform; a vibrant production featuring eleven tracks brilliantly blended from elements of traditional gospel, pop, jazz and funk. Crawford continues to manage a hectic touring schedule which includes an incredible 200 concerts each year, inspired by her passion and devotion to the ministry.

Beverly and her husband Todd have two children. Their daughter Latrina also featured in her mother's 2003 album Live Family and Friends, which also featured Shirley Murdock, Bobby Jones and Melvin Williams.

Beverly Crawford is a living embodiment of the endless possibilities that can be attained, based on an unshakable faith in God and total devotion to serve Him through ministering and through song.

You can view and play Christian music and song lyrics online. You can also play and download Beverley Crawford mp3 songs and view gospel lyrics of those songs online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Blake
http://EzineArticles.com/?Gospel-Singer-Beverly-Crawford-Career-Profile&id=1344427

BlackGospel.com Review

2009-01-24T18:34:00.000-08:00

Good evening, all! I'm a little under the weather, but I wanted to make sure to let you know about a website I've been going to and being blessed by for a long time.

Blackgospel.com is a website that is different from a lot of the other website dedicated to gospel music. Instead of focusing on the gospel music industry or the gospel music "celebrities", they dedicate their site to promoting the music ministries of those who are dedicated to ministering Gospel music and at the same time actually living the Christian life they're singing about with no compromise. They see the blurring of the line between gospel music being for ministry and being a product for consumption by the masses. For more on their viewpoints, go to this link.

They have one of the top online music stations dedicated to black gospel music online at Live 365.com. This page here shows all the options you have for listening to their station during the day, including iTunes, Pandora & Windows media player. For those who like their gospel music uncut, you also have the option of getting it without commercials on this page by signing up for a Live365 Preferred membership. (This is not an affiliate link, just an option for you.]

Have a great evening, and go find a church to worship at tomorrow. And after that, go home and watch Celebration of Gospel on BET!

A little News...

2009-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Good evening! Here's a little bit of news on the gospel front:

*First of all, my man Tonex will be releasing a new CD for the first time in five years! If you're not familiar with him, think of the artist Prince. Now imagine if he incorporated his Jehovah's Witness beliefs in his song lyrics, and put it to a funky beat, be it rock, pop or R&B based. Then multiply that times two. There you have it - Tonex. He has encountered some opposition from more traditional gospel lovers, and part of the reason he may not have recorded any projects is that he may have been taking time to recoup from some personal issues [financial problems, divorce, a spat with his record label similar to what Prince went through]. But now his new CD, entitled "Unspoken", is scheduled to come out in mid-March. That will be one interesting listen!

** The auditions for Sunday Best resume tomorrow in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency from 9-11 am. [Only two hours?] They will then conclude in Washington DC next Saturday, January 31st, again from 9-11am at the BET Studios. How they're planning to audition everyone that shows up in two hours is beyond me, but it should make for some interesting tryouts!

***Rizen, one of the most well-known female gospel trios, has signed to Verity Gospel, and will be releasing a new CD sometime in August of this year. It's been a little bit since their second project, "Rizen 2" came out, and to a certain extent they haven't gotten the recognition that some other female groups have obtained. Their style is more like the gospel quartets than the contemporary sound that other female groups have gone towards. But here's hoping that with a new label might come new support for their project, and as a result, more exposure for this deserving group.

Well, that's it for now. God bless, and have a good evening.

P.S. - Two days until Celebration of Gospel! :)

Celebration of Gospel - Three Days and counting!!

2009-01-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

Good evening, folks! It's good to have you back here for a little bit of news on the gospel front.

This Sunday will be special on BET [Black Entertainment Television], because the much awaited Celebration of Gospel will be on!

This will be a chance to experience some of the top contemporary and traditional gospel artists, along with some spoken word segments. The exciting thing about this show is that it's one of the rare chances during the year for gospel artists to sing with their counterparts in R&B. A lot of the R&B artists that are currently popular actually got started in the church choir, like John Legend, Mario [cousin of the famous Winans family], and Heather Headley, among others. Before they became famous, folks like Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke & Aretha Franklin got their start in the church, and have made some gospel tracks since then. So you never know who might show up unexpectedly....

Have a blessed evening!

Tamela Mann - Before Madea!

2009-01-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

Good evening, all! Hope you had a good day!

