TBGB Reviews...Valerie Boyd

Victory
Valerie Boyd
Shekinah International 2006
http://www.valerieboyd.net/

Nestled among standard urban contemporary arrangements on Valerie Boyd’s Victory is a collection of soulfully-sung, “wooden church” gospels that single-handedly make her solo project a four-star effort.

Boyd is arguably best known for her old-school leanings, and it shows on Victory. The North Carolina-born vocalist transitions from the modern tempo of “Jehovah Jirah” to pour her heart out in an intensely passionate arrangement of Darius Brooks’ “Your Will,” unequivocally the project's finest moment.

Valerie demonstrates more vocal prowess on the a cappella “Fix Me,” and follows this brief, but effective, church wrecker with the uptempo “Do It For Me.” On “Old Time Medley,” Valerie pays tribute to the vintage gospel music catalog with songs such as “Look Where He Brought Me From,” “Who Shall Be Able to Stand,” and Dorsey’s “Highway to Heaven.”

Lyrically, “Get Me Out Again” is reminiscent of the choir classic “Jesus Can Work it Out” in its litany of up-to-the-minute trials: “Gas prices goin’ up/Lord, there’s a roach in your cup.” Toward the end of the song, Valerie chronicles the shock of witnessing two people flirting in church via text messaging. “Their cell phone was in the middle of their Bible…they were textin’ and sexin’.” Well! Musically, the song bounces along on a quartet-style backbeat.

Having Sanchez Harley as producer doesn’t hurt, either, but Victory lives up to its title because of the sparkling cluster of church songs it contains. Glory, Hallelujah!

The final track, "Yes I Can" is a catchy inspirational track that is radio-friendly.

In addition to singing, Valerie Boyd ministers as Evangelist with her family’s church, The New Greater Bethel Ministries in Queens Village, New York.

Four of Four Stars

Quartet Singing in the Windy City

Here's another article for your enjoyment, a report by James Porter for Time Out Chicago on a major quartet program in Chicago this past weekend.

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/blog/out-and-about/?p=3373#more-3373

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As the song goes, there's "so much to be thankful for!"

How Sweet the Sound!

TBGB correspondent "Indianaring" passed along this article from the Texas Observer. Enjoy!

http://texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2631

TBGB Pick of the Week: November 19, 2007

“Sick and Tired”
Fair Family Singers
From the CD Fair Family Singers
Yahdah 2007
http://www.fairfamilysingers.com/

The Fair siblings from Shaker Heights, Ohio -- all “B”s, incidentally: Ben III, Brianna, Benitra, and Brandon – recently shared the stage in Warner Robins, Georgia with no less a group of gospel lights as the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and Shirley Murdock.

I’m sure they held their own that day, but on their own terms, because on “Sick and Tired” from their self-titled debut, the Fair Family Singers funk up the beat with electronica (courtesy of producer Kevin Bond) while effectively drumming the uncomplicated lyrics and tune into the listener’s memory. One of those songs you find yourself humming unconsciously after hearing just once.

50,000 Hits Since January...And Counting!

As of Saturday, November 17, The Black Gospel Blog registered 50,000 hits to the site since January of this year, when we first started tracking activity, via http://www.sitemeter.com/.

More than 80,000 page views, too!

According to statistics pulled from http://www.technorati.com/, TBGB is in the top 2 percent of all blogs in existence.

TBGB says thank you to God and to everyone who has checked out the Blog and has contributed information, responses, and suggestions. Love to you all! You keep reading...we'll keep bringing it to you.

Blessings for the Holidays,









Bob Marovich

Essential Gospel – Classic Recordings: No. 144

“Love Open Doors for Me”
The Voices of Hope
From the LP Walk On By Faith
Capitol T 2480
1966

For those who have only heard the name of Thurston Frazier because a memorial choir is named after him at the Gospel Music Workshop of America, the man was a major force in gospel choral music. Music director at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles and acclaimed director of the Voices of Victory at Rev. A.A. Peters’ Victory Baptist Church, Frazier at one time traveled with the Wings Over Jordan Choir.

