"I'll Be That" - Donovan Owens

“I’ll Be That”
Donovan Owens
From the Diversity Records CD All That I Have (available online June 20, 2009)
www.donovanowensmusic.com

Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Donovan Owens is a twelve year-old gospel singer who has already shared the stage with veteran vocalists such as Pastor Marvin Winans and Dorinda Clark-Cole. He was featured on Kirk Franklin’s song, “Whole Nation” (from The Fight of My Life) and was a guest soloist at Pastor Smokie Norful’s Two Year Church Anniversary. He sang for the Full Gospel Baptist Convention.

“I’ll Be That,” a single from Owens’ debut CD, All That I Have, is a catchy, RnB flavored, bass-driven song about the pressures Christian youth face in establishing their identity despite competing interests.

Owens sings with the confidence of someone who has already performed in front of large audiences – and he has – which separates him from many singers his age who are still finding their voice. Donovan Owens has found his voice and he knows how to use it!

Walking Through Heaven's Gate - Glen David Andrews

Glen David Andrews
Walking Through Heaven’s Gate
Threadhead Records 2009
www.glendavidandrewsband.com

Recipe for an instant gospel celebration? Find a church, invite a brassy Dixieland jazz band with a shouting lead singer in to perform from the weathered hymnbook, ask the choir to provide the background vocals, gather the congregation and voila! Gospel Celebration.

That’s exactly what Walking Through Heaven’s Gate captures. Recorded live at the Zion Hill Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana last November, the album is by the Glen David Andrews Band, a well-known NOLA old-style jazz combo that features Andrews on trumpet and vocals. After an introductory prayer by Rev. Joshua, the group renders spirituals and traditional hymns with non-stop joyous swagger and a bold backbeat. Andrews’ vocals are somewhere between Clarence Fountain and Louis Armstrong, and a duet with Donice Wharton on the ten-minute “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” crackles with electricity.

The trumpet and trombone players deliver thick and explosive harmonies reminiscent of the sanctified sound of the fabled United House of Prayer Brass Band. Andrews in particular plays the trumpet with a muscular sweetness as if heralding Jesus' coming down Rampart Street.

The title track is the sole original composition on the project. Andrews jokes that he wanted to get the song on the charts alongside Kirk Franklin, and then proves his point by launching into this mid-tempo piece that feels more like the ensemble is skipping and jumping, rather than walking, through Heaven’s Gate.

Other featured artists include Paul Sanchez, John Boutte and Trombone Shorty.

Unlike some live projects, Walking Through Heaven’s Gate makes you feel as if you are present in the church for the taping. Despite the sassy playing and singing, the whole affair has an aura of prayerful humility, a friendly family gathering where everyone is welcome for the program and the meal afterwards.

Walking Through Heaven’s Gate is an aural tribute to the unshakable spirit of New Orleans. It demonstrates the interplay between traditional jazz and sacred hymnody that formed the basis of the modern gospel movement when the sacred and secular shook hands some eighty-five years ago and shared their musical secrets.

Five of Five Stars

"Rain On Us" - Earnest Pugh

“Rain On Us”
Earnest Pugh
From the Black Smoke Music Worldwide CD
Earnest Pugh Live: Rain On Us (street date: July 28, 2009)
www.earnestpugh.com

Fire and rain figure prominently in the Bible and in gospel music as elements of cleansing and empowerment. On the meditative praise and worship song/prayer “Rain on Us,” Earnest Pugh pleas for God to send the rain to wash over the hardships and troubles encountered in this economy.

The heartbeat-pace and dramatic buildup of “Rain on Us” are reminiscent of GMWA Women of Worship’s modern classic “Order My Steps.” The call-and-response between Pugh and the choir is equally passionate. The single is from Pugh’s new live CD, recorded last year in the Nation’s Capitol and featuring Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Richard Smallwood.

Pugh serves as Director of Praise & Worship at Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland, under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Dr. Grainger Browning, Jr. and Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Browning. The head of Ebenezer AME’s music department is none other than fellow gospel artist Minister Byron Cage.

How Sweet the Sound: The Documentary - May 31 on BET

You’ve heard the hype; now on May 31 you can experience it for yourself as How Sweet the Sound premieres on BET at 11 AM EST/PST.

Presented by @radical.media and directed by acclaimed team Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Brother’s Keeper), How Sweet the Sound is a one-hour television documentary event that chronicles the road to Verizon Wireless’ “How Sweet the Sound” 2008 national choir competition to find the “Best Church Choir in America.”

The film tells the story of talented Gospel choirs from coast to coast competing in Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound - a series of regional competitions, in major U.S. cities - all culminating in a roof-raising, powerhouse grand finale competition in Atlanta, Georgia. How Sweet the Sound gives viewers intimate access to these dedicated performers – on their tour bus, in their living room, or in the chapel of their hometown church – uncovering the stories and personal journeys to create unique portraits of these individuals and their groups.

Tune in to How Sweet the Sound this Sunday to see what all the buzz is about and don’t miss your chance to register for this year’s Verizon Wireless’ “How Sweet the Sound” choir competition. Registration is now open.