I'm in one of those rare moods where I'm a little worn out from work situations, and just wanted to share something with you that would pick you up if you're in a down mood. If the woman singing lead on this song looks a bit familiar, it's because you've probably seen her in one of Tyler Perry's "Madea" movies or in one of his stage plays as Cora Brown, the niece of that crazy Leroy Brown, who happens to be her real life husband David. Tamela and David actually started singing in Texas as part of Kirk Franklin's group "The Family". She's always had a special type of voice, not as sweet as some singers but not as harsh and down home as some of the older gospel singers. This is probably her best known song from those days, "Don't Take Your Joy Away".

Have a blessed evening!

Stellar Award Winners - Spoilers!

2009-01-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Inauguration Day!!! On this historic day in America, I'm just going to put a short post up announcing the winners of the 2009 Stellar Awards. If you recall, I had a list of nominees in the five overall categories along with my choices of who I thought might win. You can view it here . The awards show hasn't been broadcast yet, so if you don't want to know, stop reading here.

Here's a list of the winners:

Artist of the Year: Marvin Sapp; Thirsty; Verity/Zomba Label Group

Song of the Year (Songwriter; Song; Label): Marvin Sapp / Matthew Brownie; "Never Would Have Made It "; Zomba Label Group

Male Vocalist of the Year: Marvin Sapp; Thirsty; Verity/Zomba Label Group

Female Vocalist of the Year: Dorinda Clark-Cole; Take It Back; Zomba Label Group

Group/Duo of the Year: Jonathan Nelson featuring Purpose; Right Now Praise; Integrity Music

OK, I'll admit I'm a little surprised about the Female Vocalist & Group/Duo of the Year choices, though I DO love Dorinda. I'll have to find some Jonathan Nelson tracks and listen to them for a bit.

I'm going back to watch more of the inauguration coverage tonight. Have a blessed day!

Gospel - In Toronto??

2009-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

Good evening, friends! Glad to see you made it through another day, and are taking time to read this post. I do appreciate it!

The title of this post is a little tongue-in-cheek, because I know that wherever someone is willing to lift their voice in song to God, that Gospel music is right there! However, I just recently came across a website that is dedicated not only to exposing us to gospel artists from Toronto, Canada, but features gospel music that spans across most genres. The website is TorontoGospel.CA, and it's based in Canada! Like the tag line on the home page says, "Hear It...Sing It...Live It!" The site provides a top 25 list of the most popular songs as listened to by their visitors, but what you want to do is click on the link that says "Music".

This takes you to another page where their current selection of music is available to listen to. The categories are diverse, and have something for almost everyone. Here's the list:

* Toronto Gospel Artists
* Church Hymns
* Instrumental Praise
* Gospel Jazz [what I'm currently listening to, BTW]
* New Gospel Music [where the latest songs are featured]
* Caribbean Praise [Gospel from the islands, ya'll!]
* Accapella Gospel Music [for those who say "we don't need no music!"]
* Choir Central [Actually my favorite category - if you can think of the choir, they're here!]
* Bill Gaither's Homecoming Classics [Bill Gaither is one of the godfathers of southern gospel, but also co-wrote one of the biggest black gospel songs, "Center of My Joy" with Richard Smallwood.]
* Classic Gospel [For songs over a few years old]
* Classical Praise [This section actually features some of the best known praise & worship songs done with the harp. It's a nice change of pace!]

When you click onto one of the song titles, you'll actually have another window open with a graphic of an iPod player showing your selection. But the treat is that they will add another four songs that you might like based on your selection. How cool is that?

This is one of those hidden gems that you may want to bookmark so you can come back to it again and again. And let your friends know about it so they can enjoy the variety of music.

Have a good evening, and a blessed day!

Gospel Urban Soul - Podcast Review

2009-01-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

Good evening, folks! I hope you were able to get some good relaxation and fun in this weekend. And that you got your gospel groove on, too!