In 1962, Frazier joined James Cleveland and organist Billy Preston to direct the Angelic Choir of the First Baptist Church of Nutley, New Jersey on the first in a series of live recordings that climaxed in the historic “Peace Be Still” session a year later. Frazier was among the co-founders of the GMWA and worked with just about everyone who was anyone in gospel.

In addition, Frazier founded the Voices of Hope in 1957. The Voices of Hope were a one hundred-voice choir from Los Angeles that waxed two LPs for Capitol, the diskery that was only five years old when, in 1947, it released the very first gospel choir single (by the St. Paul Baptist Church Echoes of Eden). While most often associated with their 1961 hit, “We’ve Come This Far by Faith,” the Voices of Hope provide an equally captivating performance on their second album’s introductory track, the powerful, ballad-like “Love Open Doors for Me.”

The choir, singing at maximum volume, is propelled by the equally strident but tuneful shouting of organist Reginald Mitchell Shaw, who is also the song's composer. Gospel legend Gwendolyn Lightner accompanies on piano; it is her gentle touch, with Alexander Hamilton on softly humming organ, which introduces the song and establishes a meditative, prayerful mood. Indeed, the juxtaposition of intense voices and understated accompaniment is what gives the song its deeply soulful feeling.

Like colleague Cleveland’s “Peace Be Still” and his equally inspired work with Detroit’s Voices of Tabernacle on “The Love of God,” Frazier's “Love Open Doors for Me” redefines the gospel chorus as an ensemble known not only for quick-tempo church wreckers, but also for rendering slow songs with sublime tenderness.

CD Single Review: Jevon D. Brock and Restoration

“You Deserve Praises”
Jevon D. Brock and Restoration
From the CD Another Opportunity
Brock Music Group 2006

Many gospel songs borrow the preacher’s pacing: they start slow and build in incremental intensity until the boiling point. “You Deserve Praises,” by Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Jevon D. Brock and Restoration, ignores that rule: it starts out at boiling and gets hotter when the lead singer arrives to shout the Devil out. The beat pounds down like an anvil as the choir belts out those complex chords that are seemingly unique to the gospel chorus.

Praise doesn’t come any louder and more intense than this track, from the group’s sophomore project, Another Opportunity.

Love the Music? Can't find the Record?

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Mildred A. Hammond, Mother of Fred Hammond, Passes

From Gospelcity.com:

The world suffered a great loss in the passing of Ms. Mildred A. Hammond, mother of gospel recording artist Fred Hammond. After a courageous battle with cancer, her suffering ceased peacefully on the early morning of Thursday, November 8, 2007 at age 72.

Ms. Hammond, affectionately known to many as “Mom Hammond”, was known throughout local gospel communities for her involvement with various choirs and ensembles. She quietly took a hands-on approach to aiding her children in ministry and was the inspirational foundation behind Fred Hammond’s love for music.

A pillar of strength, “Mom Hammond” had an unshakeable faith in God, always willing to share an encouraging word with anyone she encountered. She was truly a blessing to every life she touched.

She leaves behind her children Fred Hammond, Raymond Hammond, Terrie Mason, Melonie McPhearson and Dave Hammond, as well as grandchildren, great grandchildren, and a host of family and friends who celebrate her full life and memory.

Fred Hammond issued this statement: "I join my family in thanking you all for your prayers and support during this challenging time. The battle's over! Cancer lost. My Mom isn’t suffering anymore and we’ll cherish her memory forever.”

The home-going service will be held on Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 11:00am at The Potter’s House, Dallas, TX.

Please send all floral arrangements for the service to:
The Potter’s House
6777 West Kiest Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75236

Please send all cards and condolences to:
fHammond Family Entertainment
1412 Main Street, Suite 2600
Dallas, TX 75202

214-420-9214 Ext. 114 (for service information)

Emails can be sent to info@fhammondfamilyent.com or www.myspace.com/therealfredhammond

Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.

TBGB Hails Newest Members of the Broadcasters Hall of Fame

From The Belle Report:

Akron, Ohio – This year's list of inductees for the 2007 class of the Broadcasters Hall of Fame inducted several members from the Gospel Music Workshop of America Gospel Announcers Guild. The event was held last weekend in Akron, Ohio during a dinner and ceremony.

