TBGB Pick of the Week: November 30, 2009

“Greater”
Malcolm Williams and Great Faith
From the Malcolm James Music CD
In Your Glory (2009)
www.malcolmwilliams.com

Singer-songwriter Malcolm Williams – a young man with an old soul – does it Windy City style in this fast-paced choir-romp, complete with his trademark Holy Ghost-filled “Chicago Bump” reprise ("Chicago Bump III").

The singers are full-throated, the musicians are working overtime, the audience is fever-pitched and hands are clapping raw. Sounds like a Chicago gospel choir moment to me.

During the reprise, Williams quips about how various legendary gospel personages, including James Cleveland, Donald Lawrence, Father Hayes, and Dr. Mattie Moss Clark would react to the high energy. And how would Malcolm Williams respond? “I just fall out.”

"Forever Praise" - Kathy Taylor

“Forever Praise”
Kathy Taylor
From the Tyscot Records CD
Live: The Worship Experience (2009)
www.tyscot.com

If power singer Kathy Taylor’s churchy “Oh How Precious” blew your speakers across the room, “Forever Praise” will give your woofers and tweeters a rest.

"Forever Praise" is a mid-tempo praise and worship outing with a distinctive CCM flavor. It comes from the same live two-CD set as “Oh How Precious,” but it stresses Kathy’s smoother, calmer side. She does a fine job on the evenly-produced song, though the background vocalists do most of the heavy lifting. When Kathy begins evangelizing during the reprise, I’m reminded how much I prefer the “Oh How Precious” Kathy over the “Forever Praise” Kathy.

Second American Music Award for Mary Mary

From "Living in Black and White" - LIBAW.com

Record-breaking gospel-duo Mary Mary won the award for Favorite Artist in the Contemporary Inspirational category at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

This is the second American Music Award win for Mary Mary, who walked away with the Favorite Inspirational/Christian Contemporary Artist Award in 2005.

The American Music Award win helps to close a banner year for Mary Mary who in 2009 have already won a Grammy® Award, a Dove Award, an NAACP Image Award and a BET Award for their latest album, The Sound.

Read more at: Mary Mary

Trin-I-Tee 5:7 - Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas

Trin-I-Tee 5:7
Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas
Spirit Rising Music 2009
http://www.musicworldent.com/

The award-winning trio Trin-I-Tee 5:7 has delivered the best gospel Christmas project I’ve heard thus far this season.

Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas is a mix of live performances from the New Orleans group’s appearance on the Gospel Music Channel’s “Christmas at Union Station” program and studio tracks. The selections range from traditional carols such as “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World” to more recently-penned favorites "Mary Did You Know” and “Welcome to Our World.”

Trin-I-Tee (Chanelle Haynes, Angel Taylor and Adrian Anderson) caress the songs on Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas with their lovely voices while giving the arrangements a dose of their trademark rhythmic swagger. Label mate Brian Courtney Wilson, currently riding the gospel music charts, closes the album with a soulful “This Christmas.”

The lullaby-like “Welcome to Our World,” is the best recording on the album, but a close second – believe it or not – is Trin-I-Tee’s “Little Drummer Boy.” Here the vocal lines are nearly as percussive as the drummer, who in this variation provides a throbbing beat that out-performs every other Little Drummer Boy I've heard on record.

The album works because it has a friendly, easy-going, light bounce to it. Adrian explained in a press release, “Before Trin-I-Tee even went into the studio, we went back and studied classic albums and video clips of Christmas material that we considered timeless.” The ladies clearly did their homework, because that is exactly how the album sounds. The Bama Boyz, who produced the album, also helped tremendously by accentuating the vocals and keeping the talented musicians at a modest distance.

The five live performances from “Christmas at Union Station” are available for viewing, courtesy of the special companion DVD.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Welcome to Our World”

Brown Sisters' "Awesome God" on Billboard Top 15

Congratulations to Chicago's Brown Sisters!

Their single, "Awesome God," is #15 on the Billboard Top Gospel Songs chart for the week of December 5, 2009.

Ziyon - Simply Ziyon

Ziyon
Simply Ziyon
(private release) 2008
www.myspace.com/ziyonofhoustontexas

Ziyon is a female group (Renee’ Clemons, Mykeshia Wiley, Jometra Pinesette and Sheila Chaptmon) that formed in March 2008 in Houston, Texas, a city with a rich gospel heritage that seems to be getting richer with every passing year. Clemons, the group’s manager, was once a vocalist with Houston’s Gospel Spirituals and still serves as a gospel announcer. She can be heard every Sunday morning from 7 to 9 a.m. on KGOL 1180 AM.

The group’s full-length release, Simply Ziyon, is a mix of contemporary and traditional gospel, though the group is at its best on the traditional pieces, such as “Thank You,” “Making a Way,” “Never Let Go” and “Some Glad Morning” (aka “I’ll Fly Away”). “Thank You” and “Making a Way” in particular possess more than a touch of gospel blues and are given apt voicing by Renee’ Clemons’ rootsy-edgy voice. The combination of Clemons’ hard singing and the ladies’ balanced quartet harmonies turn just about any song into an old-school outing.

Their namesake track, “Ziyon,” is given an acapella reading that provides momentary space for individual members to solo. It’s a refreshing technique to hear on a new gospel project because it is a rarity in this era of heavy background instrumentation.

Lyrically, Ziyon’s songs tred hallowed quartet ground, with ample helpings of Bible-supported messages that encourage, support, testify and glorify.

Simply Ziyon concludes with Paul Porter’s quartet hand-clapper “He Never Fails Me,” one of the album’s finest moments. My guess is that during live programs, Ziyon uses “He Never Fails Me” as its “B” selection, pacing the stage in lively animation during the performance and marching off single-file afterwards, hands aloft in triumph.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Making a Way,” “He Never Fails Me.”

Frances Steadman - Ward Singer, Stars of Faith - Dies

TBGB learned from Anthony Heilbut, David Jones and Joseph Middleton that the great Frances Steadman, formerly a vocalist with the Mary Johnson Davis Singers, Ward Singers and Stars of Faith, died in Baltimore, Maryland on Thanksgiving, November 26, 2009. She was 94 years old.

Frances' recording career spanned from 1949 to 1993.

Our deepest sympathies go out to Frances' family, friends, loved ones and many fans.

Learn more about Frances Steadman here:
Frances Steadman - R.I.P.

"Gospel Memories" on Chicago's WLUW FM 88.7 will pay tribute to Frances by featuring recordings by the late, great singer during its Saturday morning, December 5 program, 10 - 11 a.m. Central Time. (www.gospelmemories.com)

The Rev. Thomas Brown recalls his remarkable life in music and ministry

Here's a marvelous and poignant story about Rev. Thomas Brown by Adam Taylor from www.delawareonline.com.

Rev. Brown worked with many gospel and pop artists in his career. The photo shows Rev. Brown (left) with Motown's Berry Gordy and Diana Ross.

Read more here: Rev. Thomas Brown.

