Producers and Songwriters Series: The Remaining Cities

From a press release:

ATLANTA, GA -- rolling out Urban Style Weekly, a Steed Media Group property and the only African American owned national chain of weekly newspapers, is proud to announce the integration of a Design and Dialogue Producers and Songwriters Series to complement Verizon Wireless' How Sweet the Sound Tour.

Some of the most recognized and sought after talents in the gospel industry, including award-winning artists Bishop Paul Morton, Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, Rev. Milton Biggham, Andrae Crouch and many other notables will work in collaboration with Rolling Out’s Producers and Songwriters Series to share their expertise in music production techniques, technology and the creative process.



The tour is designed to assist aspiring songwriters and music producers with practical applications and introduce them to successful artists, songwriters and producers in the music industry that they can learn from to enhance their capabilities. The series will also be a primary source of content for a video documentary on production and songwriting which is being produced by Creative Urban Studios, the film and television production arm of Steed Media.

The final stops for the Producers and Songwriters Series include Detroit (May 1), Memphis (May 4), Jacksonville (May 6), Washington DC (May 15), Los Angeles (May 11), Philadelphia (May 1), Cleveland (May 4), Atlanta (May 6), Charlotte (May 11), New York (May 13),and St. Louis (May 15).

For Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound Tour, church choirs are encouraged to submit applications to ensure their inclusion in tour events and the competition.

For more information on the Producers and Songwriters Series, please visit www.rollingout.com/gospel.

For more information on the Verizon How Sweet the Sound competition, please visit www.howsweetthesound.com.

Gail Fly - Who Will Worship?

Gail Fly
Who Will Worship?
Raising the Standard Music, LLC 2007
www.RTSMusicLLC.com

New Orleans singer-songwriter Gail Fly may have received the 2009 Rhythm of Gospel Award for Best Traditional Female Vocalist, but on her CD Who Will Worship?, she also demonstrates a proficiency in singing contemporary gospel, P&W, and even dips her feet into the deep end of R&B territory on one track, which turns out to be the CD’s best moment.

That should give you some sense that Who Will Worship? offers more than a traditional feast, although old-school is represented by a medley of classic gospel hymns. To my ears, however, Fly did a more admirable job on the contemporary pieces, notably the mantra-like P&W “I Worship You” and the title track, which encourages the listener to take an all-in approach towards living a Christian life.

Fly’s husband, Elder Albert E. Fly, Sr. interjects with introductory and concluding prayers and messages. A group of un-credited background vocalists harmonizes nicely on “I Still Have My Tears.”

What distracted me throughout the project was the sound quality of the vocals. The vocal track sounded tinny and thin, as if it were recorded in an empty room, separated spatially from the musicians. The album’s sole urban R&B track, “True,” would have radio potential if it were not for this production imperfection. I suspect Fly is a singer best appreciated live, or captured in a live recording, where her interplay with the audience and sound balance works in her favor.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “True,” “Who Will Worship.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Mary Mary: Be U

Jill Joseph Johnson, Founder and Editor In Chief of Inside Black Hollywood Magazine, talked with sisters Tina and Erica Campbell -- aka Mary Mary -- about their new book, Be U, which is available at online and retail booksellers nationwide.

Read the interview here: Inside Black Hollywood: Mary Mary

Lucinda Moore - Blessed, Broken & Given

Lucinda Moore
Blessed, Broken & Given
Tyscot Records 2010
www.tyscot.com

To the listener, Lucinda Moore’s Blessed, Broken & Given is a praise and worship experience. For Moore, however, her sophomore release seems to be a personal catharsis.

A survivor of childhood abuse, depression and a dissolved marriage, Moore puts it all out there on this CD, of which a portion of the proceeds will go to stop domestic violence.

The live performance at Atlanta’s Elizabeth Baptist Church opens with spirited P&W anthems “We Celebrate the Cross” and “We Praise Your Name,” which transition into the pulse-racing CCM-style rocker “Fruit of My Lips.” Moore renders “There’s a River,” a song based on the woman at the well story, with appropriate dramatic flourish. Yet her marvelous reading of the traditional hymn “I Need Thee” is cut way too short, as is the tambourine-shaking “Fire Baptized Medley.” Extended versions of both would have made the CD even better.

Otherwise, the album replicates the well-timed pacing of a praise and worship service, courtesy of producer-writer-arranger-music director Robert W. “JoJo” Hill. The Elizabeth Baptist Church Mass Choir supports Moore with strength, but the list of background vocal overdubbers is amazing and reads like a gospel super-group. It includes such talented notables as Latrice Pace, Steve Crawford and Da’dra Crawford-Greathouse (aka Anointed), LeJuene Thompson and Nia Allen.

It’s on the mesmerizing title track (and current single) that Moore gets in uncanny touch with a deep, seething, internal force, and the album goes in a starkly personal direction. With each shouting declaration of “Let Jesus break you,” Moore seems to expunge the dark demons out of her very soul, and then out of the church on the force of her otherworldly siren-high notes. The concluding song, “Never Be the Same,” is anti-climactic; the devil of welled-up pain has been stomped out.

You can see as well as hear the statuesque singer, whose fashion sense is in the Vickie Winans category, on the companion DVD.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Blessed, Broken & Given,” “Fruit of My Lips.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

TBGB Pick of the Week: April 26, 2010

“Mary Don’t You Weep”
Elliott Chavers feat. Lisa Sinkford
From the Hi Desert Records CD
Elliott Chavers Plays and Sings Electrifying Gospel
www.cdbaby.com/cd/chavers3

Originally recorded in 1997 and released two years later, “Mary Don’t You Weep” is a two-part, nearly thirteen-minute slow jam session based on the Caravans’ classic version of the quartet standard.