The new Hall of Famers representing the Gospel Announcers Guild included

(standing, L to R):

Lady Donna Creer - National 2nd Vice President Gospel Announcers Guild

Dennis Cole - President of The Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild

Ed Stephens -President of The Virginia Gospel Announcers Guild

Prof. Reggie Miles -Vice President of The Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild

Lydia Goodin -President of The Florida Gospel Announcers Guild.

(Seated L-R):

Frank Walton -President of The Seattle Gospel Announcers Guild

Bro. Steve - President of The California Gospel Announcers Guild

Toby Young -President of The Harrisburg Gospel Announcers Guild

Chuck Spearman -President of The Missouri Gospel Announcers Guild, and

John Phillips - National Sergeant-at-Arms, Gospel Announcers Guild (Not shown)

From TBGB: The committee couldn't have picked a finer group of announcers than the men and women pictured. They are truly Gospel's Great Gems of Radio! Congratulations, all!

TBGB CD Single Review...Bonafide Praisers

“Work it Out”
Troy Sneed presents Bonafide Praisers
From the upcoming CD Destined to Worship
Emtro Gospel 2007
www.emtro.com

Not the classic choir sendup made famous by the Warriors of Chicago's Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer, this “Work it Out” is the product of Emtro Gospel co-owner Troy Sneed.

As Sneed announces at the outset of the song, “Work it Out” was inspired by the success of his number one hit, “The Struggle is Over." "Work it Out" is similar to Kirk Franklin’s 1993 smash “Why We Sing” in its melody and call-and-response between Sneed (speaking) and the young Bonafide Praisers (singing).

Not taking anything away from the Bonafide Praisers, who contribute lovely harmonies throughout, but it's Sneed who sells the song with his energetic, preacher-style delivery in the song's final moments.

Maurice Griffin: "Hold On" to this Gospel Treasure

A New Creature
Maurice Griffin
Maurice Griffin Ministries (Promo CD project)
www.myspace.com/mgministries

In August, GMWA Gospel Treasure finalist Maurice Griffin of Chicago wowed the judges – and then the Gospel Announcers Guild – with his vocal dexterity and heartfelt rendition of gospel songs. No surprise he won the competition: he was channeling the 75 year-old tradition of standing flat-footed and singing the “heart songs” that form the basis of gospel music. As Chicago’s GAG president Dennis Cole has said publicly, if you want to win a competition, secure a record deal, or win over a new audience, sing the classics. That’s what Maurice Griffin did, and he now has the Gospel Treasure to show for it.

But Griffin is no stranger to the industry. He was a member of New Direction, the 2005 Stellar Award-winning choir of the year, on which he led the popular “Hold On” from the group’s CD Send the Praise. Recently Griffin served as a background singer for Dorinda Clark Cole on her project, The Rose of Gospel.

His promo CD project, A New Creature, was released last year, well before the Gospel Treasure. It’s a three-song EP on which Griffin sings his own compositions, backed by a bevy of lovely female singers. Here, Griffin favors the free-form ambient, almost hypnotic style of praise song that is popular today, with an extended vamp to showcase his melismatic vocals.

Although busy touring Chicago churches with the Maurice Griffin Ministries ensemble, the artist is also the Praise & Worship Leader and Music Event Coordinator at Truth and Deliverance Christian Church, where Apostle John and Rosemary Abercrombie are Pastors.

My guess is that his first official CD project, whenever he is signed and whenever it is released, will combine his more modern praise songs with some traditional chestnuts, and if that happens, look out, gospel world!

TBGB Pick of the Week: November 5, 2007

“Watch Me Praise Him”
Deitrick Haddon Presents Voices of Unity
From the CD Together in Worship
Tyscot 2007
www.tyscot.com

“Watch Me Praise Him,” is a full-throttle, high-octane version of the Biblical Gospel Singers' 1960s hit, “I Come to Praise Him,” with a Bo Diddley-inspired beat ("shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits") and a demonstrative, dynamic lead vocal by Damita Haddon.

“If you don’t want to dance,” Damita sings, “Watch me dance.” With that infectious beat and all the praise in the air, how can you not dance?