Photo Credit: Delaware Online/Rev. Thomas Brown

Bishop Gregory M. Davis, Sr. - Let the Healing Begin III

Bishop Gregory M. Davis, Sr.
Let the Healing Begin III: My Change Has Come
Greg Davis Ministries International 2009
www.gregdavisministries.org

Let the Healing Begin III: My Change Has Come is the third installment of a compact disc series that intermixes singing and instrumentals with the spoken word message of Bishop Gregory M. Davis, Sr.

Although Bishop Davis is now based on the east coast, he is a native Detroiter. His grandfather, Rev. Ananias Davis, was pastor of Welcome Missionary Baptist Church on the city’s east side.

Fellow Detroiter Stephanie Pride, guest vocalist on Bishop Davis’ 2007 Today Is Your Day for a Miracle, plays a major role on this CD as producer, arranger, composer and singer. Pride duets with Ernest J. Lee on “I’m Blessed” and although she is not credited on “Let the Healing Begin,” her voice is strongest among the background vocalists, which include her sisters Myra and Leah Bennett. Pride channels her inner church wrecker on “I Trust In God,” a traditional-flavored composition by Rev. W.C. Martin that features a trusty B3 and bluesy piano. By the song's conclusion, organ and piano have moved lock-step into an instrumental reflection on the COGIC chant, “Yes, Lord."

Pride’s work on the delicate title track, a song that bears more than a passing resemblance to pop balladry, is the album’s finest selection. Another fine singer, Kelli Kinney-Brownlee, sweetly sings “Declaring My Future.” Kinney-Brownlee has been a background vocalist for Dorinda Clark-Cole, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Deitrick Haddon, among others.

Bishop Davis, part preacher and part motivational speaker, punctuates most of the songs with messages of encouragement and empowerment, persuading the blessed to look forward and upward. Sometimes he calls out the lyrics and the singers respond; other times his exhortations are extemporaneous. In addition, a good part of the CD intersperses songs with Bishop Davis' recitations of prayers from the book Courageous Confessions by Bishop Alvernia Johnson.

The musical soundtrack of Let the Healing Begin III: My Change Has Come is light and lithe in keeping with Bishop Davis’ messages of prosperity and healing. I must confess that although praying for health and happiness is part of my spirituality, praying for material wealth always makes me uneasy, but I sure do love to hear Stephanie Pride sing.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “My Change Has Come.”

"Celebrate" - Dr. Jeff Jacobs

“Celebrate”
Dr. Jeff Jacobs
From the Global Gospel CD He’s Just Alright (2009)

Songwriter, recording artist and music minister Dr. Jeff Jacobs of Baltimore is a veteran of the gospel music scene, having written his first song more than thirty years ago. Since then, his compositions have been performed by some of the country’s top professional choirs.

“Celebrate,” from Dr. Jacobs’ latest album, He’s Just Alright, is an upbeat and uncomplicated praise and worship choral piece that floats on a funky bass run. The album was released last summer but the single is timed for Christmas rotation. On the other hand, neither the lyrics nor the melody of “Celebrate” are holiday-specific and thus it is appropriate for play 365 days of the year.

Various Artists - Nuggets of the Golden Age of Gospel

Various Artists
Nuggets of the Golden Age of Gospel
JSP Records 2009
www.jsprecords.com

Hallelujah! 'Tis the season for new multi-CD vintage gospel music collections.

In addition to Mike McGonigal’s raw and earthy Fire in My Bones, we now have Nuggets of the Golden Age of Gospel. Nuggets is a 4-CD, 105 track collection of gospel music that spans 1945-1958, the time period known as gospel music’s Golden Age.

Compiled and annotated by gospel music historian Opal Louis Nations, who does his typically fine job on the liner notes, the collection is a cornucopia of musical delights.

First, all the artists on this collection are stone singers. From the Violinaires’ ethereal “Another Soldier Gone” to the Zion Travelers’ Billy Watkins crooning like Lee Andrews on “Where is My Wandering Child” to Tony Harris leading the Traveling Four on the breathtaking “All on the Altar,” it's clear that if the devil had all the good rhythms, God had claim on the great singers.

There are far too many highlights to enumerate here, but some of the most notable singles in the collection include the Canaanites' 1949 “Lead Me to that Rock,” featuring the superhuman falsetto of Joe Van Loan, one of the finest male tenors of the 1940s and 1950s. “Angel,” the Pilgrim Jubilee Singers’ obscure 1954 side for Chicago’s N.B.C. label, helps us understand Cleave and Clay Graham's claim that Elgie Graham, who sings on "Angel," was the Jubes' finest vocalist.

Big-voiced, glass-shattering female singers are represented by classic artists such as Willie Mae Ford Smith, Madame Ernestine Washington and Emily Bram-Bibby. Chicago’s Lorenza Brown Porter and the Argo Singers tear up the grooves on “He’s Alright With Me,” the flip of their 1956 hit “Near the Cross.” In fact, Nuggets has a knack for introducing us to lesser-known but often superior efforts by the era’s popular gospel singers, groups and quartets. It also represents the first time many important records, such as the Gospel Clefs’ “Open Our Eyes,” are commercially available on CD.

Even the collector who has everything will find this box set worthwhile for its rare-as-hen’s-teeth selections, including Pastor Shirley Caesar’s earliest recording from 1951 when, as “Baby Shirley,” she sang with such cheek-pinching cuteness you knew she was going to grow up to be somebody. “Walking in Jesus’ Name,” a 1952 track by California’s Stewart Singers, introduces a young Sly Stone on lead, sounding nervous and dry-mouthed but earnest.

In fact, if there is any doubt that some of the most talented pop stars cut their musical teeth on gospel, a tour through this set will put that doubt to rest. Artists such as Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Little Johnny Taylor, Joe “Peanuts” Cook, Candi Staton, Napoleon “Nappy” Brown, Ann Cole, Johnnie Taylor, and so many others are here, singing first and foremost for the Lord.

Artists of high stature such as Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe share the set with lesser-known groups such as the Gospel Tones and the explosive Original Gospel Stars. If there’s any aspect of gospel music not well represented in the set, however, it is the gospel choir. This is in part because of the time frame covered, which predates by a couple of years the rise in popularity of the gospel choir as recording artist, but also because of the pervasive (and, to me, perplexing) disinterest in gospel choir music among collectors.

What I have always liked about the box sets on John Stedman’s JSP label is that they are affordable and accessible, enabling a wider audience to enjoy recordings that have been out of print for a long time. And his newest release, Nuggets of the Golden Age of Gospel, is a must-have for fans of gospel music as well as anyone who wants to explore the aural equivalent of an ultrasound for doo-wop, soul and rock-and-roll.

Five of Five Stars

Kim Burrell - From Emmanuel COGIC to Lincoln Center

Gospel singers have graced the stages of New York’s austere music halls since Mahalia Jackson first appeared at Carnegie Hall in 1950.

On Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12, gospel powerhouse Kim Burrell will continue the tradition by presenting "Kim Burrell - A Gospel Christmas," at New York's famed Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The program is part of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

TBGB caught up with Kim recently to ask about her career in gospel music thus far.

Kim grew up in Houston, Texas, a city that has produced more than its share of gospel artists. A lifelong member of the Church of God in Christ, Kim became a candidate for the youngest gospel singer in history when, at the age of one, she belted out her first church solo, Andrae Crouch’s “Hallelujah.”

Thirteen years later, Kim recorded with her home church, Greater Emmanuel COGIC in Houston, Texas, under the music leadership of Evangelist Myra Cormier-Banks.

“The Church of God in Christ is the denomination that I’ve been part of my entire life,” Kim said. “The spirit and the sound of the Church of God in Christ have happily influenced me, but the jazzy side of music has also been my interest.”

In fact, Kim’s earliest music inspirations were gospel superstars the Hawkins Family and Shirley Caesar, but also jazz great Herbie Hancock. “Being from the church, we weren’t raised to listen or indulge in any jazz music,” Kim explained, “but after becoming an adult and listening to Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Art Tatum, it became a part of the repertoire of music that I enjoy.”

Her family also played a role in the development of her singing style. “My parents are both musicians and they encouraged us to create our own sound. My brother Kevin would play piano, and my sisters Karen and Kathy and I would sit around the piano and write songs. Since our parents really didn’t allow us to listen to a lot of different music styles in our home, we just created among each other. And I sang the way I did to break up what I was used to hearing in the church, which was more of a traditional sound.”

Integrating gospel and jazz into her singing style has given Kim a chance to work with award-winning songster Harry Connick, Jr., as well as jazz musicians George Duke, Herbie Hancock and the iconic soul superstar Stevie Wonder, to name a few. “I’ve had so many great opportunities, including doing an inspirational song with Puff Daddy, R. Kelly and Missy Elliott. You couldn’t have told me back then, at fourteen, recording with my church, that my life would take this route.”

As a youth, Kim actually wanted to be a lawyer. “Singing just came naturally, because that’s what we did at home,” she said. “I never attached music or singing to any career.”

Kim still has a desire to re-enter the classroom, but these days she is entertaining the possibility of attending music school. She explained, “I was told there were 30 students at the Berklee School of Music in Boston who gather together every day to create their own class with just my recordings. They go song by song to practice what it is they hear me do.”

Her influence extends beyond music students. Many pop artists also credit Kim as having an impact on them, including fellow Houstonian Beyonce Knowles. As an eighteen year-old, Beyonce sought out Kim for advice on performing. “Beyonce’s an incredible artist,” Kim said. “It’s amazing to know that I’ve had any kind of influence on an artist like that. It’s very humbling.”

When Kim takes the stage for “A Gospel Christmas" next month, it will be her third time at Lincoln Center and second as a solo artist. The first time she appeared there was with Wynton Marsalis.

With a packed touring schedule and her latest CD, No Ways Tired, earning Grammy and Stellar Awards nominations, how is Kim Burrell feeling?

“Kim Burrell is happy, free and excited about the world of music and all of its possibilities…and living her dream.”

For more information on "Kim Burrell – A Gospel Christmas," visit Jazz at Lincoln Center's website.

TBGB Pick of the Week: November 23, 2009

“This Far”
Half Mile Home
From the forthcoming CD Change My Lyfe
(release date: February 2, 2010)
God Made Millionaires 2009

From gospel to urban (as After the Rain) and back again but hanging on to their street-cred names, the Northeast Ohio-based urban male gospel group Half Mile Home released the high-powered “This Far” in advance of its next full-length project, Change My Lyfe, due out in February.

Amidst shoulder-shaking, thumping, polyrhythmic grooves, Half Mile Home reminds us that stuff happens in life, like when “the devil crept all up in my family.” But, “you didn’t bring me this far to leave me,” and the group hangs tough, putting out the devil’s fire with every last ounce of their collective energies.

WLUW, home to "Gospel Memories," Nominated for Chicago Music Award

WLUW-FM, the home of "Gospel Memories," has been nominated for "BEST COLLEGE/PUBLIC RADIO STATION IN CHICAGO" for the 29th Annual Chicago Music Awards.

About the Chicago Music Awards:
"Chicago, once the Mecca for the music industry has always been a prime location for world-class entertainment. Theater, dance, film, music as well as some of the finest dining in the country; not to mention business and a flourishing economy are some of the things that make Chicago one of the best cities in the world. It is only fitting that an Awards ceremony to honor the more that 50,000 entertainers be established. Since its inception in 1982, the Chicago Music Awards (CMA) celebrates and recognizes the quality and diversity of our music and artistry. Each year the CMA pays tribute to the best and brightest among the Chicagoland entertainers.

Awards are presented in a variety of categories including Pop, R&B, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country Western, Opera, Latin, Reggae, Classical, Hip Hop/Rap, Gospel, Comedy and Poetry. Also, in the more recent Chicago Music Awards shows, a children’s segment was added."

"Gospel Memories" calls for all of its fans to vote for WLUW on the CMA website. Voting ends December 31st. The award ceremony will take place in Chicago on Sunday, January 24th, 2010.

VOTE HERE: http://www.martinsinterculture.com/index.php

Thanks to everyone for voting!

UK Launches First 24/7 Gospel Radio Station

Mr. Gary Hoogvliet, Director of Broadcasting at
United Christian Broadcasters Ltd (UCB), told TBGB:

"We just started the United Kingdom’s first 24/7 Gospel radio station...we are broadcasting on both the Internet and via satelite (Sky)."

Gary invites everyone to have a listen at http://www.ucbmedia.co.uk/.

First Annual UK Gospel Music Awards

From Singersroom.com:

Kirk Franklin, Kierra 'Kiki' Sheard, CeCe Winans, and Deitrick Haddon are among those nominated for the first annual UK Gospel Music Awards!

Set to take place December 5, the inaugural UK Gospel Music Awards will be held at London Hilton Metropole with special performances from Rachel Kerr, Commission, DTWG (Desire To Worship God) and Jayess.

According to organizers, voting is now open for those who would like to place a vote for their favorite artist.

Sean Simmonds, Lecrae, Da Truth, and Mary Mary join the aforementioned nominees in the UK Gospel Music Award category for Best International Artist.

For more information please visit gospelmusicawardsuk.org

Photo: Singersroom.com.

Alice "Al Mac Will" Williams - Stand Still

Alice "Al Mac Will" Williams
Stand Still
Thank You Entertainment 2009
www.AlMacWill.com

On her debut solo CD, Stand Still, Alice "Al Mac Will" Williams sounds like a musical love child of Dolly Parton and Otis Redding.

Not surprising. Stand Still introduces what Mac Will terms "urban country gospel," an intriguing blend of country-pop and soul-drenched gospel that musical luminary Stevie Wonder helped her name. Similar to Ray Charles' album-length musical experiments blending soul and country in the 1960s, Stand Still takes modern country-pop melodies and gives them a gospel expression. Think light pedal steel, acoustic guitars and mandolin fronted by belting soulful vocals.