Elliott Chavers, former bandleader at L.A.’s 5-4 Ballroom, honks his tenor sax like it’s 1954. The remarkable Lisa Sinkford, “L.A.’s best kept secret,” delivers a stunning vocal that is one part gospel, one part blues, one part jazz and two parts preaching.

After Chavers and Sinkford conclude the “story of two sisters,” you not only have a rekindled appreciation for the story of Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Jesus, but you feel as if you’ve gone back five decades in musical time to hear it.

Toledoan Becomes Third President of "Dorsey Convention"

The Rev. Derrick E. Roberts, newly elected chairman of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC), aka the "Dorsey Convention," is only the third person to hold the top position in the organization's 77-year history. He succeeds founder Thomas A. Dorsey and current chairman Bishop Kenneth Moales.

Read more about Rev. Roberts in the Toledo Blade: NCGCC.

"Last Days" - Da Key

“Last Days”
Da Key
From the CD Convicted (2010)
www.da-key.com

Houston-born author and Christian hip hop artist Reginald “Da Key” Blanks has been “through the hell gates,” and he tells his story in “Last Days.” It's a piece about the end of days that, as he relates, is coming sooner than you think. "Last Days" is also a metaphor for Da Key's own life that was spiraling downward until Jesus gave him a second chance.

That is, when presented with the opportunity to move to a higher plane, the last thing Da Key wanted was to be left out of the number. He raps to serious, thudding chords that he turned his life around and doesn't regret it because “we in Revelations…I want out of this plantation.”

Max Siegel to Launch Imago Dei Music Group

From a press release: a new chapter for Max Siegel, former Zomba Gospel prexy and better yet, a fellow Domer...

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 23, 2010 – Universal Music Christian Group (UMCG), a division of Universal Music Group Distribution, the award-winning sales and marketing arm of Universal Music Group, has partnered with pioneering entertainment executive Max Siegel to launch Imago Dei Music Group (iD Music Group), a division of Max Siegel Inc. The announcement was made today by Jim Urie, President Universal Music Group Distribution, Rhoda Lawrence, Vice President of UMCG, and Max Siegel, Chief Executive Officer, iD Music Group.

In the company’s first joint venture, UMCG has partnered with Mr. Siegel, an executive with years of experience in virtually every area of the entertainment industry, including sports, music, television and film. iD Music Group was brought to UMCG by Next Plateau’s president, Eddie O’Loughlin, who will play a key A & R role. The label will begin looking for new artists immediately and plans to release their first albums in 2010.

“We’re thrilled to be in business with an executive of Max’s caliber,” stated Mr. Urie. “He is a true renaissance man whose track record of accomplishments speaks for itself. We are delighted to welcome him to the UMGD family.”

Max L. Siegel is the former President of Global Operations at Dale Earnhardt Inc., one of the top motor sports franchises in NASCAR. As one of the most influential executives in the entertainment and sports industries, Siegel made history as the highest-ranking African American executive in NASCAR. Siegel oversaw the entire organization including competition, marketing, sales, sponsorship and distribution for all DEI’s properties including motor sports teams, licensing, promotion, business development and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.

An accomplished entertainment executive, attorney, author, conference organizer and television and film producer, he is one of the most sought after persons in the entertainment industry. He is a cum laude graduate from Notre Dame Law School. With more than 15 years of brokering deals and project management, Siegel is known for his sharp and savvy business expertise.

“Lifestyle entertainment has always been a passion of mine,” commented Mr. Siegel. “Aligning iD Music Group with the “best in class” was a priority for launching the label. We have done just that by partnering with Universal Music Group. This partnership will allow us to fully integrate music into the lifestyles of people around the world in a unique and positive way.”

The former Sony BMG/Zomba Label Group executive held dual positions as Senior Vice President of Zomba Label Group and President of Zomba Gospel. During his tenure at Sony BMG, Siegel helped the company score more No. 1 hits and gold and platinum records than ever before. Siegel served on the executive team that produced top gospel and pop artists including Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, John P. Kee, Vikki Winans, Kelly Price and more. www.maxsiegel.com

Initial releases from iD Music Group will include “Champion,” from Darwin Hobbs (June 22) as well as BET “Sunday Best” winner Y’Anna Crawley’s debut album (July 13).
www.idmusicgrp.com.

Toni Rackard - Unconditional Love

Toni Rackard
Unconditional Love
Behind the Veil Records (release date: April 27, 2010)
www.tonirackard.com

You can see it in Toni Rackard’s welcoming but no-nonsense eyes on the jewel case of her national debut CD, Unconditional Love. This lady is a worship warrior. She makes it plain throughout the album, too, with references in the lyrics to soldiers marching alongside the Lord in a battle against evil. Guess who wins? Look in her eyes again and answer that question yourself.

On Unconditional Love, the Tampa, Florida-based praise and worship leader explores a variety of musical backdrops for songs that she co-wrote with her husband Derrick and several others. Rackard multi-tracks her voice on several cuts, too, creating an instant background vocal group. Regardless of the musical mode, the lyrics cover typical gospel topics: hope, faith, praise, worship, trials and deliverance.

“Let Us Dance,” with its appropriate house beat, is the charmer of several percussive, R&B flavored tracks on the album, but Rackard’s sweet spot is the ballad, as in “You Pulled Me Through,” which she performs with Marvin Winans, Jr. to a teasing intro that sounds like Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.” Similarly, the breezy, atmospheric “Lovely Day” contains echoes of Bill Withers’ classic 1980 song of the same title. “I Give My Life to You” and “Sing of Your Great Love” are other ballads that Rackard’s pop-influenced voice breathes to life.