Visit www.howsweetthesound.com to find out details on the competition, submit entry videos, and learn more about ways to become a part of the excitement this year.

Beyond the Walls - Alpha 7 Ministries

Alpha 7 Ministries
Beyond the Walls
Alpha 7 Ministries 2008
www.alpha7ministries.com

Ministers Randall and DeBorrah K. Ogans’ Alpha 7 Ministries imprint out of Fairfield, California introduced the world to Brenda Lowe and her marvelous rendition of “Somebody Somewhere,” covered in 2008 by V.O.W. Artists Debra Henderson (“Clap Your Hands”) and the Sons of the Soul Revivers quartet are also part of the Alpha 7 Ministries roster.

Beyond the Walls is an acknowledged departure for the label. It is a Christian/Gospel smooth jazz instrumental release designed, explains Min. Randall, to “reach beyond the physical, emotional and spiritual walls.” Derrick Hall is the chief minstrel, playing keyboards, drums and lead guitar in collaboration with a combo of Bay Area musicians that includes Juan Escavedo who, like his sister, Sheila E, is a talented percussionist.

The CD is brief – seven tracks and about 29 minutes long. The musicians play crisply and deftly; if they aren’t already session musicians, they should be. The music is relaxing, although “War,” with its slamming bass line courtesy of Eric Gillette, is more caffeinated than the other six tracks. Song titles such as “Jesus Is Coming Soon” and “Balm in Gilead” telegraph that this is an inspirational project.

On the other hand, I never would have known from simply listening to Beyond the Walls that this was an inspirational or Christian/Gospel jazz CD. The melodies are not based on any recognizable hymn or gospel tune, there are no vocals/lyrics, nor any patently obvious gospel instrumentation such as a warbling Hammond B3. It is music you might hear while at the bank or the grocery store, while watching the Weather Channel, hearing between news stories on NPR, or really anywhere.

So here’s a question for debate, particularly as gospel jazz instrumentalists such as Ben Tankard and Jeff Majors continue to gain in popularity. Absent sacred lyrics, familiar church tunes or churchy instrumentation, what makes jazz, such as is demonstrated on Beyond the Walls, distinctly inspirational?

One might agree with Min. Randall that Beyond the Walls “speak[s] in a universal language a message that can change the course of a listener’s day, or life.” Certainly the project has this potential. But does that mean that jazz pieces not marketed explicitly as “inspirational” can also “change the course of a listener’s day, or life?” Can the work of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Paul Chambers, Ben Webster and others be just as inspirational? The answer to that is clearly yes. Kind of Blue and Beyond the Walls are inspirational, according to this argument. The difference is delineated by marketing departments, not by artistic merit.

Truthfully, all music, particularly instrumental music, which allows one's imagination to fill in the blanks left open by the dearth of lyrical content, has the potential to inspire. Let me stop here, as this is a rhetorical discussion that could go on forever without resolution. In the end, whether projects like Beyond the Walls inspire, dear listener, is really up to you to decide.

Two of Five Stars

TBGB Pick of the Week: May 25, 2009

“You Oughta Help”
Malcolm Williams & Great Faith
From the Malcolm James Music CD In Your Glory (Summer 2009 release)
http://www.malcolmwilliams.com/

“Anybody still like traditional music?” asks Chicago’s Malcolm Williams rhetorically.

Not waiting for an answer – he knows what it is – Williams lifts his voice and his directing hands, and together with Great Faith he launches into "You Oughta Help," a pulse-raising neo-traditional “choirtet” handclapper with a kicking backbeat.

Williams and choir engage in effective call and response on this crowd-pleasing first single from Williams' forthcoming CD In Your Glory. They sing:

"Come on and clap your hands (clap your hands)/Stomp your feet (stomp your feet);
Come on and rock (side to side)/Bend your knees (bend your knees)."

Comparisons to another young Chicagoan with an old-school touch, namely Ricky Dillard, are not out of order.

Choir director and youth minister Williams is no one-hit wonder. He was nominated for a Stellar in 2007 for Choir of the Year on the heels of the success of Walking in My Destiny, his third full-length release and the first for Shawn Tate’s Univocal imprint. One of the tracks on that album, “My Everything,” was performed by the GMWA Mass Choir and featured on the 2005 GMWA - Milwaukee compilation. "You Oughta Help" is very much in the same vein as "My Everything": just plain soul-stirring, old-fashioned enjoyable gospel music.

All of the Glory - Eddie Reddic

Eddie Reddic
All of the Glory
Reddic Records 2006
www.eddiereddiconline.com

In 2006, sacred singer-songwriter-musician-recording engineer Pastor Eddie Reddic followed up his 2003 debut album He Accepted Me with the sophomore release All of the Glory.

A longer and more robust project, All of the Glory showcases Reddic’s musicianship and sharpened songwriting skills. For example, on He Accepted Me, the standout tracks are performances of timeless hymns and gospels, but here the melodies and arrangements of his original works are also worth mentioning. The lyrics brim with Bible references and the melodies and arrangements are jazzy and bright.