Yet the current single, "Stand Still," does not give listeners the full urban country gospel experience because it leans on a heavy R&B beat. It's best to listen to the complete album to get Mac Will's drift. You will discover that for every R&B laden "Stand Still" and "Can You Hear Me Now," there are songs such as "Kind of Heart," "How Much Does it Cost," and "Hearts and Minds of a Man" that fall within the country category.

There is one all-out gospel track, however. "Altar" is a reworking of "Is Your All on the Altar." Mac Will infuses this song with appopriately traditional, flat-footed vocals, warbling organ and improvisational piano backing.

Mac Will wrote and arranged all the songs, demonstrating an impressive ear for radio-ready melodies. You could conclude that several of her compositions on Stand Still are more thematically kin to country than gospel because they focus on the complexities of human love relationships far more than any gospel album I've ever heard.

The album's diamond in the rough is "Let Me Be a Light." It is given a decent reading by Mac Will, but if put in the hands of a singer with the range and dexterity of a Smokie Norful or the introspetive croon of Kevin LeVar, it could become a crossover inspirational hit.

The album's closer, "Our Nation," is a tribute to what the U.S. could be rather than what it is today. It is "in a bad condition," Mac Will sings, because the people have "forgotten the golden rule." Interestingly, while this kind of social commentary was fuel for 1920s and 1930s country artists, the genre's shift from agrarian populism to suburban right-wing conservatism has all but muzzled this kind of editorializing. Ask the Dixie Chicks about that sometime.

So the big, hairy, audacious question: is urban country gospel the newest subgenre or will it remain Mac Will's own private musical calling card? Much will depend on the response Stand Still gets from the gospel audience and radio announcers. Personally, I think it will be hard for other artists to emulate Mac Will's formula because it seems ideally suited to her singing style and writing proclivities, so she should keep at it, and continue to hone her songwriting skills. She just might be able to sell some of her songs to country artists. Now wouldn't that be a hoot!

Bottom line: "urban country gospel" shouldn't be analyzed to death because it is a fun gimmick, and if you can't have fun serving up the good news, it's time to reevaluate your career.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: "Stand Still," "Your Will."

Something New - Rev. Timothy Flemming, Sr.

Rev. Timothy Flemming, Sr.
Something New
God's Strength Records 2009
(800) 433-6828

Atlanta pastor Rev. Timothy Flemming, Sr. likes to take chances. He is not afraid to inject well-placed humor in his sermons. He posed on his Old Time Camp Meeting Songs - Vol. III in a pair of overalls. His latest music offering, Something New, suggests that once again, Rev. Flemming seeks to surprise.

The album title infers that the fourteen songs and arrangements in the collection are not normally associated with Rev. Flemming. First, most of the songs come from the R&B, jazz and pop worlds but are given a gospel makeover with straightforward praise and worship lyrics. "God is So Good to Me," for example, pulls its melody from Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful." "Seasons" is Rev. Flemming's spritely take on the Byrd's classic "Turn Turn Turn." "Lifting Higher" is Jackie Wilson's late 1960s gospel-inspired R&B hit "Higher and Higher" that, having reclaimed its gospel heritage on Something New, revels in its original spirit.

Second, Flemming re-arranges classics such as the Baptist hymn "A Charge to Keep I Have" as a mid-tempo soul ballad, and his mournful falsetto moaning on Gershwin's "Summertime" gives the dramatic lullaby an undercurrent of unspeakable sadness.

What keeps Something New from realizing its true potential is that most all of the songs are slow and protracted instead of tight and vibrant. "Yes, I Made It" clocks in at nearly seven minutes, but had the tempo been accelerated slightly and the overall energy and mood of the song taken up a notch, the piece could have topped out at five minutes and been ready for radio play.

The final moments of "Take My Hand (Precious Lord)" give a glimpse of the album that could have been, as Rev. Flemming and a female vocalist engage in a dynamic duet that pits shout against shout. Instead there are more instances like "Pray" that are way too slow and deliberate to grab and hold listeners' attention.

An exception is Rev. Flemming's version of "Elijah Rock." Like Rev. Cleophus Robinson, whose version of this song was nearly as good as Mahalia's, Rev. Flemming can go from a whisper to a shout in no time flat. His demeanor and voice are perfect for this cool, finger-popping classic.

Perhaps more encouragement from the musicians or recording the project for a live audience would have helped pick up the momentum. Regardless, Something New is missing that zestiness that gives gospel music its appeal.

Two of Five Stars

gPod Picks: "Elijah Rock"

The Clark Sisters Family Christmas (Karew Records/EMI Gospel)

The Clark Sisters Family Christmas
Karew Records/EMI Gospel 2009
www.emigospel.com

Although The Clark Sisters Family Christmas CD rightfully showcases the four fine ladies on the cover, the Moss Brothers steal the show.

Don't get me wrong: the Clark Sisters' tight harmonies -- a mix of Pointer Sisters flair and Andrews Sisters charm -- are ready-made for a Christmas album. Indeed, their rendition of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is exquisite with only piano accompaniment. Their cover of "Drummer Boy" is the funkiest I've ever heard, magically transforming the children's novelty into a praise and worship opportunity. They give "Do You Hear What I Hear" a lovely reading.

But first cousin Bill Moss, Jr. and the Nashville String Machine turn "We are the Reason," a ballad that in other hands could be run-of-the-mill, into a big production number that sweeps the live Detroit audience off of their feet. J Moss' groovy take on Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" plants the song firmly in the 21st century. It may be that "This Christmas" has surpassed "Glory to the Newborn King" as the most popular carol in the African American community.

The album certainly lives up to its billing, as three generations of Clark-Moss family members participate in the project, including Clark-Moss 3.0: Kierra Sheard and drummer/writer/producer J. Drew Sheard II. The two collaborate effectively on "Beautiful Christmas," a smooth, rhythmic R&B number that sounds like a bonus track from Kiki's Mixtape.

The album's most charming moment is when the Clark Sisters relive a childhood memory by singing an impromptu version of the "Chipmunk Song" (was Karen playing Alvin?). Not only is it the first time the Clark Sisters sang an octave lower than any original number, but the "choir" coda they give Ross Bagdasarian's Christmas evergreen has to be heard to be appreciated.

The Clark Sisters Family Christmas is far superior to the ladies' first holiday album, released some thirty-plus years ago on Sound of Gospel Records. The earlier outing found the sisters still searching for their trademark sound and the result was not their finest moment. Even Mother Mattie's contribution couldn't help. But under the skilled direction of A-list producer Asaph Alexander Ward, the Clark Sisters and their extended family have the sound down on The Clark Sisters Family Christmas.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: "This Christmas," "Drummer Boy."