Rackard concludes Unconditional Love not with an altar call but with a shout-out from the dance floor, to come on and do the Kingdom Slide, with Terrence Gammage calling out the moves, such as “holy hop” and “choirboy.” “Kingdom Slide” joins Christopher Page’s “Sanctified Slide” and Dana Divine’s “The Gospel Slide” as praise dances with instructions. As Rackard says, “You don’t have to be in a box because you’re saved.” Amen.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Lovely Day,” “You Pulled Me Through,” “Let Us Dance.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"To Be Faithful" - Betty Lester

“To Be Faithful”
Betty Lester
From the CD To Be Faithful (2000)

In the early 1960s, Betty Lester, then a soloist with Chicago’s New Friendship Baptist Church Choir, recorded “To Be Faithful.” It was a song she wrote after experiencing a particularly anxious time as a young mother and wife trying to make ends meet on the city’s south side.

The original LP that included the archetypal Chicago-style gospel blues is long out of print and difficult to find. Although the vinyl version is out of fashion, the song’s sentiment – keeping the faith no matter what – is not. That’s why Lester decided to re-record the song, and she did it on a four-track CD that includes the next generation – daughter Leslie – in a traditional meets contemporary vibe.

I’ve heard the 1960 and 2000 versions of “To Be Faithful.” While the original crackles with the hair-raising electricity for which female gospel singers of the era are well known (just watch “Jubilee Showcase”), make no mistake: Betty Lester can still turn up the heat four decades later. It’s a traditional-style gospel that can soothe the soul and quicken the pulse like just about nothing this side of 1969.

Memorable Moments with Bishop Paul S. Morton

Bishop Paul S. Morton
Memorable Moments
Tehillah Music Group/Light Records 2010
www.lightrecords.com

Bishop Paul S. Morton, entrepreneurial pastor of the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church, has had his share of trials, including a health scare and a two-element gut punch – fire and water – to his New Orleans flagship church that required significant repairs and saintly perseverance throughout the process. That’s why when Morton sings “I’m Still Standing,” a track reissued on his “best of” compilation released by Tehillah/Light, it's a true testimony.

Sometimes record companies use the “greatest hits” comp as a way to eke as much utility as possible out of its catalogue or to fill a gap between new albums, but Memorable Moments doesn’t feel like a marketing gimmick. It is an impressive, well-constructed compilation that gives listeners a newfound appreciation for the Bishop’s vocal skills. It presents his keen sense of vocal timing, a pulpit-honed flair for the dramatic, and that singular cry in his voice, all of which are critical to getting a song over. Singing compositions by the likes of Kurt Carr, V. Michael McKay and Marvin Winans doesn't hurt, either.

Gospel enthusiasts will recognize the emotion-drenched radio favorites “Cry Your Last Tear” and “Don’t Do It Without Me,” but will also be moved by the powerful gospel ballad, “Your Tears.” “His Yoke Is Easy” is a traditional gospel that, with superb choir backing, sounds like a GMWA mass choir performance. Speaking of which, the Greater St. Stephen Church Choir and the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship Mass Choir are equally deserving of praise for supporting the Bishop with confident, thunderous and tuneful harmonies.

Memorable Moments concludes appropriately with an altar call (“We Offer Christ”), and a bonus CD gives the listener a chance to hear a full-length sermon by Bishop Morton. It’s no surprise that this set is on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart as of this writing: the performances are heart-rending but hopeful at the same time. The album lives up to its title.

Five of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Your Tears,” “His Yoke is Easy.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"Grateful" - King

"Grateful”
King
DNA Musicboyz 2010
www.4kingmusic.com

For King, praise and dance go together like sunshine and South Florida, the group’s home base. So when you are declaring gratitude for what God has given you, for Heaven’s sake, move your feet.

It’s hard not to move during “Grateful," a bright, hook-laden R&B-flavored song with strong group vocals and a techno trumpet that heralds the start of the track and punctuates the singing like King’s unofficial fifth member.

"God Life" - Vadia

“God Life”
Vadia
www.myspace.com/vadiagospel

Prince had his “Pop Life.” Sheila E lived “The Glamorous Life.” Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington educated us on the “Lush Life.”

Meanwhile, Sacramento, California’s Vadia Hubbard (aka Vadia) is “living the ‘God Life.’”

Constructed with compelling polyrhythmic house-style beats, “God Life” is a catchy, club-ready invitation to join the young singer-songwriter in living a life “His way.” It’s the title track of her soon-to-be released sophomore project, which follows her 2007 debut Exodus. It was also the 2009 theme of the annual gospel music workshop she hosts for the Sacramento area.

TBGB Pick of the Week: April 19, 2010

"I Come to Praise Him"
VIZHION
From the Rimshot Records CD Pressin' On
www.myspace.com/vizhion

I haven't heard gospel zydeco since the ensemble on Bishop Paul S. Morton's Still Standing (Light/Tehillah 2006) turned "We Made It" into a post-Katrina celebration.

On "I Come to Praise Him," the members of Houston-based VIZHION get their own praise party started by collaborating with J Paul Jr. and the Zydeco Nubreeds, who add that characteristically bouncy accordion and swamp beat to the quartet performance.

Soit le rouleau de bonnes nouvelles! (Let the Good News Roll!)

"You Keep Blessing Me" - Jewel Lucien

"You Keep Blessing Me"
Jewel Lucien
Yaplys Productions 2009
www.myspace.com/jewellucien

The Nashville-raised Jewel Lucien is now a resident of Texas, and is arguably as well known for her many performances on the musical stage as for her sacred singing.

"You Keep Blessing Me" is her latest single. It has a retro '70s vibe from the opening wah-wah guitar to the deep bass disco beat. Lucien reaches for (and nails) Patti LaBelle-esque high notes on this unabashed expression of praise and thanksgiving.