Check out “He’s Faithful,” with its groovy beat and catchy chorus, and “That’s What He Is To Me,” a simple gospel melody with pop accompaniment. “Lily in the Valley” combines the effervescence of a congregational sing-along with the cool swagger of a quartet arrangement. “Paradise” uses an appropriately Caribbean-flavored backdrop to declare that even a beautiful island paradise is no match for the wonders of Heaven. A song about a soul-stirring Sanctified worship experience is given an up-tempo treatment on “My Soul Says Yes.”

As on He Accepted Me, the professional background vocalists support Reddic on All of the Glory with funky energy and bounce.

Taken together, He Accepted Me and All of the Glory suggest that Reddic’s true sweet spot is musicianship. All of the Glory includes two examples: a fusion instrumental version called “Couldn’t Keep It To Myself,” and “Guitarmony,” perfect radio bed music that features fiery guitar riffs.

Pastor Reddic hails from Houston, Texas, a city that has more than its share of gospel superstars, including Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, James Fortune & FIYA and Israel Houghton.

Three of Five Stars

Rev. Timothy Wright Autobiography Available

Rev. Timothy Wright completed his autobiography, Who's Really on the Lord's Side: Four Decades of Gospel Music Ministry in 2008, but the tragic July 2008 automobile accident that took the lives of his wife and grandson left the work's formal launch on the backburner.

Making matters worse, Wright's own injuries were so severe that despite all efforts toward recovery, the man known as "The Godfather of Gospel" succumbed earlier this year.

The book, published by Welstar Publications, is finally available for sale. I have not had a chance to read it cover to cover, but a quick review suggests that it will be an interesting and insightful read. It's a mixture of stories of the gospel highway as well as Wright's own personal philosophy of life. The appendix includes a discography of Wright-penned songs as sung by other artists as well as Wright's own recorded output.

Although posthumous and therefore bittersweet, Who's Really on the Lord's Side preserves Rev. Wright's legacy and history for all time.

Copies are available for sale from Zadella "Mama" Curtis: (773) 814-5673. Tell her The Black Gospel Blog sent you!

"Awesome God" - The Brown Sisters

“Awesome God”
The Brown Sisters
From their forthcoming Kingdom Records CD
The Brown Sisters – Live In Chicago (in stores June 30, 2009)
www.kingdomrecordsinc.com

Hallelujah!

The Brown Sisters of Chicago have appeared on television, performed around the country and internationally, and are among the city’s beloved musical treasures. DeLois Barrett Campbell calls them “sweethearts,” and they certainly are. Despite their many accolades, the Brown Sisters have yet to release a commercially available recording, but the wait is over. The Brown Sisters – Live in Chicago, will be in stores by the end of June 2009.

“Awesome God,” the first single from the album, is a blending of the Brown Sisters’ rich harmonies and expressive vocals with the praise and worship style for which Kingdom Records is so well known. Look to hear much more from this dazzling group.

"When Your Life Was Low" - Men of Standard

“When Your Life Was Low”
Men of Standard
From the Muscle Shoals Sound Gospel CD
Men of Standard Greatest Hits (in stores June 2, 2009)
www.malaco.com

Gospel quartet Men of Standard takes Joe Sample’s “When Your Life Was Low” to a higher plane.

Oozing with melancholy, Sample's composition is about being a long-forgotten rung on a loved one’s latter to success. In Men of Standard’s hands, however, the lyrics serve as a gentle but firm rejoinder to backsliders. To those who love Jesus only when they are down and out but forget him when things get better, the quartet points out that “the world will change again."

As on Sample’s 1999 version of his composition (a marvelous recording featuring vocalist Lalah Hathaway), a low-key, lonely saxophone riffs blue in the background.

On the full-length album, Men of Standard blends “When Your Life Was Low” with Andrae Crouch’s “Always Remember." “Always Remember” endorses the moral of “When Your Life Was Low,” but in the hushed solemnity of an altar call. Both are new tracks on the quartet's greatest hits compilation, due out June 2.

Evolution - James Bignon & Deliverance

James Bignon & Deliverance
Evolution: If I Hold Out My Change Will Come
Omni Global Music Network 2009
www.jamesbignon.com

The Georgia Mass Choir under James Bignon’s direction was a human wall of sound. It’s no surprise, therefore, that on his new CD, Evolution: If I Hold Out My Change Will Come, Bignon showcases the expertise of another full-throated mass choir, Deliverance Mass Choir. In fact, Deliverance’s role is so significant that to suggest this is a solo album and not a solo/choral effort would be misleading.

In other words, Bignon’s sweet spot is choral performance, and Evolution ladles out generous helpings of dynamic ensemble singing.

A reminder of Bignon’s Georgia Mass days is “Wonderful Jesus,” an energetic pew rouster featuring powerful lead singing by Lavoria Reese and a marvelous antiphonal vamp at the conclusion.

Bignon’s cover of James Cleveland and the Angelic Choir’s classic 1963 live version of “Peace Be Still” is spot-on. It is so close to the original that if the members of Bignon’s audience shouted at the same time that Cleveland’s audience members did in September 1963, one could only tell the recordings apart by their sound fidelity.