TBGB Pick of the Week: November 16, 2009

“Name Sake” (Live Version)
Denise Clark
From the CD Denise Clark "Live" Overwhelmed
www.deniseclarksings.com

To the general public, the paradigm of gospel music is a fully-robed choir in joyous rapture, singing full-voiced at quick tempo, handclapping and swaying for the Kingdom. More often, however, gospel music in its various forms is performed by an individual or group at a slow tempo. The music is intense, dramatic, electric, a bundle of tension and release, and soaked to the skin with personal emotion and heartrending testimony.

Intense and dramatic certainly describe Denise Clark’s “Name Sake,” a selection from her new album, Denise Clark "Live" Overwhelmed.

Invoking in her disarmingly deep voice the mantra, “this time, this request,” Clark relates the inspiration for the song: her nephew who, as an unborn child, was recommended for abortion because he could wind up a vegetable due to an unusual heart condition. Making his health “this time, this request,” Clark sent her request heavenward, then asks the audience, “When’s the last time you ever talked to a vegetable?” She greets her nephew, present at the program, a healthy child who reads and goes to school.

Denise Clark is not the “forgotten” Clark Sister. She is a former member and lead singer with the nationally acclaimed gospel sensation Lamar Campbell & Spirit of Praise. She co-produced Denise Clark "Live" Overwhelmed, her sophomore project, a praise and worship outing, with the gifted Daniel Weatherspoon.

"I Choose to Worship" - Wess Morgan

“I Choose to Worship”
Wess Morgan
Bowtie World Music 2009
www.wessmorgan.com

“I Choose to Worship” is a lovely, flowing praise and worship ballad, led by Wess Morgan’s husky, soulful vocals. It encourages those who find themselves befallen on hard times to never forget to worship; refocusing from the negative to the positive is the key to one's breakthrough.

“In the midst of every test, every trial, I made up my mind that I will bless the Lord at all times,” Morgan shouts, and the background vocalists assent. Anyone who knows Morgan’s past – one that nearly destroyed him – understands that when he sings about tests and trials, he sings from personal understanding.

Morgan anticipates releasing his new full-length project, Under an Open Heaven, on Bowtie World Music this coming February. The new album is slated to be a transition from the contemporary gospel sound featured on his debut, Look At Me Now, to a praise and worship style. Consider “I Choose to Worship,” with its Shekinah Glory-style dramatic, slow-simmering, aisle-pacing ministry, a foretaste of the man's new album.

"Stand Still" - Al Mac Will

“Stand Still”
Al Mac Will
From the Thank You Entertainment album Stand Still (2009)
www.urbancountrygospel.com

Well, whaddya know: gospel meets country!

In an era when musical genres and sub-genres, and collaborations between disparate styles, are more numerous than ever, it was bound to happen.

Al Mac Will’s “Urban Country Gospel” song “Stand Still” was unveiled at the closing ceremonies of the Gospel Announcers Guild - Gospel Music Workshop of America national meeting in Cincinnati this past summer. Cowboy hats were donned by gospel VIPs as the song was previewed over the speakers.

For those feeling squeamish about this uncanny combination, let me reassure you: the song is dominated by an urban contemporary beat and structure, with the country components relegated to pedal steel (country music’s answer to the Hammond B3) and Al Mac Will’s vocals, which are more down home Dolly Parton than country-pop Carrie Underwood. Al even does some shouting, something you rarely hear in country (unless of course, the music is performed in a bar, and then the shouters are usually unruly patrons).

Al Mac Will (aka Alice McAfee Williams), who has been singing gospel for some time, credits musical genius Stevie Wonder with helping her coin the term “urban country gospel.”

Alice is in good company. Gospel quartets have two-stepped into modern country music before. One instance that comes to mind is a 1970s recording by the Close Harmoneers, who opened and closed their “I Believe” (Cash Records) with a righteously twangy countrified flourish of petal steel. If you didn't know better, you would have sworn they were singing from the Grand Ole Opry stage.

In any event, Al Mac Will’s single and the publicity surrounding it are great fun. “Stand Still” is an enjoyable song that encourages the forlorn to keep the faith, because "I'm right here on the throne and I'll never leave you alone."

More to come…TBGB will review Al Mac Will’s full-length album later this week.

"Remember Me" - Greg Walker

“Remember Me”
Greg Walker
From his forthcoming gospel album (estimated release date: Spring 2010)
www.gregwalker.com

After hearing Greg Walker sing “Remember Me,” you’ll swear you’ve heard that voice before.

Chances are you have. Walker was a member of the '70s disco group Taste of Honey and in 1975 joined Santana as lead singer. His rendition of “Stormy” was a hit for Carlos Santana and the gang. He has also provided lead vocals for jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock, Kenny G and Keiko Matsui.

Walker approaches the inspirational ballad “Remember Me” with the same cool croon that is his trademark, with equally smooth female background vocalists for his support. The song is a fervent prayer for favor from the Almighty and has a distinctive slow jam ‘80s vibe. The single was written and produced by David Crawford, and is part of a gospel album Walker anticipates releasing next spring.

Johnny Fields, Founding Member of Blind Boys of Alabama, Dies

Rev. Joe Williams called TBGB this morning to report that Johnny Fields, one of the founding members of the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, passed away in Henderson, NC.

Here is some information from the Henderson Dispatch:

HENDERSON — Johnny Fields, a resident of 214 Swain St., died Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 at Maria Parham Medical Center.

The family will be at the residence.

Gloryland Gospel passed along Mr. Fields' funeral information:

Funeral Services
Thursday, November 19, 2009, at 1:00 PM
St. Andrews United Church of Christ
203 Mulberry Street
Henderson, NC 27536
(252) 492-7511

Cards, Letters, Flowers and Expression of Condolences may be sent to
E C Terry's Funeral Service
255 East Andrews Avenue
Henderson, NC 27536
(252) 492-5453
ectmort@yahoo.com

Johnny Fields and Clarence Fountain formed the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, formerly known as the Happy Land Jubilee Singers, in the 1940s while students at the Talladega School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama. The quartet turned professional in 1944 and made its first recordings in 1948. Mr. Fields was the quartet's bass singer and in the 1970s did some freelance production work on gospel releases for Jewel Records in Shreveport, Louisiana.

"It's Christ Time" - Lenear Royalty

“It’s Christ Time”
Lenear Royalty
Independent Release 2009
www.myspace.com/lenearroyalty

Formerly known in the secular world as “Romeo Dance,” Chicago-based Lenear Royalty re-embraced religion in 1986, started his gospel music career, and in 2005 was named a regional finalist in the Gospel Dream competition. He has released an original song for the Christmas holidays and it is available on iTunes.

“It’s Christ Time” has a 1980s soft ballad feel to it, complete with chimes, electric piano and an easy-going beat. He sings in a pleasant male tenor voice not unlike Al Jarreau. The song falls squarely into the “Jesus is the reason for the season” category, urging listeners to turn their hearts from the selfishness of holiday gift receiving to “the facts of why He bled…He came to set us free.”