"Alright" - Michele Mundy

“Alright”
Michele Mundy
From the Favor Records CD Divine Favor (2009)
www.cdbaby.com/cd/michelemundy

In 2004, Roger Mundy, Jr. entered a New Albany, Mississippi hospital unresponsive. His singer-songwriter daughter Michele explained: “I went outside the hospital to pray because his blood pressure was increasing. I heard a voice…tell me to go sing to him.” She reentered her father’s room, began singing a song she wrote called “Alright,” and he ended up living for five more weeks.

The power of music.

“Alright” is one of four tracks on Divine Favor, Michele Mundy’s debut solo CD. The Mississippi native dedicated the song, a gentle ballad of encouragement and faith, to her father and other deceased members of her family, as well as to all who are hurting. Based on Revelation 21:4, “Alright” features Chris Rogers who shares the vocals with Mundy. It is the CD’s finest track.

Michele Mundy is currently a member of the Mass Choir of Peter’s Rock Temple COGIC.

"He Can (Work It Out)" - Youth for Christ

“He Can (Work It Out)”
Youth for Christ
From the Emtro Records CD
Thanks in Advance (2010)
www.emtro.com

The mass choir Youth for Christ was not only one of the first national artists on Troy and Emily Sneed’s Emtro Records, but it also garnered a Grammy-nomination for its first CD, Higher, and a Stellar Award for "The Struggle is Over," the title track led by Jonathan Nelson that reached number one on the Billboard gospel singles charts and earned a Soul Train Music Award nomination. Darned good for a young choir and for a record company only seven years old.

Last July, Youth for Christ recorded its latest CD, Thanks in Advance, with twenty-somethings from Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Washington, DC and Philadelphia.

The first single from the CD, “He Can (Work It Out),” is not the frenetically-paced churchy shouter from Rev. Maceo Woods and Dr. Charles G. Hayes but an easy rocking and jazzy song that brings a message of encouragement: “Don’t fret/Be still; He can/He will.” The lovely tenor of lead vocalist Brandon Knight, who has been compared to John Legend, soars above the choir.

The song lives up to Emtro's commitment to produce "radio-friendly" gospel music.

A Gospel Calling: Mahalia Jackson Sings (DVD)

A Gospel Calling: Mahalia Jackson Sings
Hollywood Select Video/Infinity Entertainment Group (2010)

Although Nat Cole’s television variety program in the 1950s helped open the door a little, by the early 1960s, African Americans were still relegated to the same old stereotypical images on the squawk box. Diahann Carroll and “Julia” were still years away.

But when “Mahalia Jackson Sings” aired on NBC in 1961, the nation had a chance to see as well as hear a better image: a regal-looking, royally-robed gospel artist whose comportment was befitting her title as Queen of Gospel, even if the conservatism of the time still kept her enthusiasm straitjacketed.

This week, Hollywood Select Video and Infinity Entertainment Group, the same team that released two DVDs full of "TV Gospel Time" in January, made available all 58 brief episodes of "Mahalia Jackson Sings" on two DVDs.

While the episodes do not present the holy dancin’ Halie from “back a’town,” what you see is not necessarily the smoothed-over Columbia Records artist, either, even though by then she had been with the major label for seven years. In the episodes, Mahalia is accompanied variously by longtime pianist Mildred Falls, and also by a combo featuring Eddie Robinson and Louise Overall Weaver on organ, Barney Kessel on guitar, Shelly Manne on drums and Red Mitchell on standup bass. The result is that the hymns are given Apollo Records-style gravity and the up-tempo songs jump.

The sets are Dali-esque when there is anything at all in the studio other than Mahalia and her musicians (mostly off camera or silhouetted). Mangled, grotesque trees and two-by-four arches, the latter presumably meant to resemble a church steeple, meet scaffolding on which band members are sometimes perched as if preparing for a gig on “Top of the Pops.”

Among the finest moments preserved on the DVDs are Mahalia's “Come on Children, Let’s Sing,” which she sings with such fervor that it must have killed her to not be able to walk the stage. The loveliest setting was given to “Somebody Touched Me,” when Mahalia sings surrounded by her musicians like a jazz singer in session. “When the Saints Go Marching In” lights up her face as if recalling the marching bands of her native New Orleans.

Despite the programs’ age, the audio and video are surprisingly well-preserved, and straitjacketed or not, Mahalia trumpets her songs with aplomb. With the paucity of Mahalia Jackson videos available, A Gospel Calling: Mahalia Jackson Sings more than fills the void.

Kirk Franklin Shares "The Blueprint" for Success

by Bob Marovich, The Black Gospel Blog

Kirk Franklin revealed “the fight of his life” in lyrics and melody. With the publication of The Blueprint: A Plan for Living above Life’s Storms, Franklin now reveals it in a book.

The Blueprint, published by Gotham Books, goes on sale May 18. The seven-time Grammy-winning gospel artist and first-time author spoke with TBGB this week about the book and what he hopes readers learn from it.

The idea to write The Blueprint came from Franklin’s team. “It really wasn’t on my radar at the time,” Franklin explained. “But I’d been doing a lot of public speaking at colleges and youth conferences and churches, and so the people around me thought that it would be a good idea if I did a book.” In the end, he found writing it was “very therapeutic.”

Franklin describes The Blueprint as an “urban-style Purpose-Driven Life. It is a little more detailed, a little more transparent, a little more in your face and a little more real. It’s the good, bad and the ugly of my life.”

Gospel enthusiasts know about the good: the awards, the hit records, the sold-out shows. What about the bad and the ugly? These include painful chapters in Franklin’s young life, including a childhood bereft of role models but full of putdowns, difficulties in school, drugs and fatherhood at fifteen. Along the way, Franklin discovered that the path to success was not about blaming others or circumstances but to take control, turn to God and live purposefully. Today, he is a husband, father of four and one of gospel's biggest stars.

