Sing, Sing in Glory - Mighty Sincere Voices

Mighty Sincere Voices
Sing, Sing in Glory
OverBoard Records 2009
overboardrecords@yahoo.com

The Mighty Sincere Voices, last featured on TBGB in July 2009, possess that soulful, languorous style of quartet singing that is as distinctly southern as the bluebonnet.

On their full-length project, Sing, Sing in Glory, the quartet from Navasota, Texas, made up mostly of men from the Creeks Family, delivers a handful of selections clearly developed during gospel programs where they can extend a song for maximum audience impact, or as long as time allows. “God Will Take Care” and “Lord, You Been Good” are two fine examples of the Mighty Sincere Voices eking every ounce of soulfulness out of their performance.

A couple of the songs on Sing, Sing in Glory riff a little on the classics. “God Specializes,” with its uniquely quartet arrangement, borrows from the popular Roberta Martin title. Memories of 1920s evangelist Washington Phillips working for the Lord and singing, “I sure do love my job” are conjured up on “Jesus Got Me Hired,” when the quartet answers lead singer Terrence Creeks that they “so do like my job.”

The group's sweet spot is the drive-tempo song, especially the title track, which has a hint of old-style quartet technique in the locomotive rhythm of its lyrics. “God’s Got a Blessing” and “Jesus Got Me Hired” benefit from the group’s up-tempo treatment and bumping backbeat. These are the types of arrangements that quartets use to finish their programs so the energy and spirit in the room are at their peak as they step down from the stage, waving handkerchiefs in gratitude to God and the appreciative audience.

Sing, Sing in Glory is nicely produced by Willie Elvin and Tyrone Creeks.  They keep the voices front and center so the quartet’s lyrical lessons, testimonies and reflections are clear and declarative.  Still, be sure to check out Tyrone Creeks’ awesome seething Hendrix-inspired lead guitar licks.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Sing, Sing in Glory,” “God’s Got a Blessing.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Teri Tobin - "Everyday"

Teri Tobin

“Everyday”

www.teritobin.biz

Arizona-born classically trained vocalist and former beauty pageant winner Teri Tobin delivers a luscious and atmospheric inspirational soul track. Her appealing and reassuring voice makes the patience needed to keep the faith worth bearing.

TBGB Pick of the Week: August 30, 2010

“Never Give Up”
Soul Tempo
From the CD Doing Our Father’s Business
http://www.soultemposingers.com/

Inspired by the smooth sounds of the Temptations and the Whispers, the sweet-singing contemporary group Soul Tempo was formed twenty-five years ago in New Haven, Connecticut. Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons named the group and signed them to his Rev. Run label. The ensemble also appeared in the film The Preacher’s Wife with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.

Soul Tempo has several CDs to its credit and a mile-long list of performance opportunities, including gigs at the Apollo, Kennedy Center and Radio City Music Hall. The group just completed Doing Our Father’s Business, a CD produced by five-time Grammy nominee Chris Davis.

“Never Give Up,” a single from the CD, is a slow, thoughtful ballad about God as the penultimate father, always looking out for His children. This well-crafted song, with its smooth pop groove and lullaby swing, feels as if it should be on a film soundtrack. The Preacher’s Wife II, perhaps?

Rev. Stefanie Minatee on Jubilation, "Still Standing" and Uncle Lawrence Roberts

by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Rev. Stefanie Minatee remembers being six years old and sitting in the First Baptist Church of Nutley, New Jersey during a live recording session featuring the church choir.

Her mother, Pearl Minatee, was a member of the choir and brought Stefanie along for the session.

It wasn’t just any live recording, however.

The day was Thursday, September 19, 1963. America was still shaken by the events of four days earlier, when a bomb planted by racists in Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church took the lives of four young girls. No doubt the tragedy was not far from the minds of Pearl and her fellow members of the Angelic Choir as they prepared for the recording, under the direction of Rev. Lawrence Roberts. The lead vocalist was James Cleveland.

The September 19 session produced one of the most momentous albums in gospel music history, Peace Be Still.  The album is still popular some 47 years later.