“Give your life to Christ is the best gift of all,” Lenear sings, and he would know, having done just that more than twenty years ago.

Check out the video:

David G. Evans - Pure Love

David G. Evans
Pure Love
Abundant Harvest Entertainment 2009
www.davidgevans.com

Bishop David G. Evans is a multi-media minister, Prelate of the Abundant Harvest Fellowship of Churches, Pastor of the 27,000-member Bethany Baptist Church in New Jersey, author, recording artist and CEO of David G. Evans Ministries. He presents a various artists compilation called Pure Love, advertised as the “First Romance CD for Christians.”

Pure Love is indeed a full-length paean to amor in its physical, intellectual and spiritual manifestations, and has the imprimatur of Universal Music Christian Group behind it. Evans brings together gospel, urban, Christian and country singers for what is essentially a “quiet storm” session that blurs the distinctions between the various music genres. Similarly, the mix of songs suggests that regardless of the object of affection – a person or deity – a love song is a love song is a love song.

Songs falling squarely in the gospel or inspirational classification include “Change Me,” “Good Thing,” and “You’ll Never Thirst,” the latter based on the Woman at the Well story and a contemporary gospel hit for the group Anointed several years ago.

The artists are not your typical A-listers but they do an impressive job. Bishop Johnnie Vaughan and multi-media minister Karen Orlando are especially effective at rendering a ballad. Chris Smith tears it up on “Own My Heart.” Nashville songwriters Kim, Jimmy and Bill Nash deliver a true weeper in “I’ll Still Want You,” a moving song in the Collin Raye tradition about when love means forever.

Only the brief “Honeymoon” seemed out of place on an otherwise relaxing set, simply because I wasn’t sure whether the deep-voiced narrator’s slightly salacious lines were meant to be comic relief or serious.

Couples seeking Christian/gospel wedding songs, or just taking it easy together, will enjoy exploring Pure Love.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Change Me.”

LaShell Griffin - The Gift

LaShell Griffin
The Gift
God’s World Music 2005
http://www.myspace.com/35740870

With the Christmas season just around the corner, it’s time to review holiday CDs by gospel artists. Let’s start with LaShell Griffin’s The Gift, recorded in 2005 and reintroduced this autumn on the heels of the publicity the Detroit-based singer has garnered based on her latest project, Dreams are Possible.

Recall that LaShell’s star rose on the horizon in 2004 when she was named winner of Oprah’s version of “American Idol,” Oprah’s Pop Star Challenge. LaShell’s singles “Free” and “Dreams are Possible” are astonishingly beautiful ballads sung with power and spirit, the type of inspirational songs that can make the eyes of a hardened curmudgeon well up with briny tears of joy.

Given the holiday album's title, I was hoping "The Gift," recorded a few years back by Collin Raye and Jim Brickman, was included, as she would have done a great job with that heartwarming song, but it is not on the CD. Most of the ten selections on The Gift are the standard Christmas fare. LaShell obviously enjoys singing Christmas carols, and husband Lee joins her on a fine duet on “The First Noel.” The better tracks are the dramatic, slower ones, such as "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and “Oh Holy Night,” because they give LaShell space to improvise vocally.

With these notable exceptions, LaShell often sounds restrained by the arrangements on The Gift. I also would have preferred coupling her with piano accompaniment instead of the pervasive synthesizer that competed for attention. In addition, the Latin jazz-tinged arrangements of “Silent Night” and “Angels We Have Heard on High” seemed ill-matched for the tunes.

“Born This Day,” the album's sole original composition (written by Lee), is also its best, because LaShell gives it that deliciously emotional treatment she bestowed upon the selections on Dreams Are Possible .

The Gift is sure to please LaShell’s fans, and serves as a reminder of the artist just after her unveiling to a larger public, but as she has proved on Dreams Are Possible, she is capable of so much more.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: "Born This Day"

NOTE: LaShell Partners w/McDonalds ECS Franchise To Spread Holiday Cheer To The Struggling City of Detroit By Giving Away 300 "FREE" Christmas CDs on Thursday December 10th 12-2pm at McDonalds 2889 W. Grand Blvd

Smokie Norful - Smokie Norful Live

Smokie Norful
Smokie Norful Live
EMI Gospel 2009
www.emigospel.com

Smokie Norful possesses one of the finest male voices in gospel music today. His vocal melisma, or “curlicues,” are like the micro-bursts of sound Charlie Parker coaxed out of his saxophone. Now that Norful’s a pastor, the preacher’s breathless, aisle-pacing intensity also colors his voice.

All this and then some can be found on Norful’s first live performance CD. Titled Smokie Norful Live, natch, it was recorded at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, Tennessee. The deluxe edition of the audio CD includes an excellent DVD of the live performance.

Some of the album’s mid-tempo praise songs are conventional, and Tye Tribbett’s contribution to the opening “He’s Gonna Come Through” doesn’t do justice to his over-the-top personality, at least not on CD. What does make the live project exceptional are its many moments of sheer brilliance, when Norful sings accompanied softly by piano, or unfettered by quick tempos and strong instrumentation. The current single, “Justified,” and “Dear God” are fine examples. The latter composition, written by the singer himself, has the lyric form and simple wisdom of a Dorsey. Including both live and studio versions of “Dear God” on the CD offers listeners a chance to compare the two. My money is on the live version because in performance, Norful delivers the song with the introspection and gravity of an old-time gospel soloist singing at a solemn homegoing service.

To say that Norful is at his best with minimal instrumentation is not meant as a critique of the musicians, who do a superbly professional job. I am always pleased to hear a real horn section, as opposed to the contrived keyboard-synthesized horns that prevailed over gospel in the 1980s. The horn section here is powerful and brassy.

Norful’s cover of the 1980 inspirational song by Lionel Richie, “Jesus Is Love,” is rendered in duet with his label mate, the incomparable Heather Headley. Every time I hear this song, I think the two ought to do an entire gospel album together.

The bluesy “Don’t Quit” is one of several songs on the project that addresses current affairs – in this case a down economy, inflation, making ends meet, and even troublesome family and friends. It concludes with the instruction, “whatever you do, just don’t quit.” “Mighty God” reminds the audience that Jesus is stronger than any disease, whether diabetes or even cancer. Other times Norful reflects on his own life, such as on “In the Presence of the King,” where it sounds as if his gospel celebrity has had its bumpy moments. “My Choice” is an arrangement of “I’ve Decided to Make Jesus My Choice,” a song I first heard on a late ‘60s record by Harrison Johnson and the LA Community Choir.

The conclusion of the DVD (track 10 on the CD) is “I’ve Been Delivered,” an old school church workout that brings the audience to its feet and clapping to the beat as the credits roll.

Five of Five Stars

gPod picks: “Justified,” “Dear God,” “Jesus Is Love,” “I’ve Been Delivered.”

Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Named "Best Church Choir in America"

From PR Newswire:

Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir from Atlanta West Pentecostal Church won Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound(TM) competition and has earned the title of "The Best Church Choir in America." During the grand finale, held on Nov. 7 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir walked away with not only the title, but a cash prize of $30,000.

Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir plans to use the prize money to record a live CD in 2010. This will be their first recording. Brandon Frazier, music director for Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir said, "How Sweet the Sound does everything first class. It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience participating and to win -- I’m still taking it in. It’s an amazing feeling and has already opened so many doors for our choir."

Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir from Atlanta West Pentecostal Church additionally won the V CAST People’s Choice Award and a $5,000 cash prize. During the grand finale, audience members were asked to text their votes for their favorite choir to help decide the Verizon Wireless V CAST People’s Choice Award.

For more information on the competition, which just finished its second year, go to www.howsweetthesound.com.

TBGB Pick of the Week: November 9, 2009

“I Wanna Thank You”
The Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, J Moss
From Silky Soul Music…An All-Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly
Brantera Music Group 2009
www.branteramusicgroup.com

“I Wanna Thank You” may belong to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, but the song's arrangement on this tribute is 100 percent Clark: bright, high harmonies; solo turns by each singer; and Karen Clark-Sheard’s glass-shattering notes at the end.

Three generations of Clark/Moss singing stars, recording in July 2009 in Detroit with Grammy-winning producer Donald Lawrence at the helm and Chicago’s Daniel Weatherspoon as musical director, take this 1983 song from Maze’s We Are One LP a notch or two higher in inspirational intensity.

The song is part of Silky Soul Music…An All-Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. Other album contributors paying musical tribute to Maze include Musiq Soulchild, Avant and Mary J. Blige. The album has been nominated for a 2009-10 Stellar Award in the Special Event CD of the Year category. Surprisingly, it’s the first time in his forty-year career that Frankie Beverly has been nominated for a music award. Talk about long overdue.

Thankful - The Whispers

The Whispers
Thankful
Kingdom Records 2009
www.kingdomrecordsinc.com

When Fred Hammond, original member of the innovative gospel group Commissioned, was developing his own distinctive vocal style, he turned for inspiration to the smooth singing of the Whispers’ Wallace and Walter Scott.

This fall, influence came full circle.

Hammond co-produced Thankful, the Whispers' first gospel/inspirational album and its first major recording in a decade. The sweet soul group’s crisp harmonies and funky beats on Thankful are as reminiscent of its 1980s hits as they are of the Commissioned sound that Hammond cultivated.

Currently #5 on the Billboard list of Top Gospel Albums, Thankful is, to quote the Commodores, “easy like Sunday morning.” The Whispers in 2009 are every bit as cool, sophisticated and tuneful as it was more than two decades ago, when it turned out such hits as “Lady” and “Tonight.”

The Whispers releasing a gospel album makes sense. In musical terms, the distance between secular love songs like “It’s a Love Thing“ and sacred love songs as "Praise His Holy Name” is not as far as some might argue. And the Whispers traverse the same territory as other gospel groups. For example, on “In the Name of Jesus,” the men sermonize about troubles in the land, such as poverty, hunger and crime. “We Need You” is a sung prayer for those in need, which turns out to be just about everyone.

“For Thou Art With Me,” the album’s current single, best showcases the Whispers’ tight harmonies and their way with a groove. Its bright, uptempo sound is evident on the opening “Walk With Me” and “One More Chance.”

Thankful proves, as a 1987 Whispers song suggests, that some things “just get better with time.”

Four of Five Stars

gPod picks: “Walk With Me,” “One More Chance,” “For Thou Art With Me.”

Kierra Sheard - Kiki's Mixtape

Kierra Sheard
Kiki’s Mixtape
EMI Gospel 2009
www.emigospel.com

On “Love Like Crazy,” Kierra “Kiki” Sheard sings, “People want to ask what’s up, what’s up/I say, I’m doing way too much, too much.”

Truer words were never sung.

For the two or three people out there who are unaware of Kierra Sheard, she’s the gospel singing daughter of Karen Clark-Sheard, who is the daughter of the late COGIC choir maestro Mattie Moss Clark. In between live performances, singing on the Maze featuring Frankie Beverly tribute album, working toward a bachelor’s degree in English at Wayne State University in her native Detroit, launching a clothing line, running a youth ministry, and now starring in a feature film, Kierra took time out to record two new songs for a compilation called Kiki’s Mixtape.

Given that kind of schedule (I’m exhausted just writing about it), it’s no surprise that Kiki’s Mixtape is just a few seconds short of a half hour in length. That’s probably all the time she had to devote to it. What is essentially her “greatest hits thus far” project reprises her breakout smash, 2004’s “You Don’t Know,” and also includes a mix of her current single, “Love Like Crazy.”

I found the EP’s two mixes the most interesting, as they inject racing fuel into already energetic Kierra performances. In addition, one of the two new songs, “Sing to the Lord,” co-written by Kierra, is a high-octane amalgam of rock, CCR and power pop clearly aimed at multiple charts and very likely to hit one or more.

Kierra’s duet with Marcus Cole on “This Christmas” is bold and bracing, one of the better of the more recent covers of Donny Hathaway’s holiday chestnut.

The project is exhilarating and would have been even stronger had some of the mixes been extended well beyond three of four minutes, and if the ends and beginnings of tracks were blended together like a professional house party DJ. Perhaps this was not done because the songs are going to go directly into iPods…I mean gPods. Still, it would have been really something had the eight-project EP been double its size: sixty minutes of all-out urban gospel in the exciting Clark-Sheard style…maybe even with samples of some vintage recordings by Mattie, Clark Sisters and the Moss Family in between.

But of course I’m being picayune. In a word association test, Kiki’s Mixtape means “fun interlude.” It’s an opportunity to take stock of this talented young woman’s accomplishments to date and watch her prepare for her next chapter…because as she sings, “I say, I just can’t get enough, enough.” Nor can we.

Four of Five Stars

gPod picks: “Sing to the Lord,” “Love Like Crazy (Extended Mix),” “Wave Your Banner (Monsta Mix).”

Pam English - Real Good

Pam English
Real Good
K2K Publishing, Inc./Micah Management, Inc. 2009
www.pamenglishmusic.com

After years of recording with, and writing songs for, other artists, Pam English has earned her time to shine. In fact, the Detroiter sparkles on her debut solo project, titled Real Good. And it is. Real good, I mean. In fact, it’s extraordinarily good. Head-shakingly good.

The singer-songwriter and vocal producer’s fascination with recording began in 1977 when she waxed her first disc as a member of the Unity Baptist Church Youth Choir. Since then, she has racked up a stack of appearances on record, television and in live programs with talents such as Virtue, Lexi, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard, Diana Ross and Take 6. Her song, “Beautiful,” written for the Nevels Sisters, was reviewed in April by TBGB.