But, Franklin is quick to point out, music may be what you do, but it is not who you are.

He also acknowledges that being a parent has had a big impact on his ethos of life. “[Parenthood] is one of the most un-sexy jobs! There are not awards for it, most of what you do goes under the radar, but it is the greatest tool for character development, if we would just embrace it. Marriage and children are God’s divine tools for creating character and depth, so that when we walk away from our families and walk away from our homes, we’re really walking away from opportunities to grow.”

The Blueprint provides more learned lessons like these that helped Franklin triumph over adversity and experience personal success. His belief and trust in God paved the way.

“There’s no way to begin to build a building of your life without tapping into the Chief Architect,” Franklin adds. “God doesn’t create you and allow you to come on this earth and then try to figure out how to live it. The more we tap into Him, the more we tap into who we are, into how we are created, and what our purpose is in life. We don’t have to spend years figuring it out. If we tap into God’s agenda and trust Him to reveal that process and that plan, we don’t have to worry about what to do next. Those steps are already divinely ordered for us.”

One constant in Franklin's life is transparency. It’s in his music, how he lives his life, and in between the pages of his book. “I’m just trying to keep it real, keep it strong and on point. Trying to keep it, as the kids would say, 100.

“What I want the reader to feel after reading this book, more than anything, is that all the things they ever heard that turned them off about church, or turned them off about Christianity or about religion, that I have put in a practical way that is real, that is entertaining, that is fun and that gets to the bottom line. This is not cute; it’s real stuff that you can sink your teeth into. Sometimes Christians can make this stuff seem so shallow and boring. I want this book to be anything but that."

If, as the author Bernard Malamud once stated, one has two lives -- the life we learn from and the life we live after we've learned -- Franklin is clearly living the latter. The Blueprint is, well, his blueprint on how to do that, and he believes it can be yours, too.

Kirk Franklin's other recent project was pulling together Artists United for Haiti and recording “Are You Listening.” He just learned that the single has held the number one position on Soundscan for two weeks in a row. “It’s over Lady Gaga and Kenny Chesney and the Black Eyed Peas, and that’s really incredible!”

Rev. Ed Wilson & the Rising Stars - Dreams Do Come True

Rev. Ed Wilson & the Rising Star Singers
Dreams Do Come True
Sharp Records 2009
www.sharprecordsusa.com

Dreams Do Come True, by the Rising Star Singers of Eastover, South Carolina, is clearly the product of a group that has traveled back and forth along the gospel highway for quite some time. Several songs on the album reference the current aggregation as a new generation of Rising Stars under the tutelage of Rev. Ed Wilson. The group also has a penchant for re-interpreting the vintage gospel quartet repertory in a way that maintains the songs' original integrity but is also appealing to the contemporary gospel quartet fan.

What struck me most while listening to Dreams Do Come True was how the richness of the quartet’s harmonies hearkened back to an older sound. The Rising Stars harmonize in the lower register, which – more than any electric bass could – gives the music a foundation and depth that are missing when groups tender falsetto harmonies a la the Violinaires.

Much of the CD covers traditional gospel quartet territory. “Fix Me, Jesus,” for example, is a variation of the classic “Search Me, Lord.” “Lord I Tried” is an old Soul Stirrers number, and on “How Far Am I from Kingdom,” Herman Wilson punctuates the singing with gravelly, vibrato-riddled shouts culled from the Clarence Fountain school. Appropriately, “I’m Running for My Life” is an old fashioned hand-clapper with a vamped ending on which Anthony Walls basically preaches in tune like an evangelist during revival.

Of the Sharp releases I’ve heard recently, the Rising Stars Singers’ Dreams Do Come True impressed me the most.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Fix Me Jesus,” “I’m Running for My Life.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"I Believe" - Praises of Zion

“I Believe”
Praises of Zion
Savoy Records 2010
www.malaco.com

“Come on, make some noise for the Lord,” a voice cries out at the beginning of “I Believe.” The Praises of Zion respond accordingly, commencing a musical conversation between leader and choir that is characteristic of contemporary gospel.

The Praises of Zion Choir hails from The First Cathedral, Bloomfield, Connecticut, where Archbishop LeRoy Bailey, Jr. is Senior Pastor. Released on Malaco’s Savoy imprint, a label long noted for its choir catalogue, “I Believe” was recorded live at The First Cathedral, natch. It is led by Wayne Robinson and treds familiar gospel territory with its big sound, funky beat, enthusiastic cheers from the ensemble, and leader-choir interaction.

TBGB Pick of the Week: April 12, 2010

“His Mercy”
Called II Worship
From the CD Forever
www.myspace.com/called2worship

“His Mercy” is a delicate and hypnotic worship song delivered passionately and reverently by Cincinnati’s Called II Worship, a male group whose harmonies and soaring tenor leads bear no slight resemblance to the work of Commissioned and Boyz II Men (the use of II in the group’s name telegraphs the latter influence).

Although the superb vocals are what distinguish this recording, a lovely piano and quiet storm combo complement the singing perfectly. The group turns the heat up slightly towards the end, only to return to the more intimate sound in the final moment.

R.I.P. - Apostle Arvetra Jones, Sr.

Al "The Bishop" Hobbs, Chairman of the Gospel Announcers Guild, announced that Apostle Arvetra Jones, Sr. made his transition from labor to reward Saturday, April 10, 2010, in Chapel Hill, NC.

Among other things, Apostle Jones, Sr. was a gospel recording artist and father of Pastor Arvetra Jones, Jr., president of the North Carolina Gospel Announcers Guild of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

Homegoing events are being scheduled for Thursday of this coming week but are not yet complete or confirmed. Please visit the National Gospel Announcers Guild website (www.nationalgag.org) later this week for complete information.