“Mother is an original member of the Angelic Choir,” Rev. Minatee told TBGB. “She was a member of a choir called the Voices of Faith that Rev. Roberts had before he started pastoring at First Baptist. The Voices of Faith was a community choir in Newark. When Rev. Roberts got the pastorate at First Baptist of Nutley, he took the Voices of Faith with him and they became the Angelic Choir.”

Pearl was present on the many Angelic Choir albums recorded throughout the 1960s.

“I remember vividly just sitting there as a little girl during those recording sessions with James Cleveland," Minatee reflected.  "Oh yes, most of my years I spent at Nutley, I listened to whoever was in town, whoever Uncle Lawrence was producing for Savoy at that time, as well.”

Uncle Lawrence?

“Rev. Lawrence Roberts was my pastor for over thirty years," Minatee explained. "He was like a surrogate father to me in the ministry. We are not blood related, but we might as well have been, that’s how close we were. Many of the Angelic Choir members were surrogate parents to me as I grew up in the First Baptist Church of Nutley. But he became ‘Uncle Lawrence’ to me because he nurtured me, watched me grow, and helped me develop into what I am doing now."

What Minatee is doing now is multi-faceted. She’s associate minister at the Community Baptist Church in Englewood, NJ and a vocal music teacher in the Plainfield, NJ public school district. “This September will be my 28th year of teaching,” Minatee said.

She's also the founder and leader of Jubilation, a choir whose The Launch Out Project (Habakkuk Records) earned a Stellar nomination in 2009. The group also backed Queen Latifah on the title track of the various artists compilation, Oh Happy Day: All-Star Music Celebration (EMI Gospel/Vector Recordings).  That project garnered a Grammy Award last year.

Minatee explained how Jubilation became involved in Oh Happy Day.

“Queen Latifah has roots at First Baptist Church of Nutley. She and her mother were members of the church under Rev. Roberts’ pastorage. Rev. Roberts did the funeral when Queen’s brother [Lancelot, Jr.] passed away, and she and her mother joined the church. When they joined, I was directing the adult choir. Rita Owens, Queen’s mother, became a member of my choir. At that time, I didn’t even know who Queen Latifah was. She was just getting started in her career. We became friends all those years ago.

“When I started Jubilation, Rita auditioned and joined the choir. So when they asked Queen to be on [Oh Happy Day], she asked me what songs she should do and if we would back her up. So that’s how we got on Oh Happy Day.

“Queen Latifah flew us out to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony and it was just awesome. A month before that, we sang at the Super Bowl with her, so it’s been an incredible year for Jubilation.”

Jubilation is currently working on a new CD with an anticipated release date of January 2011.

“I’m still contemplating what the title of the CD will be," Minatee said.  "Most of these songs [on the CD] will be traditional, some contemporary, but mostly praise and worship themes so people can put the CD on before they go to church, or if they don’t go to church that day, it will usher them right into worship.

"It will be like a church service. I’m doing more exhorting between songs, I’m doing much more preaching on this CD, similar to what you would hear Rev. Roberts do on his recordings."

She continued. “Rev. Lawrence Roberts is still alive in me and what I do. He coined the phrase, ‘Gospel music should never be used to entertain, but to enlighten.’ He said gospel music was good news for bad times, and I want the people to feel the presence of God in our music.”

“Still Standing" is the first single from the new project.

“I heard 'Still Standing' at last year’s National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in Las Vegas," Minatee said. "I was so floored by the song that I asked the composer, A. Jeffrey LaValley, who is a gospel music icon, if it had been recorded yet, and he said no. I asked his permission for Jubilation to record the song because it has a tremendous message. It’s timely, for right now. Everybody can relate to it. Jeff allowed us to record it, and everybody who has heard it loves it.”

On the recording, Minatee makes “Still Standing” her personal testimony. “Last summer, my blood sugar was 400 and the doctor wanted to put me on insulin. I could not fathom having to take a needle every day, so I prayed and asked God to help me. I also changed my eating habits. I drank, and still drink, nothing but water. I got rid of sweets, I got rid of beef, I got rid of fried foods and to this date, I’ve lost 70 pounds. My blood sugar has dropped 250 points.