Part of the similarity has to do with Bignon’s singing voice. Like Cleveland, it is husky and intense, although Bignon is a tougher shouter than Cleveland ever was. Cleveland experienced microbursts of shouting that seemed to explode from the depths of his soul, while Bignon can shout a song from beginning to end like a veteran quartet lead.

On the other hand, Bignon’s intimate solo performance of the popular “I Surrender All” is superior to the choral version included here because the simple musical accompaniment, led by piano, gives him more space in which to improvise on the vocal line. “More of You” is another lovely and passionately delivered gospel ballad on the album.

The majority of Evolution keeps to a traditional gospel groove, but the bonus track, “He is God,” is the musical “evolution,” featuring Bignon’s sons Chris and James in a contemporary choir arrangement with enough RnB swagger and vocoder effects to satisfy younger gospel enthusiasts.

Four of Five Stars

Gospel Legend Smith’s Homegoing: Old-School Chicago Style

Yesterday evening, Chicago’s gospel legends came out in full force to send their friend and colleague Eugene Smith home on the wings of a dove.

Smith, a member (and later manager) of the Roberta Martin Singers from its inception as the Martin & Frye Quartette in 1933 to Miss Martin’s passing in 1969, died May 9 in his Chicago home. He was 88.

The first part of Smith’s homegoing service was held Monday evening, May 18 at the city’s famed Christian Tabernacle Church, founded in 1960 by Smith’s godson Rev. Maceo Woods. Rev. Woods served as chief celebrant over a musical and spoken word tribute that featured Smith’s contemporaries as well as younger gospel artists.

Among the Chicago gospel legends who paid their respects in song included Sis. Vernon Oliver Price. The COGIC singer set the bar high from the start by leveling the audience with her powerful, old-school gospel delivery. Rev. Stanley Keeble asked his Fellowship M.B. Church colleague LouDella Evans Reid to direct the Christian Tabernacle Choir as accompaniment to his rendition of “It is Well with My Soul.” LouDella threw herself body and soul into the direction, and her energy was matched only by the choir’s full-throated version of the song that likely loosened up a few bolts in the church’s ceiling.

Rev. Isaac Whittmon gave a fiery performance and former Lux Singer Bertha Melson sang her trademark “One Day at a Time” from the church pew. Chicago Gospel Fest organizer Pam Morris and organist/historian Nash Shaffer individually delivered acknowledgements of Smith’s musical achievements and significance, sharing personal stories about the man they called friend.

When the Barrett Sisters appeared, at least for the moment, the evening belonged to them. Despite DeLois’ acknowledgement of hoarseness, the group's close harmonies sounded as sweet as always in their musical tribute to Eugene. DeLois, one of the first females to join the Roberta Martin Singers, shared lovingly humorous anecdotes about Eugene, noting that the two had been friends for more than 60 years.

Later, Ron Barrett tore the roof full off with his passionate and muscular rendering of Smith’s 1941 gospel blues, “I Know the Lord Will Make a Way, Oh Yes He Will.” DeAndre Patterson’s contribution of “I’ll Fly Away” awed audience and choir members alike, but when he continued to sing from the loft at the side of the church, it was evident why Smith considered Patterson one of his favorite singers. Patterson, with his diminutive, wiry frame, kinetic energy and ferocious voice, must have reminded Smith of a younger version of himself. In any event, at least one observer swore he was hearing and seeing Eugene Smith, vintage 1950s, in the guise of Patterson.

An especially poignant moment was when Roberta Martin Singer Romance Watson shared his regret at not having spoken with Smith in a while. Himself now an octogenarian, Watson could still render a number in a deep resonant baritone, then leap to falsetto for full effect. The Christian Tabernacle Choir, with longtime member and top soprano Doris Sykes, closed out what was, without a doubt, the most fitting homegoing for Eugene Smith, among the last of his generation.

Other music notables present for the service included Bishop Otto Houston (pastor, First Church of Deliverance), Shirley Wahls and Lorenza Brown Porter (Argo Singers), gospel historian Prof. J. Stanley Davis, gospel announcer Prof. Reginald Miles and master producer Bobby Wooten.

Aaron Cohen of Downbeat Magazine was also present, and Bernard and Joseph Middleton made the trek from Houston to pay their respects. Members of Smith's family, including his sister Mrs. Scottise Saunders, and Roberta Martin's nephew Tony Harrison and his family were present. Vintage Roberta Martin Singers photos adorned the altar.

The funeral service, burial and repast took place today, Tuesday, at Christian Tabernacle, with Pastor Joseph Jackson of Mt. Pisgah B.C. delivering the eulogy.

Rest peacefully, Eugene Smith. You sent up your timber for nearly 90 years, and now your heavenly home awaits.

Photo from funeral program: Eugene Smith, far left.

TBGB Pick of the Week: May 18, 2009

“Wonderful”
Coco McMillan
From the T Records CD I’ve Been Delivered (release scheduled for July 17, 2009).
www.trecords.net

I first heard Coco McMillan when she appeared at GMWA in 2007 to promote her single, “Stand With Me.” The North Carolina native is a stylish, bright and vibrant contemporary gospel singer with a hip-cool presence, honed from work alongside artists such as Aaliyah, Miki Howard and Gerald Levert. Earlier this month, she wowed the crowd once again, this time at the Gospel Complex for Education and Preservation annual conference, held in Ft. Lauderdale.