Monica Lisa Stevenson Okay after Auto Accident

Keep gospel artist Monica Lisa Stevenson ("So Glad He Saved Me") and her family lifted in prayer. She and two members of her team were en route to Washington DC this weekend when they were involved in a major automobile accident.

Monica and the team suffered injuries but are doing okay, thank God. Not everyone involved in the multi-vehicle accident was so fortunate and from the report -- a truck literally flipped over Monica's auto -- it could have been much worse.

TBGB sends its love and prayers to Derrick and Monica and to all of their many fans, friends and other loved ones.

Rafeal Ross - New Creation "Live"

Rafeal Ross
New Creation “Live”
R2 Music 2009
www.rafealross.com

Rafeal Ross’s debut CD, New Creation, is a praise and worship experience in a jewel case, the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Earning a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance from George Mason University, Ross serves as director of music and arts at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Herndon, Virginia (Rev. Dr. James Graham, Pastor). Ross didn't have to go too far afield to find fellow travelers for his recording. The accomplished supporting singers on New Creation are members of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Mass Choir. Fellow Virginian Tifani Wilson, whose solo work has been featured on TBGB in the past, co-wrote a number of the songs with Ross and is the guest vocalist on “I’m Confident.”

From beginning to end, New Creation buzzes with the high energy and momentum of a praise and worship service, and even though certain tracks stand out, the album is best heard in its entirety. In its extended introduction, Dr. Randy Haynes sums up what it means to be a “new creation,” and the songs elaborate on the theme.

“I’m Free,” the current single, is an excellent selection for radio. Its bright, bouncy feeling and memorable melody are perfect partners in expressing the song’s subject matter. The title track features that simmering intensity that is a cornerstone of P&W performances. The hypnotic “Incredible” allows Ross nine-plus minutes to give his amazing vocal range a workout. Among the musicians, the standout is pianist Joe Van Buren. He has a beautiful touch on the ivories that is best demonstrated on the slower ballads.

Those who enjoy the music of Shekinah Glory Ministry will enjoy Rafeal Ross.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “I’m Free.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Chicago Gospel Museum Featured in Chicago Tribune

In today's Chicago Tribune, journalist Mark Guarino writes about the effort to establish the Chicago Gospel Music Heritage Museum and how gospel music was born on the city's south side.

TBGB's Bob Marovich was interviewed for the piece, along with museum founder Rev. Dr. Stanley Keeble, Prof. L. Stanley Davis, and other notables.

Read here: Chicago Gospel Museum

Jevon D. Brock & Restoration - Urgent Messages

Jevon D. Brock & Restoration
Urgent Messages
Brock Music Group (Release Date: April 13, 2010)
www.myspace.com/restorationfans

Channeling the sonic energy of second generation Detroit choirs, Milwaukee's Jevon D. Brock & Restoration will release their fourth album, Urgent Messages, on April 13, 2010.

Urgent is not only a fitting description of Restoration’s lyrical objective on the album, but it also sums up the heavenly fury of their performances. The choir’s immense voices grab your attention by the collar. Their glass-shattering sound could move the Richter Scale. Needless to say, the album’s two up-tempo churchy pieces – the current single, “Jesus is Coming Back” and the traditional “Nothing’s Too Hard for God,” featuring the explosive and seemingly omnipresent Min. Tim White – are its high points.

Forty-somethings like me will note that the musicianship, resplendent with complex chord structures, time changes and instrumental solos, is reminiscent of the heady ‘70s prog-rock tradition. The introduction sounds ripped from the Emerson Lake & Palmer charts. Meanwhile, “My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord” sounds driven by middle-eastern musical modes.

While the frenetic, full-throated voices and all-out musicians fire up the churchy numbers, they occasionally obscure the lyrics and melodies of the CD’s more musically intricate numbers because the sheer volume becomes sonically overwhelming, like a jet breaking the sound barrier. On the other hand, the contemplative urban contemporary ballad “You’re Not Alone” features the choir and musicians in perfect balance, underscoring the song’s message of seeking inner peace through God.

Urgent Messages is Jevon D. Brock & Restoration’s firm warning to be ready when Jesus comes. Those unable to heed the command of this spirited group really must not be listening.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Jesus is Coming Back,” “Nothing’s Too Hard for God.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

(Total) Praise Break - Evangel World Outreach Center

Here is the Evangel Celebration Choir, directed by Dr. Ray Allen Berryhill, in the 2009 How Sweet the Sound competition finals.

The choir, from Chicago's Evangel World Outreach Center, was awarded "Chicago Overall/ Large Category/Verizon Wireless V CAST People's Choice Award Regional Winner - Chicago, IL."

You've heard Richard Smallwood's masterpiece, "Total Praise," but not like this -- with a little Chicago-style added on top. Take it away, Maestro Berryhill!

R.I.P. Geraldine Gay Hambric, Last of the Gay Sisters

Gregory Gay and Anthony Heilbut informed TBGB that the beloved Geraldine Gay Hambric, the last surviving member of the famous Gay Sisters, died Tuesday, April 6.

In 1951, Geraldine, Evelyn and Mildred Gay went from local gospel sensations in Chicago's Church of God in Christ community to national stardom with the release of the hit single, "God Will Take Care of You" (Savoy). They appeared with Mahalia Jackson at Carnegie Hall, recorded several sides for Savoy during the 1950s and, along with brother Donald "Preacher" Gay, in the 1960s for Rush, Checker, Faith, and other labels.

Most recently, Geraldine and Donald teamed for projects released by The Sirens Records. Almost to the end, Geraldine could sit down and play gospel piano in a style that combined the kinetic energy of Arizona Dranes with the whispering jazz of Thomas Dorsey. A magician at the keys, she was.