TBGB Reviews...The Virginia Aires

The Virginia Aires
Live in the Country II
Firstlite Records
www.firstliterecords.com

Reverend Kerry Smith gave the patrons gathered for the Virginia Aires’ recording session at the Chesapeake Conference Center a dose of the gospel truth. “The devil’s been on my track all week long,” Pastor Smith testified. “It took everything I had just to get here.”

He could well have been speaking on behalf of the Virginia Aires, because at the start of the finished project, Live in the Country II, the quartet sounds a little tired and road-weary. Regardless, the members – Pastor Rodney “Mailman” Mills, Valry “BaBa” Spence, Rondell Shannon, Cory Shaw, and Kenny Halsey – dig deep within their reserves of energy to give the audience everything they have left.

Guest vocalist Natasha Halsey provides a dose of vocal caffeine when she trades leads with Shaw “I Can Only Be Who I Am,” the project’s finest moment. By the conclusion of “Time,” a lovely song with fine harmonies, the Virginia Aires seem more themselves. Energetic renditions of “Came Into My Life” and “Holy Ghost” give glimpses of what the quartet can really do, and the testimony during “He’s My All and All” – about being orphaned as an adult after both parents have died – will certainly resonate with listeners who know the feeling.

The Virginia Aires’ first volume of Live in the Country hits the mark far better than the second, but when you are a working quartet, traveling thousands of miles along the gospel highway, dealing with the vicissitudes of daily life on top of that, some days are going to be better than others.

Two of Four Stars

TBGB Reviews...46 More Hidden Treasures from the African American Heritage Hymnal

46 More Hidden Treasures
from the African American Heritage Hymnal
James Abbington, Conductor
GIA Music 2007
www.giamusic.com

After the grand reception GIA Publications received for its 49 Hidden Treasures from the African American Heritage Hymnal, the company organized a choir from musically-gifted students and alumni of Morgan State University to make the sequel.

Like the original, the two-disc 46 More Hidden Treasures from the African American Heritage Hymnal ferrets out the unfamiliar, or just plain forgotten, songs collected in the now-classic hymnbook. It teaches congregations and choruses how to sing them and thus breathe new life into their church services and programs.

Unlike a typical choral composition demo CD, which is utilitarian by design, this set is instantly likeable and makes for good listening. Much of this has to do with the classically-trained choristers, who in one breath can deliver an anthem with appropriate austerity and a gospel with hand-clapping gusto in another. Equally important, the backing musicians enhance the arrangements without overpowering or outshining the choir.

The collection of songs on the two disc set is as diverse as the hymnbook itself, which was first printed in 2001. Covered on the CDs are standard Protestant and Catholic hymns, more recent gospel compositions, songs that straddle the fence between gospel and CCM (e.g., Bill Gaither), hymns that borrow from Irish melodies, and a selection from the Ecumenical Community of Taize in France (the hypnotic “Jesus Remember Me”). The producers even include a tasteful arrangement of “The Lord’s Prayer” made famous in the 1970s by Sister Janet Mead.

Two standout tracks, “The Lord is Blessing Me Right Now” and “He Has Done Great Things for Me,” owe a great deal to alto Sherry Lynn Hunt’s straight outta church leads. The latter could be released as a radio single, it’s that good. Issachah Savage’s vocal interpretation of “Precious Memories” is equally memorable, and the piano work on “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” sounds like it was torn right out of the Roberta Martin Singers songbook. The group’s rendition of the Ward Singers' "Until I Found the Lord” is true to the original, sans Marion Williams’ high whoos, of course.

The Baptist lining hymn, “I Love the Lord, He Heard My Cry” seems almost impossible to articulate on staff paper, but the choir renders the otherworldly hymn with aplomb, as if to prove to the uninitiated that it can be done.

I was surprised to see songs such as the congregational favorite “Oh, What He’s Done for Me” and the Pilgrim Travelers’ late '40s hit “I Thank You, Jesus” included, as I thought everyone knew these songs. But I’m not going to second guess the producers.

46 More Hidden Treasures, like its 49-song counterpart, are ready-made for fans of choir music. If they aren’t already, the sets ought to be sold at conventions such as the annual American Choral Directors Association, where they will be lapped up for personal listening and as educational tools.

Three of Four Stars