“Wonderful,” the bouncy praise and worship single from her upcoming gospel solo debut CD I’ve Been Delivered, is the musical representation of her artist persona. Its up-beat praise message and uplifting beat are also ideal for summertime listening, which is when the album will hit the streets.

Eddie Reddic - He Accepted Me

Eddie Reddic
He Accepted Me
Reddic Records 2003
www.eddiereddiconline.com

Houston, Texas native Pastor Eddie Reddic plays most of the positions on his debut album, He Accepted Me. He sings, plays guitar, bass, organ and keyboards, and writes and arranges. He co-produced the album with Haniel Trisna and released it on his own record label, Reddic Records. Handling the remainder of the duties for the project are a small but mighty band of singers and musicians, including drummer Marek Brown and keyboardist Reginald Boudreaux.

Reddic delivers his songs in a smooth, pleasant, jazz-inspired manner, and the musicians follow suit, but the pastor is also capable of shouting when the spirit is high, such as on the few traditional pieces that highlight the album. One is a bluesy version of the early gospel hymn, “Shine On Me.” Another is “The Lord Will Make a Way” (aka, “The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow”), which features attention-getting lead vocal sharing between Reddic, Annie M. McCullough and Henry Wilmore.

Of Reddic’s own compositions, the title track is the standout. It’s a mid-tempo, easy swinging piece with a singable hook of a chorus, effective lyrics and confident background vocals from Ebony Cain and Paula Daniel.

Both “He Accepted Me” and “The Lord Will Make a Way” are obvious favorites of Reddic and his audience, as he showcased these songs at the August 2007 “Bound for a Blessing” concert at the Strand Theater in Shreveport, Louisiana.

As Reddic continues to hone his songwriting skills and pens more songs like “He Accepted Me,” he is bound to make a bigger impact on the gospel music industry.

Reddic has been Pastor of Williams Chapel Church of the Living God, P.G.T. for more than eighteen years and has made a television appearance on "The Bobby Jones Show."

Three of Five Stars

Athlete, Musician Wayman Tisdale Dead at 44

National Basketball Association star, three-time All-American at the University of Oklahoma and jazz musician Wayman Tisdale died in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma today, Friday, May 15. Tisdale was 44.

The 6 foot-9 inch hoopster played for Indiana, Sacramento and Phoenix, and earned a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team.

Tisdale also made a career as a popular smooth jazz bass guitarist. Among his eight-CD musical legacy is a gospel/sacred album he recorded in 2003, called Wayman Tisdale Presents 21 Days.

Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

Break Through - True Believers (Malaco 2008)

True Believers
Break Through
Malaco Records 2008
www.malaco.com

Here’s another young quartet with an old soul.

Earlier in the decade, McComb, Mississippi’s True Believers recorded for the Blackberry label under the guidance of the Williams Brothers, then signed with Malaco, releasing their first project for the imprint in 2007. The group unveiled Break Through, its second Malaco project, in the winter of 2008.

While the first few songs on Break Through are fairly standard quartet fare, when the group charges into “Here Comes your Breakthrough” (track five), it’s as if someone pushed the Turbo button. From here to the end of the CD, True Believers packs punch after punch of muscular traditional gospel quartet singing with just enough contemporary flavor to broaden its appeal.

“Here Comes Your Breakthrough” is a supercharged, high-energy quartet performance and a song destined to become the group’s signature. Other “drive” songs on the CD include the kick-beat, hip-slapping “I Know (Somebody Touched Me)” and “When I Rise.” The quartet gets bluesy on a variation of a quartet favorite, “Get Right Church,” known here by the title “Jesus is Coming.”

Break Through closes with the classic hymn “At the Cross,” which features high harmonies a la the Violinaires. The lead singer embroiders the song with Sam Cooke-style yodels, which sound good but make even more sense as the group moves into Cooke’s Soul Stirrers outing, “Build a Fence Around Me.” It's an appropriate conclusion to a project that, like the Stirrers of Cooke's era, combines youthful energy with timeless male quartet harmony.

Four of Five Stars

TBGB Pick of the Week: May 12, 2009

“Till the Morning Comes”
Sylvester Burks
C&W Records 2009
www.C-N-WRecords.com

Talk about a crossroads.

As an eighteen year-old, Sylvester Burks had to choose between a request from Rev. James Cleveland to go on tour or finish his studies. At his mother’s request, Burks obediently chose the books, but the poignant “Till the Morning Comes,” arranged and produced by Burks, demonstrates that if you have the talent, music will find you, no matter what.

Ironically, the cry in Derick Hughes' voice is reminiscent of James Cleveland. Ashling Cole delivers a marvelous second lead on this song of encouragement and hope in the darkest hours. Here, Jesus is depicted as a loving parent, “a light till the morning comes.” Passionately delivered and heartfelt.