“'Still Standing' is a living testimony because the doctor said that I could have gone into a sugar coma, I really should have been out of here. But because of the grace of God and because of changing my eating habits, I’m still standing.”

Carlton Fellows - Just Givin' Praise

Carlton Fellows
Just Givin’ Praise
Total Praise Music 2006
(216) 253-5250

You may know Carlton Fellows from his songwriting (GMWA Women of Worship, e.g.), from his leadership as a choir director, as a singer, or from all three categories. No matter how you know him, you will agree that the Cleveland, Ohio artist has a knack for combining traditional and contemporary gospel in a way that pleases enthusiasts from both camps.

What Fellows has going for him, most of all, is his powerful and dramatic voice. This, along with three of his compositions, are present on his solo CD, Just Givin’ Praise.

Originally released in 2006 but still in print, Just Givin’ Praise demonstrates that Fellows can match high-energy background vocalists with drive and vigor, but also render the more contemplative gospel ballad. For example, “Call Him” riffs on “Jesus is on the Mainline” with a deliciously retro feeling in its funky bass lines, while “He’s Never Failed Me Yet” showcases Fellows’ more churchy style.

The churchy songs are where Fellows is at his best. He delivers gospel songs flatfooted in a husky and expressive baritone that meets the improvisational nuances and dynamics that make for engaging and interactive performances. “God Will Take Care of You,” “How I Want the Lord to Find Me,” and “It Will Be Worth It All” are three examples on Just Givin’ Praise where the bigness of Fellows voice astonishes. His vocal arrangements for the album are also superb, clearly the product of years of choral arranging in Cleveland, the city that produced none other than the Wings Over Jordan.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “How I Want the Lord to Find Me.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"Only One I Need" - Jay White

“Only One I Need”
Jay White
From the CD Larger Than Life
Intercession Music 2010
http://www.jaylwhite.com/

Jay White and his background vocalists play it cool and jazzy on this melodic and contemporary gospel testimony to God, the “one and only.”  From Long Island, the multi-talented White goes into falsetto voice and pretty much stays there to deliver a sincere message of singular faith: no matter what you call Him, God is "the only one I need."

Avery*Sunshine - A Message for Musicians

Besides hearing her message to musicians waiting for their season to arrive, it's great to know that Avery*Sunshine accompanies herself on the piano. 

You have to have talent and training to do that.  Think Alicia Keys, Tori Amos, Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin.

52+ Mistakes People Made Before They Got... - Steven Harris

Steven Harris
52+ Mistakes People Made Before They Got…
Bro. Steve Press 2010
156 pp., Illustrations

If you don’t know who Steven Harris is, you haven’t been that involved in gospel music lately, have you?

Harris, known in the industry as “Bro. Steve,” is a Los Angeles-based radio host, producer, consultant, president of the Southern California chapter of the Gospel Announcers Guild and quintessential entrepreneur. He is a smiling, familiar sight at the Gospel Music Worship of America, selling DVDs on the music business, church management and the like.  His gospel video productions are top-notch.

Bro. Steve is also an author. His newly-released book, 52+ Mistakes People Made Before They Got..., is success literature meets reverse psychology. In other words, this practical and easy read is a compendium of what not to do to realize your goals. The pages are packed with “shoulda’s” – some serious, others just plain funny – but all will resonate with readers young and old, because every one of us has erected one or a dozen of these self-imposed stumbling-blocks to our own success at one time or another.

The 52+ stories are not necessarily Bro. Steve’s confessions, but are contributed by people he’s interviewed and callers to his radio program. Topics range from business to family to relationships to life choices. Some are common sense and others are tough lessons learned. Each kernel of truth is accompanied by a worksheet so readers can jot down their own experiences with each misstep.  The bottom line: learn from your (and others') mistakes and know that failure is not final but brings you one step closer to your goal.