I just wanted to introduce you to another podcast featuring Gospel music. This time, it's not the traditional church choir style, but actually featuring Gospel with an R&B flavor to it. It's actually called the Gospel Urban Soul podcast, and it's hosted by Herman "Kodah" Albany. He started the podcast in August of 2007 because he noticed that a lot of his peers weren't listening to Gospel music because it wasn't "banging", meaning it wasn't the same type of music they were listening to in their everyday life. Herman knew that there was a group of young artists that were just starting to come out with R&B/Soul flavored grooves that didn't compromise on the "good news" message of God's love for us and His plans for us. The problem was that no radio stations were giving them a platform to perform their music. So, when he heard about the ability to create your own podcast where you could feature your own choices of music and commentary, he jumped at the chance.

In addition to some of the well known names in contemporary Gospel music like Detrick and Damita Haddon and Kierra Sheard, he features independent and unsigned artists on his broadcasts. On his website he gives details on the artists including the song titles, the verses the songs are based on, and a link to the artists personal websites in case you want to purchase some of their tracks and encourage them in their careers.

The one thing, as with a lot of podcasts, is that there's not a regular schedule of uploads of the podcast. As a matter of fact, the latest edition is from November of 2008. But it's about the content that you'll get in the music. I encourage you to check it out, and if you like it, encourage "Kodah" to create another podcast soon!

Have a blessed day!

BET's Celebration of Gospel 2009

2009-01-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday, ya'll! Hope today finds you relaxing and enjoying the outdoors - unless you're back east, in which case I hope you're in front of a nice warm fire!

On January 25th, BET [Black Entertainment Television] will host it's annual Celebration of Gospel special. Each year some of the most well-known artists from the world of Gospel team up with folks from R&B and television to present two hours of all types of Gospel music. This year's line up includes the following artists:

Kirk Franklin
Hezekiah Walker
Donnie Mcclurkin
Heather Headley
LL Cool J
Kurt Carr
Mary Mary
21:03
Smokie Norful
Pastor Shirley Ceasar
Vickie Winans
Trinitee 5:7
Muyiwa and Riversongz
Dr. Bobby Jones [host of "Bobby Jones Gospel" and "Bobby Jones Next Generation" on the Gospel Music Channel]

The show will be hosted by comedian Steve Harvey, and other artists will appear during the broadcast. This is a good introduction to some of today's style of Gospel. Me, I'll be looking for my niece and her boyfried, who were able to attend this year - hi, Gabrielle! :)

For more details on the show, as well as information on the host and artists, go here.

Have a blessed day!

Georgia Mass Choir & Whitney Houston

2009-01-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! It's Friday night, and hopefully you're in the mood to get your praise on!

The group that I'm featuring tonight is the Georgia Mass Choir. You might know them best as the choir that backed up Whitney Houston in the movie "The Preacher's Wife". They've actually been around since 1983 when founder Milton Biggham auditioned over 600 people to form the group, which currently stands at around 150 voices.

They are still recording, and had a CD in 2007 called "Tell It" that reached #4 on the gospel charts in the US. Some of their best known songs include "Joy" [featuring Kirk Franklin], "Come On In the Room" [classic old-school traditional gospel!], "Help is on the Way" and a remake of one of my favorite Richard Smallwood songs, "I Love the Lord", which features a lead by Whitney Houston from the soundtrack of "The Preacher's Wife".

I'll post the clip for the song "Joy" so you can get an idea of the powerful sound of the choir. And since I brought the movie up, I'll also load a clip of Whitney and the choir singing "I Love the Lord". They're only recordings of the songs with no video, but the impact when you hear them will bless you tremendously.

Have a blessed evening!

On Time God - Yes He Is!

2009-01-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

Good evening, ya'll.

I just returned from our first gospel choir rehearsal of 2009. It was like old home week with a bunch of old members coming back and some new members joining the team. For all those reading this, WELCOME!

The songs we're ministering this month are "On Time God" by Dottie Peoples and "Said He Would Be With Me" by Isaiah D. Thomas and Elements of Praise [I LOVE that group name!]. Both songs would be considered to be in the traditional style of gospel, but both have lyrics that speak to those who hear them. The first song talks about the story of Moses and the people of Israel that were coming out of slavery in Egypt being trapped between the Red Sea and the armies of the Pharaoh, and the story of Daniel in the lion's den. The chorus says He [meaning God] "may not come when we want Him", but He'll be there right on time. The second song reminds us that through our lives - through the storms, through the rain, through sickness and pain - that God would be with us. When you stop and think about that for a moment, you can't help but praise God!

Here's the video for "One Time God". Try as I might, I couldn't find a video for "Said He Would Be With Me", but you can go to the group's website here .