While the mainstream gospel music audience may not know Sylvester Burks, ask top gospel musicians and singers such as Tramaine Hawkins, Yolanda Adams, and Donnie McClurkin, and they’ll know him because they have worked with him. Burks also teaches keyboards, provides music for a whole circuit of churches in the Bay Area, and is finishing the full-length album on which this single will be included.

Burks is a recording artist for Herman Williams, Jr.’s C&W Records imprint, founded in 2007 in Memphis, TN.

Everybody Dance - James Roberson (JDI Records 2009)

Everybody Dance!
James Roberson
JDI Records 2009
www.myspace.com/jamesrobersonjdi

In the liner notes for his debut solo album Everybody Dance!, JDI Records chief Professor James Roberson explains that making this CD was on his mind and in his heart for seven years. After producing successful albums on Norman Hutchins, Beverly Crawford and DeNetria Champ, it was finally Roberson's turn up to bat. It was worth the wait, too, as he hits it out of the park.

Everybody Dance! runs the gamut of traditional to club-ready performances, and comes off sounding more like a greatest hits album than a debut CD. It helps that the songs come from the creative minds of top gospel composers such as Malcolm Speed, Carnell Murrell, Percy Bady and BeBe Winans. It's also a plus that Roberson himself is a Grammy-nominated producer. In this case, the shoemaker's children wear Manolo Blahniks.

The current hit single, “Everybody Dance,” is an electrifying, club-style recording with a pumping beat. “It’s all right to dance when you’re dancing for the Lord,” sings Roberson and the choir. Roberson interjects, “You didn’t know gospel music could be this fun? If you didn’t know, now you know.” It's clearly the motto of this project.

As if to strengthen his argument, Roberson gives the Tommies’ “Holy Ghost” a quartet treatment. Similarly, the classic quartet piece “Trouble in My Way” features a multi-tracked Roberson harmonizing with himself. Tisa Willis offers a stunning female vocal lead on "Revive Us."

The most compelling piece is the simplest. "I’m His Child" showcases Roberson singing accompanied by John Fluker on piano. It’s a traditional-sounding gospel song delivered with verve and individuality one hears at a church musical.

The ten-track project could have benefitted from three or four more songs, since “Jesus In Me” is a brief reprise of “The Jesus In Me Loves the Jesus in You,” and “Everybody Dance” is on here twice: once in its original mix form and again as a remix. Nevertheless, there’s hardly a valley in this project full of musical peaks.

Speaking of JDI Records, the company recently reported that in April, Beverly Crawford’s “He’s Done Enough” was named “one of the five most performed songs on Christian radio & television” by BMI.

Five of Five Stars

Legendary Gospel Singer Eugene Smith Dead at 88

TBGB learned today from both Joseph Middleton and David Jones that Eugene Smith of the Roberta Martin Singers died today, May 9, at his home in Chicago.

The senior living apartments where Smith was a resident confirmed his passing. They found his body in his apartment this morning.

Eugene Smith just recently celebrated his 88th birthday; "Gospel Memories" dedicated its April 6 program to him.

Smith was a charter member of the Roberta Martin Singers, joining in 1933 when it was known as the Martin & Frye Quartette. He became the group's manager when Martin decided to leave the road and concentrate on her publishing business.

I had the great pleasure to have known Smith these past few years and considered him a friend. He was one of the last of the living gospel pioneers. We were planning to go out to Burr Oak this Memorial Day weekend to visit Roberta's grave and tidy it up a bit. It was a trip Eugene made many a Memorial Day to pay tribute to the woman who was so much a part of his life.

What Eugene once said about Roberta I want to paraphrase about Eugene: "There never has been, and never will be, another Eugene Smith. Uh-uh. No sir."

Here is an article from the New York Times. Scholar and author Anthony Heilbut, a friend of Smith's for 50 years, is quoted in this piece.

The Chicago Tribune's Sara Olkon contributes this remembrance: Eugene Smith.

Visit Joseph Middleton's tribute to Eugene on YouTube.


This Saturday morning's "Gospel Memories" program will pay tribute to Eugene Smith, the celebrated singer, manager and announcer for the Roberta Martin Singers.

Here are the homegoing details, courtesy of President Dennis Cole of the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild:

ORDER OF SERVICE:

VISITATION & CELEBRATION
Monday, May 18, 2009
6pm-10pm

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
HOME GOING SERVICE
10am-11am Visitation
11:00 Service

All services will be held at:

CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE CHURCH
4712 South Prairie Avenue
Chicago, IL
Pastor Maceo L. Woods, Officiating

Pastor Joseph Jackson
of Mount Pisgah Church
Will Deliver Eulogy

Please join me in remembering this special man and praying for those whom he touched so deeply over the years with his singing, his personality and his abiding faith.

Photo: Eugene Smith in front of Ebenezer M.B. Church, where he met Roberta Martin in 1933 and became a member of the church's Junior Choir the same year.

Dallas Gospel Announcer Bagby Dead at 70

From Monika Diaz of WFAA-TV and Texas Cable News:

DALLAS - Thousands of listeners, who tune in every morning to get their daily dose of inspiration and spirituality from a popular radio voice, discovered this morning that he was gone.