Throughout, Bro. Steve peppers inspirational messages from former presidents, inventors, business leaders and thought-influencers such as Napoleon Hill (“Think and Grow Rich”). It’s the kind of book you can pick up and flip through at random whenever you need a shot in the arm or a gentle kick in the trousers.

Ultimately, what you find reading through the many mistakes Bro. Steve chronicles is that the most important thing to be is a good steward of your God-given resources, whether they be money, time, skills, talents, friendships, health, wisdom or love. Good stewardship of resources is the path to success.

Erica Reed - The Time is Now

Erica Reed
The Time is Now
EDP Productions 2009
http://www.ericareed.org/

Erica Reed is a fine singer who comes from a family of church leaders.  She possesses a sassy pop style that gives the collection of praise and prayer songs on her CD, The Time is Now, finger-popping attitude.

Eschewing background vocalists, Reed simply multi-tracked her own voice, weaving her harmonizing alter ego in and out of the melodies like a fugue. This technique is particularly effective on “God Is Using Me.”

Reed’s sound is ideally suited for the album’s R&B-fueled songs “My God is Everything,” the catchy “Walk By Faith,” and “Anything But Fail.” The delightful “Holding On to My Faith” is the album’s finest track, with a repeating sample of what sounds like a slide guitar supporting Reed’s playful soprano. The soulfulness of “Been So Good” runs a close second.

On “Where Would My Life Be,” the music and Reed’s singing come close to sounding like what would have happened had Cheryl Lynn (“Got to be Real”) joined the East St. Louis Gospelettes. It’s an interesting analogy, too, because Reed is actually from the St. Louis area.

The instrumentation on The Time is Now is minimal. Electronic keys, guitars, samples and beats are applied lightly, although Reed’s use of repetitive samples makes the album more fascinating. I’m not usually a fan of heavier bass, but here it would have warmed up the album's ambience.

In fact, it would be a treat to hear Erica Reed, along with her multi-tracked self and infectious repeating samples, put in the capable production hands of an Asaph Ward, Sanchez Harley or PAJAM. Whoa, now there’s a hit record in the making!

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Holding On to My Faith,” “Been So Good,” “Walk By Faith.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Robert "Sugar" Hightower - Rest in Peace

Zadella "Mama" Curtis reported this evening that Robert "Sugar" Hightower passed away.

As Michael Jackson was to the Jackson Five, "Sugar" Hightower was to the Hightower Brothers (below).  He led the group's early recordings for Nashboro Records with a pre-pubescent alto that he coupled with a diminutive quartet growl.  Hightower went on to play guitar for Slim and the Supreme Angels.

According to the Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus, Hightower died Tuesday night, August 24, at Wayne Memorial Hospital.


Arrangements are pending at E.M. Matthews Funeral Home and Cremations Inc.

Please keep the Hightower Family and friends lifted in prayer during this difficult time.

Father, Son and the Holy Spirit: Bishop Leonard and Bryant Scott on My Worship Experience

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

On September 14, 2010, the world will have a chance to hear what worshippers enjoyed last August when Tyscot Records releases My Worship Experience.

It’s a two-CD set that represents what can take place when top-shelf gospel singers such as Joann Rosario-Condrey, Lucinda Moore and Damita and Deitrick Haddon gather with praisers, clergy and congregants to participate in a church experience unlike any other.

The father and son team, Dr. Leonard S. and Bryant Scott, spoke to TBGB last week about the new project and about the origins of their label, Tyscot Records, billed as the longest-running African American-owned record company in the U.S.

The August 2009 worship experience was Bryant’s vision. “God dropped the idea in my spirit at least five years ago," he explained.  "At church you have the praise team, you have the music section, and then the minister comes out and delivers the sermon. What bothers me is that when worship is going on, the man of God is not even in the sanctuary. He’s waiting for an entrance to bring forth the word. In the Bible, when David and others worshipped, everybody was involved in the totality of the worship experience.

"What God dropped in my spirit was to merge the music and the word so that they are not two separate parts of the worship experience but joined together.”

Bryant put his ideas into action during Tyscot’s inaugural Harmony Music + Business Conference, held in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 6-8, 2009. “This conference brought together knowledgeable professionals to impart information to those who might further their careers in the gospel industry,” Leonard said.