Have a blessed evening!

Angelo & Veronica to Sing at Inaguration Concert

2009-01-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

Good evening! Been a long day at work, but thank God I made it! :)

I was looking through some gospel news online and found out that one of my favorite groups, Angelo & Veronica, were going to be singing at the inauguration concert for President-Elect Barrack Obama on this Saturday, January 17th. They have been a little bit out of the spotlight as far as having their own CD project out, but they've been a vital part of the gospel music scene for many years.

Angelo & Veronica Petrucci's story could read like something out of West Side Story. He's a Italian man from Boston with a love for mac & cheese, while Veronica is a Puerto Rican sister from New York City. In this case, what seemed like opposites found they had a love for the Lord, and the gift of music - which developed into a love that has lasted for sixteen years and counting.

My first CD that I purchased of theirs is the 1991 release "Higher Place". That introduced their combination of smooth jazz & R&B sound mixed with some pop highlights and very good lyrics that made it easy for folks to get into the music, whether they were believers or not. Since then they had five more Cd's, as well as guest artists credits with artists like Michael Bolton, Amy Grant, Kirk Whalum and Michael W. Smith.

They will be coming out with two new projects this year. One is called "Still In Love" which is a celebration of marriage and family. Veronica will be stretching her wings on a solo Spanish project entitled "Atrèvete a Soñar". My husband & I had the pleasure of meeting them a few years ago after a performance in the Bay Area, and they're truly in the music industry for ministry, not just the money. They are a refreshing duo, and you should check them out here .

Have a blessed evening!

GMAF Hall of Fame Inductees 2009

2009-01-13T11:55:00.000-08:00

The Gospel Music Association Foundation [GMAF] has announced their inductees for this year. They include gospel legends Michael W. Smith & Dr. Bobby Jones, as well as the music quartet The Dixie Hummingbirds and country star Dolly Parton. To say this is a diverse group of artists is an understatement! The induction ceremony will happen on February 2nd in Nashville, the home town of the Gospel Music Association. Previous inductees include Amy Grant, Andre Crouch, the Winans and Elvis Presley. [Most of his fans know this, but Elvis loved gospel music and had at least two gospel albums that were major successes!]

Have a great day!

Stellar Awards Nominees 2009

2009-01-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

Good morning, all! Hope you had a great weekend, and that you were able to listen to some good music. :)

At the end of this month there's going to be a show for the 2009 Stellar Awards. They are the equivalent of the Grammy Awards, except it's strictly gospel music artists. Here are some of the categories & nominees. My choices for the winners are in bold.

Artist of the Year

Beverly Crawford; Live From Los Angeles; JDI Records
Dorinda Clark-Cole; Take It Back; Zomba Label Group
Kirk Franklin; The Fight of My Life; Fo Yo Soul/Gospocentric/Zomba Label Group
Marvin Sapp; Thirsty; Verity/Zomba Label Group
Ricky Dillard & New G; The 7th Episode: Live in Toronto; Nuspring Records/EMI Gospel

Song of the Year (Songwriter; Song; Label)

Canton Jones ; "My Day"; Arrow Records
Jonathan Nelson and Justin Savage; "My Name Is Victory"; Integrity Music
Marvin Sapp / Matthew Brownie; "Never Would Have Made It "; Zomba Label Group
Myron Butler and John Webb; "Stronger"; EMI Gospel
Percy Gray; "God Is My Everything"; New Haven Records

Male Vocalist of the Year

Byron Cage; Live at the Apollo: The Proclamation; Gospocentric/Zomba Label Group
Isaiah D. Thomas; The Greatest; Habakkuk Music
Marvin Sapp; Thirsty; Verity/Zomba Label Group
Marvin Winans; Alone But Not Alone; PureSprings Gospel
The John Tillery Project; The Next Level; Danbla Records

Female Vocalist of the Year

Beverly Crawford; Live From Los Angeles; JDI Records
CeCe Winans;Thy Kingdom Come; PureSprings Gospel
Dorinda Clark-Cole; Take It Back; Zomba Label Group
Jessica Greene; 4 The World; Habakkuk Music
Shirley Caesar; After 40 Years... Still Sweeping Through the City; ShuBel Records/Light Records
[I have a feeling that Shirley Caesar will actually win here, but Beverly Crawford's CD is great from beginning to end!]