The last time I spoke with Geraldine was late last year. She was already failing in health. She said she only wanted to play the piano and enjoy some hot water cornbread...her own, of course, because she made wonderful hot water cornbread.

I consider myself fortunate to have known Geraldine Gay Hambric, if only for a short time.

Homegoing Information:
Friday, April 16th at 7:00 pm - Musical Tribute
Saturday, April 17th at 10:00 am - Funeral Service

Prayer Center Church of God in Christ
526 East 67th Street
Chicago, Illiois 60637

Our hearts go out to Geraldine's family, friends and so many other loved ones.

Photo: Geraldine Gay Hambric with Jessy Dixon (left) and Nathaniel Marshall (right) at her birthday musical, Prayer Center COGIC, Chicago - March 2009.

"God Loves the Hood" - F1 Diamond

“God Loves the Hood”
F1 Diamond feat. B. Jackson
From the CD Pastor of the Traphouse
www.f1diamond.com

Memphis-based Christian hip hop artist F1 Diamond, dubbed the “Pastor of the Traphouse,” offers an alternative portrait of the hood, one where people love God and not everyone is a player or a thug, as the media would have us believe. Plus, he muses: “If the last should be first/That means the suburbs are after us.”

At the same time, it doesn’t mean everyone in the hood is perfect, “so we lean on the solid rock.” F1 Diamond's closing question: “if God loves the hood, do you love him back?” All this to a smoothly electronic backdrop with B. Jackson autotuning in between raps.

F1 Diamond, born Radontae Ashford in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior after hearing a Donnie McClurkin song while en route with his mother to Memphis, Tennessee, their newly adopted home. He asked his mother to stop on the side of Interstate 57 near Cairo, IL and he professed his eternal commitment right then and there.

Soul of the Church - TV Gospel Time for Everyone!

Soul of the Church
Hollywood Select Video/Infinity Entertainment Group (2010)

The early Sixties were a particularly tumultuous time for African Americans. Marches in cities such as Birmingham and Selma were met with fire hoses, snarling dogs and wooden clubs. Freedom riders, voter registration volunteers and peaceful protesters were knocked down by insanely rabid mobs that made the twentieth century seem like the middle ages. But every Sunday morning, one could put aside the troubles of the time by turning on the television and watching, via the local NBC affiliate, one half-hour of the biggest gospel artists of the era sing praises to encourage the weariest of souls.

Debuting in late 1962, a smidgen before "Jubilee Showcase" took to the airwaves, but running for only three years, "TV Gospel Time" blended local flavor with the era’s top gospel stars. Having disappeared for decades, with only a few bootleg copies of episodes floating about among intrepid collectors, "TV Gospel Time" – seven marvelous hours of it – is now available commercially on Soul of the Church, two DVDs of episodes culled from the original Kinescopes by Infinity Entertainment Group and Hollywood Select Video. The collection is a must-order for anyone who loves traditional gospel music or appreciates history.

"TV Gospel Time" differed from "Jubilee Showcase" in that instead of the same host every week, it turned MC duties over to a variety of gospel artists, such as Marie Knight, Archie Dennis, James Cleveland, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Georgia Louis (not all are included in this set, however). Also, rather than use only one studio, the program traveled from city to city to feature local choirs and groups without the expense of transporting them to headquarters, which the liner notes say was Chicago but it was always my understanding the show originated from the east coast.

What is especially significant about these episodes are that they include some of the only commercially available videos of all but forgotten singers, such as the baritone James Lowe and the Tears of Music of NYC, who appear on an early episode hosted by James Cleveland.

Other artists included in the two-DVD set include the Barrett Sisters with accompanist Roberta Martin, the Highway QCs, the Caravans, the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and the Thompson Community Singers.

Interspersed among the episodes, produced by Howard Schwartz with music direction by Washington Temple COGIC’s Alfred Miller, are a dozen segments from "Mahalia Jackson Sings," a short-lived program that in 1961 was among the earliest efforts to bring gospel music to a national audience. More vintage "Mahalia Jackson Sings" episodes are scheduled for release on DVD next week by Infinity Entertainment Group (TBGB will post a review of this set in a few days).

The Soul of the Church DVDs were made from Kinescopes, so the images are soggy and the music comes through in all of its lo-fi wonder. No matter. It's a very small sacrifice to see so many gospel pioneers and legends performing during their prime and to have them be part of your video collection. That these episodes were saved at all is a miracle, and that they are now available commercially is a blessing.

TBGB Pick of the Week: April 5, 2010

“I Believe”
Neal Roberson
From the Broken Chains Entertainment CD
Lord, I Thank You (2010)
www.BrokenChainsEntertainment.org

The bracing title track of Bishop Neal Roberson’s debut album, Lord, I Thank You, released last month on his new Broken Chains Entertainment imprint, is likely to be the single designate. The more musically interesting track from the album, to my ears, is “I Believe,” written by Pharis Evans, Jr., nephew of Rev. Dr. Clay Evans.

The performance draws on Roberson’s enthusiasm for the traditional sound by employing for its backdrop a quartet and the rollin’ and tumblin’ electric Chicago blues rhythm of Howlin’ Wolf. In fact, at any time during the song, one expects the ghost of Chester Burnett to let loose with his trademark “Weh-ellllll…” in that unforgettable gravelly growl. Instead, Robison and the quartet testify in bluesy moans that Jesus will fix it. And that's all right, too.

In Spite of Me - Michelle Bonilla

Michelle Bonilla
In Spite of Me
RockSoul Productions
(Digital Release: April 13, 2010)
www.myspace.com/michellebonillamusic

www.michellebonilla.com

On the opening track of her sophomore album, In Spite of Me, Michelle Bonilla declares to the heavens, “This is your show.” If life is a show, Bonilla is a superb MC.