Bryant continued. “[At the Harmony Conference] we held this night of worship where music and exhortation, or the bringing forth of the Word, were intermingled. You had music and the Word, and the whole experience was just phenomenal. Everybody was involved from top to bottom and the spirit of the Lord just fell in the place.”

My Worship Experience is the first project of its kind for Tyscot Records. “In fact, the project was an afterthought,” Bryant said. “We did not go into the service with the intention of doing a CD. We intended to do a service like this, and we happened to record it. Now we have an album.”

Leonard added, “So what you hear on My Worship Experience is the music as well as the artists’ powerful testimonies and their comments on the songs. What is edited out of most recordings is on our recording.”

"It has become a mandate that God has given me,” Bryant said, “to preach, if you will, this concept of worship and get others around the country to join in.

“The biggest discord in many of our churches today is between the minister of music and the pastor. It goes back Biblically to the discord between God and Satan, as God’s main worship leader. We need to stop fighting inside our churches, where the music department wants to do it this way and the pastor wants to do it that way. What if it’s one agenda to create an atmosphere of superb worship to our King?”

Leonard said, “I also think that worship, even in the local church setting, is changing. Television has a lot to do with that. Before television, our experience was limited to our particular church. You were in your service when everyone else was in their service. But television lets you see other people’s services, how they worship. You can take some of the good things that others do and incorporate them into your service.

“Worship is more and more about congregational participation. If you go way back, nobody participated in the service but the preacher. He said everything, he did everything and you just sat there. In fact, years ago in the Catholic Church they spoke in Latin, so you didn’t even know what the priest was saying! Today, everybody participates in the worship service. The person on the platform is leading us as we all sing, as we all lift hands, as we all dance, as we all participate. I believe that Biblically that’s a much better paradigm than the one of sitting there and listening to Latin!”

Has television also contributed to interdenominational cross-fertilization? “Absolutely,” Leonard answered. “You used to be able to tell what kind of worship service a church was going to have if it was Baptist or Pentecostal. Not anymore.”

The first single from My Worship Experience is the poignant “I Need You Now." It features one group that wasn’t at the Harmony Conference: the Indiana Celebration Mass Choir. “Rodney Bryant put the choir together,” Leonard explained. “They are on the single but they did not actually sing at the service. We added them to the recording later because we needed more voices on the song.”

What does Bryant want listeners to learn from the CD? “That it’s time to stop playing church. Worship is not just to be done within four walls and it’s not just for a particular time during the week. Worship should be our lifestyle. The project starts out by defining praise and worship. Then it moves into worship as a lifestyle and, ultimately, into worship through giving your life. At the end of the day, you have to give your life. Not just a one time, ‘Lord, I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior,’ but a daily walk. It’s about changing your lifestyle so that all your steps are ordered by God.”

Although the CD isn’t officially available until September, some have purchased it directly from Tyscot when the company has been on the road, fulfilling engagements. “We’ve been getting nothing but great responses so far,” Bryant said, then laughed. “I don’t know how to take it sometimes. People will come up to me and say, ‘Wow, this is a really great CD,’ and I think, ‘Okay, you didn’t expect it to be?’” Noted Leonard, “We feel the project is pretty strong. Now we’ll see what God does with it.”

TBGB asked Leonard and Bryant about the origins of their label, Tyscot Records.

"Tyscot Records started out as a way for us to record our church, Christ Church Apostolic of Indianapolis,” Leonard said. “After that, other artists asked to be on our label and it kind of evolved from there. As I look back now, I see that the Lord’s hand was in it. Back then, it was just a way to get our church record out.”

In addition to Christ Church Apostolic, the earliest Tyscot artists were Truth and Devotion of Anderson, Indiana, the Pentecostal Ambassadors, and Robert Turner and the Silver Hearts of Indianapolis.

But times were not easy for the label during the early years.

“Back in 1988,” Bryant recalled, “I was on a path to be a dentist, just like my father, who has been a practicing dentist since 1974. I finished my undergraduate work and was accepted to dental school, so I worked for the record company during the summer.