Gospel legend, Joe Bagby, the man known as the spiritual heartbeat of Dallas' black churches, died Friday morning, May 8, 2009.

Read more at: Joe Bagby

Photo Credit: Texas Cable News

"Close to You" - BeBe and CeCe Winans

“Close to You”
BeBe & Cece Winans
Malaco/B & C Records 2009
www.myspace.com/bebeandcecewinans

Not to be confused with the Carpenters’ 1970s hit of the same name, this “Close to You” is a sweet, melodic gospel-pop ballad from the pen of BeBe Winans.

BeBe and CeCe trade leads with ease, and harmonize as only longtime singing siblings can. Their individual popularity, and the fact that they haven’t sung together on record for fifteen years, will propel this single up the charts.

“Close to You,” the first single from the brother and sister’s forthcoming project, is as much a love song to Jesus as it is a love song between two people. Engaged couples seeking a gospel song for the wedding will want to invite this single to their service.

Holy Boy - Out of Time

Holy Boy
Out of Time
Next Era Music Group/Universal Music Christian Group 2009
www.nexteramusic.com

An artist who not only sings about going to church but is so enthusiastic he “can’t wait to get to church” has most definitely earned the title “Holy Boy.”

On the upbeat “Church Tonight” from his debut CD Out of Time, Herbert Woods (aka Holy Boy or HB) sings with relish about the joys of the church experience. Not surprisingly, all of his songs reflect this inner delight. On the album, RnB and hip hop-inspired polyrhythmic songs share space with pop-like melodies, though there is one exception that we’ll talk about later.

The opener, “Where the Praizers At,” engages the audience right from the start with its bold, in-your-face rhythmic intensity. It even includes a litany of major cities “where the praizers at.” “Whoa Whoa” has a similarly catchy hook guaranteed to get an audience singing along. "Happy” possesses a bubbly pop-like sound that matches its lyrical content.

Some of Holy Boy’s songs are more atmospheric, such as his cover of popular singer-songwriter Carnell Murrell’s “God Chaser,” and Woods’ own “We Need You Now.” The latter is a praise and worship-flavored call for the Lord’s help to guide schools, homes, employers and even the White House during this challenging time. Holy Boy wrote all of the songs but one: Murrell’s “God Chasers.” Like Murrell, Holy Boy is a featured songwriter on Vickie Mack Lataillade’s popular Lilly Mack Sing-A-Long Series.

While the aforementioned “Church Tonight” is the current single, the title track also has radio potential. Its memorable, sing along hook is overlaid with a smooth RnB feel.

Here’s the exception: the concluding piece and current video hit, “Hold On,” is the most quintessentially gospel of all the songs on Out of Time. This contemporary gospel ballad finds Holy Boy accompanying himself on piano, improvising vocally over the melody like a seasoned veteran of the gospel highway. This performance – showstoppingly effective in its simplicity – demonstrates that Holy Boy has the chops to maintain a presence in mainstream gospel music when the current musical trends are a thing of the past.

Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, Holy Boy also wrote and performed “Jada’s Song” for the upcoming motion picture Jada. Sounds like another triple threat is in the Lord’s house!

Four of Five Stars

NPR: Armen Boladian, Westbound Records & Sound of Gospel

Click on the link below to hear a seven and a half minute NPR "Fresh Air" feature on Detroit label owner Armen Boladian. Boladian started Westbound Records, where the Clark Sisters hit it big with their surprise club hit, "You Brought the Sunshine."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103775879

In addition to Westbound, Boladian also launched the Sound of Gospel imprint. His extended foray into gospel music is given a brief footnote in the story, and Sound of Gospel is not even mentioned by name, but it should have been. Many great artists, including the Clark Sisters, Mattie Moss Clark, Voices of Tabernacle, Jerry Q. Parries, Thomas Whitfield, the St. James Choir and others have had Sound of Gospel releases. And the label's Detroit Remembers retrospective collection? Off the hook.


To TBGB's ears, Sound of Gospel LPs are worth picking up even if you are unfamiliar with the artist, because the production quality is consistently top-notch.

Verity Gospel Music Group Makes Chart History

From a press release:

New York, NY – May 4, 2009- Verity Gospel Music Group is the first label in Gospel music history to hold the top four song positions on the R&R Gospel charts:

#1 - "Souled Out" (Hezekiah Walker & LFC)
#2 - "Back II Eden” (Donald Lawrence & Co)
#3 - "Praise Him In Advance" (Marvin Sapp)
#4 - "Peace & Favor Rest On Us" (Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers)

Jeff Grant, Vice President of Promotions at Verity Gospel Music Group, says: “It’s both exciting and humbling to be a part of history. This achievement speaks to the great artists and songs at Verity Gospel Music Group as well as the continued support of radio.”

The slots are held by a superfecta of top Gospel music artists. Christianity Today calls Hezekiah Walker & LFC “one of the most covered choral ensembles on Sunday mornings;" and describes Kurt Carr and The Kurt Carr Singers as "a pure example of high-octane contemporary Gospel.” Additionally, Billboard Magazine says Donald Lawrence is a producer who delivers songs “with complex ideas and in a feat of songwriting prowess, boils them into catchy lyrics," and Marvin Sapp creates music that is “designed to quench those looking for uplifting contemporary praise songs with traditional themes of worship.”