Blend Damita Haddon with Selena and you have Michelle Bonilla, an urban contemporary gospel artist who oozes with talent. In Spite of Me drenches songs about living a meaningful, Christian life in explosive techno and thumping beats. Bonilla’s vocals range from coolly confident (“Your Show”) to self-consciously vulnerable (“I Am”). Lee Jerkins, Bonilla's husband and sought-after producer, handled production duties for the album.

“I Love You” is the album’s current urban contemporary single, and “You Don’t Have to Cry,” a single originally released in 2008, could easily become a CCM hit. The CD is one well-produced performance after another, demonstrating that Bonilla is an artist worth following.

Bonilla, whose mother and father are Dominican and Puerto Rican respectively, pays tribute to her heritage by singing one song in Spanish: the breathtaking ballad “Eres el Rey” (You are the King). She hopes to record a Spanish-language album one day.

An especially interesting selection is “My Generation.” It serves both as anthem for “Generation Now” and answer to the critics of today’s youth. Bonilla told TBGB in a recent interview, “We are told that we have potential but we’re not tapping into it, that we are not listening to our elders. But elders aren’t elders anymore. Grandma is 35 years old. Who is passing wisdom down to us? Is it that we don’t have potential or is it that do we not have the wisdom?”

One thing’s for sure: Bonilla has potential to spare. In Spite of Me demonstrates how easily she could become a serious pop contender. That she has chosen the music of faith and inspiration is a credit to her and a benefit to everyone.

Five of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “I Love You,” “You,” “You Don’t Have to Cry.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Baylor's Black Gospel Music Restoration Project...on iTunes U.

More love for the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, this time from St. Louis, home of Willie Mae Ford Smith, Brother Joe May, Martha and Fontella Bass, Rev. Cleophus Robinson (although he also lived in Chicago), and many others.

TBGB's Bob Marovich is interviewed as part of the story, from the St. Louis American. Read it here:

Black Gospel Music Restoration Project

Photo Credit: St. Louis American

The Gospel True Tones of Lexington, MS - No Friend Like Jesus

The Gospel True Tones of Lexington, MS
No Friend Like Jesus
Sharp Records 2009
www.sharprecordsusa.com

No Friend Like Jesus by the Gospel True Tones of Lexington, Mississippi, is another recent release from Sharp Records, an independent label out of Atlanta that, among other things, serves the gospel quartet community: singers, musicians, fans and radio angels. And if you know anything about quartet enthusiasts, they – like country music fans – are devoted body and soul to the music they love.

On No Friend Like Jesus, the parched, smoky and soulful vocals of lead singer Odessa “Bubba” Young lead the Gospel True Tones through seven tracks that encourage and teach while ladling out ample helpings of spicy, down-home singing and propulsive musicianship.

The opening track, “Can’t Beat God’s Giving,” steamrolls ahead with a strong lead by Young and tight harmonies by the group. “Witness” sounds like the quartet’s preferred “B” selection, with a driving tempo, sing-along lyrics, and percussive second guitar work by Chris Keys. An extended instrumental vamp at the conclusion sounds like the quartet exited the stage after a sweat-soaked performance.

“Moving On" contains strains of Sixties soul, like a modern day manifestation of the Gospel Classics’ “More Love, That’s What We Need” in its headshaking assessment of a “dog-eat-dog” world where “people are movin’ too fast/Tell me how long will this last?”

We northerners cannot completely appreciate how pervasive and popular the quartet sound is in the south and southeast. It is as much the soundtrack of the working-class as is country music: down to earth and honest, without any airs or contrivances. Unlike some country music, however, gospel quartet tends not to espouse a particular socio-political philosophy but revels instead in simple, mother-wit rules for surviving the life described in “Moving On.” Imprints such as Sharp give some of the many local and regional quartets a chance to record their music on something other than a vanity pressing.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Can’t Beat God’s Giving,” “Witness.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"Save Me" - Christawn feat. Micah Stampley

“Save Me”
Christawn feat. Micah Stampley
From the forthcoming CD Life Story
Abundant Harvest Entertainment/Universal Music Christian Group
(release date: May 18, 2010)

Guitars snarl and growl like demons unleashed during the introduction of Christawn’s autobiographical single, “Save Me,” a power rock piece about dumping the thug life of chasing “cars, cribs, cash” once and for all.

Micah Stampley shouts and cries out on the catchy chorus like a preacher calling off the demons as Christawn raps how his street life went from darkness to light one day in Philadelphia in 2003. In a press release, Christawn relates:

“I had a bundle of crack I had stashed in this brick wall.” He and a buddy were leaving the area when the cops caught them. “They threw us up against the car, took our money and put us in the back of the squad car and I’m thinking this is it,” he says. One of the cops went searching for the crack. “You could actually see where the bag was hanging out of the wall,” he explains. “He was putting his hand in holes and feeling around the wall. I just called on the Lord and said, ‘God, if you save me from going to jail, I will leave this life for good.’ The cop came back to the car and I’m thinking the worst. He says, ‘Get out of the car; this is your lucky day. Get out of here.’”

After the cops left, Christawn returned to the wall and pulled the stash. “I gave it to Buck. He owned Morse Street at the time. I said, ‘Man, this is it. I’m leaving.’ He tried to talk me out of leaving, but I refused to listen. He had some harsh words for me and I left. Two weeks later, Buck gets killed and two years later, the whole block was raided. They were all Bloods and now they are all facing 25 to life. So I know the Lord saved me for a reason.”

When he was set free from the police, Christawn relates on “Save Me,” “I learned that in the midst of my darkest hour, you heard my heart sorrowfully saying, ‘save me’.”

Today, Christawn is a member of the Bethany Baptist Church in South Jersey, and with the attention “Save Me” is getting on the radio, his Christian hip hop career is taking off, inspiring others with his story.