Group Duo of the Year

Deitrick Haddon Presents Voices of Unity; Together in Worship; Tyscot Records
Israel & New Breed; Live: A Deeper Level; Integrity Music
Jonathan Nelson featuring Purpose; Right Now Praise; Integrity Music
The John Tillery Project; The Next Level; Danbla Records
Youthful Praise featuring JJ Hairston; Exalted ...Live in Baltimore; Evidence Gospel / Light Records

There you go. Check your local listings for show times. It's always more of a peek at a black church service than an awards show. :) Have a blessed day!

Kierra Sheard - Bold Right Life - Mini Review

2009-01-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon, folks! After yesterday I thought I should share some more reviews of different artists I'm finding out about and enjoying. So here is one of the young up-and-coming "stars" in the urban gospel category, Kierra Sheard.

Those of us that listen to more contemporary gospel music are probably very familiar with her mother and aunts, the Clark Sisters, along with her cousin, J. Moss, who has a production company called PAJAM that also specializes in contemporary gospel music. While the Sisters are well loved in traditional circles, they have been known to take chances in contemporary gospel music, especially Kierra's mother, Karen Clark Sheard. Kierra's previous two albums were definitely geared towards her peer group, with a lot of music that was danceable but also kept the gospel message front and center. With this CD, Bold Right Life, she shows a completely different side to herself both artistically and physically. She's lost 86 pounds in the last year, and has done it in a natural way through diet & exercise. This is sure to please her fans, who have sometimes been concerned with how much weight she was carrying and have wanted to see her get healthy so she can have a long life and a long ministry.

The variety in the song selection also shows more maturity as she grows into adulthood and more independence in how she ministers in music. The best compliment I can give this CD is that you can play it during your private time of worship, but also play it in your car while you're hanging out with your non-Christian friends. The message is not compromised - when you have songs with titles like "Jesus" and "Oh Lord", you know you're not watering anything down - but neither is the hip-hop style of music that Kierra is known and loved for. You can view this clip from her CD and check a little bit of her gift out here.">

Have a blessed afternoon!

Gospel Music Channel - Mini-Review

2009-01-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Good evening! I'm getting in a little late today since I was celebrating my birthday with my family. But I wanted to share the website for Gospel Music Channel with you.

A lot of times when you mention the words "gospel music" you think of one thing: large choirs of mostly African-American women singing older spirituals and hymns from the sixties and seventies. But the gospel music world has expanded so much from the days of strictly being something kept in the four walls of the church to music that has something to offer every member of the family, no matter what ethnic group you're in or what kind of church you came up in. [Or if you didn't attend church at all.]

If you look at today's homepage you'll find links for artists as diverse as Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir from New York, Wynonna Judd, and the Newsboys, a predominantly pop/rock group. But the important thing about gospel music isn't the style of music, but the message behind is. Gospel literally means "good news", after all. So when you get a chance, check this website out to listen to some of the songs & see some of the videos. Then find out if your cable or satellite system carries them. If not, you might want to encourage them to add them to the channel line-up. It'd be worth it! Have a good evening!

Sunday Best Debut CDs - Take A Listen!

2009-01-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

I'm happy that the debut albums from last season's Sunday Best winner Crystal Aiken & runner-up Shari Addison are finally out! BET.com has clips from both CDs at their website. Click here to hear tracks from Crystal, and here to hear from Shari. Crystal's tracks are more contemporary while Shari's are more traditional style, but as they say on the
Gospel Music Channel - it's all gospel! Enjoy!

Never Underestimate the Power of a Song...

2009-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

...good afternoon, all! Just a quick blog to mention something that happened recently.

My husband & I have been going through a few things on the medical front, and we got a prognosis on my part that might have me not driving for a bit. Needless to say, it was NOT the news we were expecting or wanted to hear. After driving home and crying/yelling all the way, I happened to play a song by Yolanda Adams called "Somewone Watching Over Me". It's one of my favorite songs anyway, but you know how sometimes you don't really listen to the words until you're going through something? Well, this was one of those times, and I definitely heard the words loudly & clearly. To say the song was a relief and a comfort to me is an understatement. Just goes to show that gospel music does have the power to do more than move your body. It can also move your soul.

Have a blessed day!