Real Good benefits from smart production, courtesy of a stable of strong producers, notably Tommie Walker, Marcus “DaHeatMizer” Devine, Randy Scott and Demetrius “Krayon” Nabors. They provide Pam with a dazzlingly intense, compelling sound akin to fellow Detroiters Damita and Deitrick Haddon, Daniel Young, and J Moss. The tech-savvy urban contemporary wall-of-sound gospel vibe these artists have in common could easily be considered the “New Detroit Sound.”

The album is non-stop energy through track seven. “He Is I Am” is a song of praise for God who was taking care of business long before our problems (e.g., broken heart, lost fights, danger) started. “Wonderfully Made” is known as the “women’s anthem.” It concludes that what does or does not constitute conventional beauty means nothing when one is “perfect in your eyes.” “I don’t want to be the next top model/I don’t want to be America’s idol,” Pam sings in the chorus, because “I’m wonderfully made.” Amen!

Unlike the hymns of old, which praised from a respectable distance, Pam’s lyrics reflect a very personal relationship with her Savior, as if she were thanking her best friend for being there whenever she needed help.

The nearly seven-minute “I Don’t Remember” is the only weak spot in an otherwise superb debut effort, principally because the extended high tessitura pulls Pam out of her vocal comfort zone and strains an otherwise fine and confident voice. But a strong ending, courtesy of the infectious “The Champion,” makes all well again.

Pam English is an artist who truly deserves her season. Real Good is a CD that truly deserves to be played at maximum volume.

Five of Five Stars

gPod picks: “Real Good,” “He Is I Am,” “Wonderfully Made,” “The Champion.”

Kendra Carr - Unexpected Judah

Kendra Carr
Unexpected Judah
Commandment Entertainment 2009
www.kendracarr.com

Kendra Carr is equal parts gospel singer and evangelist, and she puts both to excellent use on her first national CD release, Unexpected Judah.

Unexpected Judah has the energy and timing of a live performance. It comes out of the box strong, waxes traditional, slows into a praise and worship groove, and then turns up the tempo as the CD spins toward its finale. With one exception, the songs were written either by Kendra, album producer Daniel Miree, or the two in collaboration. All of the compositions are polished, tuneful pieces that fit with Kendra’s vocal styling like a cup to a saucer.

Although Kendra tends to wrap her church-filling gospel voice around praise and worship pieces, the current single “Only You” is a traditional program-stopper in gospel waltz tempo. Similarly, “He’ll Deliver” is a hand-clapping, foot-tapping, churchy workout. Like an experienced gospel singer, Kendra uses a pleading, evangelistic, stream-of-consciousness singing technique on the vamp of extended numbers to heighten and stretch out the intensity.

The album’s big surprise is “Reign In Me,” a kaleidoscope of complex chord structures that bubbles with vocal brilliance from Kendra and her background singers, who, by the way, support her professionally throughout the project.

Unexpected Judah advertises diversity in sound and style. To that point, “He Is” has a Brazilian beat and the album’s closer, “Yet I Will,” is pop-oriented, complete with buzzing electric guitar. Both performances demonstrate that Kendra is comfortable with a variety of musical palettes. One constant, however, is the lyric content, which focuses squarely on praise, worship, rejoicing and redemption. Another is the fact that Kendra Carr is a stone singer who can really sell a gospel song.

Kendra Carr cut her musical teeth at the Greater Little Rock Church in Pensacola, Florida, and once was a member of the group Epiphany. Today, she is Overseer of Music and Worship Arts Ministry at The Zion Church in Jackson, Tennessee, an apostolic plant of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, where Rev. Jerrell T. Beard, Sr. is Pastor.

Four of Five Stars

gPod picks: “Only You,” “Reign In Me,” “He’ll Deliver.”

TBGB Pick of the Week: November 2, 2009

“Grace”
BeBe & CeCe Winans
From the Malaco/B&C Records album Still 2009
www.malaco.com

It’s been fifteen years since the Winans brother-and-sister duo recorded together, but they are on a roll: first with “Close to You, and now “Grace,” Oprah’s new favorite inspirational song and the second single from their new album, Still.

Amidst throbbing drums, dramatically swooping strings and a full-bodied gospel choir, BeBe & CeCe sing a testament to the saving power of grace, the lifeblood of the soul, the righter of all wrongs. BeBe suggests in the lyrics that it was a cathartic experience just writing the song.

That’s why they call it amazing.

Hear the song and see the video by clicking here: “Grace.”

R.I.P. - Rev. Billy Jones of Chicago - Order of Services

From Dennis Cole, President - Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild:

It is with regret and sadness that I announce the passing of Rev. Billy Jones, Pastor of Samaritan Bible Baptist Church.

Rev. Billy Jones is also the father of gospel recording artist and musician Rev. Bryant Jones (Chosen). Rev. Billy Jones was also a writer and former director. Although he pastored Samaritan Bible he was very active in his home church of Fellowship MBC - Rev. Clay Evans, Founder, Rev. Charles Jenkins, Pastor.

Rev. Billy Jones is also married to gospel singer Jeanette Robinson Jones, former lead singer of the Helen Robinson Youth Chorus and Fellowship MB soloist.

Najala M. Jones, Pastor's niece, sent the order of services for this weekend, which is as follows:

Pastor Jones will lay in state on Saturday, November 7 at Samaritan Bible Baptist Church [NOTE NEW TIME] from 5 pm until 7 pm (6847-49 S. Halsted). The musical will be held at 7 pm Samaritan as well.

The Celebration on life will be at Sweet Holy Spirit (8621 S South Chicago Ave) on Sunday November 8; the wake is from 5 pm to 6:30 pm, celebration service begins at 6:30 pm.

Please keep Rev. Bryant and Mrs. Jones and their extended family in your prayers.

Aaron Sledge - Aaron Sledge (EP)

Aaron Sledge
Aaron Sledge (EP)
EMI Gospel 2009
www.emigospel.com

Last December, TBGB reported on Da Light, Chicagoan Aaron Sledge’s independently produced album. Infused with melodic soundtracks, creative hip hop beats and street-smart Christian lyrics, Da Light argued that being saved and material prosperity were not mutually exclusive; one can have bling and be blessed at the same time. Most importantly, the album featured the beautiful gospel ballad, “Did It All for Me,” one of TBGB’s top ten songs of 2008.

Things have gone exceptionally well for Sledge since the release of Da Light. This year, he signed with EMI Gospel. EMI re-packaged most of the tracks from Da Light into a self-titled album, and included a brand new song, “Extra Mile.” A six-track EP, the best of the best from the EMI album, also includes “Extra Mile.”

Sledge accomplishes what J Moss and the Christian rap group Frontlynaz have done to great effect: blend positive messages and street-cool toughness with electric melodies and hefty doses of heartfelt humility and honesty. Sledge’s music declares implicitly that sensitivity and being saved aren’t weaknesses but the keys to a better life. Jesus was no pushover, either. As Sledge reports in “Bad,” anyone who can command the blind to see and the mute to talk is the baddest man in town.

Aaron Sledge is an artist definitely worth your time getting to know.

Four of Five Stars