A division of Jive Label Group, Verity Gospel Music Group is comprised of Gospocentric Records; Kirk Franklin’s Fo-Yo Soul Entertainment; Quiet Water Entertainment; F. Hammond Music and New Life Records. Verity Gospel Music Group is based in New York.

The Supreme Angels - Reloaded (Malaco 2009)

The Supreme Angels
Reloaded
Malaco 2009
www.malaco.com

When legendary quartet leader Rev. Howard "Slim" Hunt of Slim and the Supreme Angels made his transition from labor to reward in 2007, the inevitable question was: what will happen to the Supreme Angels? Hunt was the heart and soul of a group that was active for more than a half-century.

Hunt solved that problem in advance by grooming his son, Quincy King, to be his vocal successor. On the quartet's latest project, the appropriately titled Reloaded, King -- nicknamed Slim, Jr. -- is in the mix along with stalwart members Robert "Sugar" Hightower (remember him as the sassy-confident child lead of the Hightower Brothers?), Maurice Robinson and Michael Kimpson.

King gives the Supreme Angels a more youthful vocal sound, and the retro soul seventies feel the musicians cultivate throughout Reloaded is, if not timeless, still very much in vogue. The songs (save one) are new but lyrically they traverse quartet holy ground: shelter in a time of storm, thanksgiving for blessings, holding on against all odds, surviving in a tough world with lots of questionable choices, Mother, and the need for spiritual healing.

The CD opens and (almost) closes with quartet handclappers. "Wicked Land," a take on "My Lord's Gonna Move this Wicked Race;" and "What's the Matter with Jesus" are 100 percent pure Supreme Angels fare. "How Long" showcases superb lead vocals and a music riff reminiscent of English pub band Ace's opening salvo in its seventies hit of the same name, but it is not the same song. "Hold On and Never Give Up" is bouncy and bright Northern Soul. In the receeding seconds of "Your Touch is All We Need," the quartet beseeches the Lord to watch over and protect a litany of their quartet bretheren, such as the Canton Spirituals.

Listen for Sugar's biting guitar solo on "Don't Let the Devil Steal your Joy" and the Supreme Angels' performance of the reverential hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour," which closes out the project.

Slim Hunt may be gone, but his legacy lives on in the Supreme Angels.

Four of Five Stars

Congratulations to Dr. Zadella "Mama" Curtis!

A mover and shaker in the gospel music industry, and particularly in the quartet field, Zadella "Mama" Curtis of Chicago can now add "Doctorate" to her list of accomplishments.

This past February in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Curtis received a Doctorate in Christian Broadcast Communications from the Global Evangelical Christian Seminary.

Curtis is an advisory board member for the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA), public relations director for Meltone Records, and in 2005 was named Radio Promoter of the Year by the Gospel Announcers Guild - GMWA.

Dr. Curtis' daughter, Ms. T'Mil Curtis, is following in her mother's footsteps as a hard-working gospel music industry kingdom builder.

Congratulations, Dr. Curtis...how DO you do all that you do!

Essie Johnson-Lane, Chicago Chapter GMWA Rep, Dies

Dennis Cole informed TBGB and the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild that Essie Johnson-Lane, long-time Chicago Chapter Representative of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, has passed away.

Dennis says: "Please keep Essie's daughter, Faye (Wanda), Essie's twin sister Bessie and the entire family, along with our Chicago Chapter of officers and members in your daily prayers. We will notify you of pending arrangements as soon as they are available to us."

TBGB Editor Marovich to Present at Gospel Complex Conference

On Monday, May 4 from 1:30 to 4:45 p.m., TBGB editor Bob Marovich will join a panel of experts at the Gospel Complex for Education and Preservation Annual Conference to discuss "The Chicago School of Gospel." The program will be held at Nova Southeastern University in Davie/Fort Lauderdale, FL.

THE CHICAGO SCHOOL OF GOSPEL
The story of gospel music as it proliferated from the Chicago area through known and unknown personalities in the Gospel Music tradition. In the discussion, we will highlight the impact of the “noted hotbed churches” which gave birth, fostered and nurtured Gospel Music in its embryonic stages and through its controversial and often turbulent times.

The discussion will include the early church radio broadcasts which impacted church ministries and served as a forerunner to national radio and television broadcast ministries of today. We will also discuss the musical influences of the Churches of God in Christ on Gospel Music.

Attention will be given to the pioneering songwriters, composers, arrangers, publishers and musicians who all together developed and contributed to what scholars labeled the Chicago School of Gospel – thereby confirming and validating Chicago’s place as the undisputed “Mecca” of the Gospel Music tradition in America.

Panelists: Professor Reggie Miles, Professor L. Stanley Davis, Bob Marovich, Minister Mack Mason

For more information or to register, visit www.gospelcomplex.org and click on "Annual Conference." Hope to see you there!