“I remember going to my dad’s office to get some money to pay the bills because the record company wasn’t generating enough money to pay any bills at that time. Dad was writing the check and he looked up and said, ‘You know what, this record company thing has gotten out of hand and I think I’m going to close it down. It’s just too expensive.’ I was only an intern but something grabbed my heart right then when he said that. I decided to pray about what he had told me. I prayed and fasted for a week. God came back and said, ‘Help your father.’

“So I called the dental school to see if they would hold my place for a year and they said they wouldn’t. I’d have to reapply. Obviously working for the company became very permanent for me at that point, but God has been blessing us ever since. In 1988, the company was grossing under $50,000 a year, and in a few short years it did a million. God is faithful.”

Pilgrim Baptist Church Sues Illinois

More on the unbelievable mess surrounding then-Governor Blagojevich's promise to help Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church with

$1 million after a January 2006 fire destroyed the historic structure.

Pilgrim Baptist Church

TBGB Pick of the Week: August 23, 2010

“Call Him Up”
Keith Pringle
From the Platform Music Group CD
Nothing Too Hard for God (available October 5, 2010)

After a fifteen-year hiatus from recording, gospel singer and choir guru Keith Pringle is back with a brand new project, Nothing Too Hard for God.

Pringle reprises some of his earlier gospel hits on this recording, including the classic choir workout, “Call Him Up.” It’s a spot-on reading that captures the excitement that made the original a church standard, with its propulsive and funky bass line and bursts of thunderous singing.

Pastor T.L. Barrett & Youth For Christ Choir: Like a Ship...(Without a Sail)

Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir
Like a Ship…(Without a Sail)
Light in the Attic Records 2010
http://www.lightintheattic.net/

This CD reissue of the 1971 vanity LP (and crate-digger favorite) by Pastor Barrett and the young people’s choir from Chicago’s Mount Zion Baptist Church shows what a profound influence Edwin Hawkins and the Northern California State Youth Choir of COGIC had on the modernization of gospel music after their "Oh Happy Day" became a surprise runaway hit in 1969.

In less than two years, the west coast revolution reached the city limits of Chicago, birthplace of the gospel chorus and home to some of the churchiest ensembles ever to sit behind the pastor.  In their midst was Mount Zion’s Youth For Christ Choir. Here, tambourines shook in metronomic motion to a laid-back musical soundtrack that had more in common with Sly Stone than the Soul Stirrers.

On the album, the Youth For Christ choir sings with energy and exuberance, but the talented musicians and Pastor Barrett’s lead vocals are what really sell it. Soul icons Philip Upchurch and Richard Evans lay down funky bass lines while Gary Jones blends the sacred and secular with stylish flourishes on the keys. Barrett gives the proceedings a taste of the old school with his lead vocals on songs such as “Wonderful,” the album’s true gem. A sung testimony, “Wonderful” is quintessentially Chicago in Barrett's studied timing and range of dynamics, a gospel art song in the truest sense of the form.

The pastor also shows deftness on the keyboard, which I’ll return to in a moment. Gene Barge, whose talent graced Chess Records, supervised an album that, though it didn’t sell in the numbers of Edwin Hawkins’ debut, was just as rich, musically satisfying, envelope-pushing and -- most importantly -- reached the youth in ways their parents' gospel could not.

Praise be to Light in the Attic Records for reissuing this album with care and respect, and to Chicago’s Peter Margasak for his thoughtful and well-researched article on Pastor Barrett and the evolution of the album.

The final track, “Blessed Quietness,” is a jazzy instrumental on which Barrett plays piano in subconscious homage to COGIC keyboard wizard Geraldine Gay Hambric. In these last few minutes, Like A Ship (Without a Sail) suggests that while the album’s vibe may be rustling with Bay Area breezes, the soul is 100 percent Chi-town.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Wonderful,” “Blessed Quietness.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"Looking Forward to Another Day" - DeWitt Johnson

“Looking Forward to Another Day”
DeWitt Johnson
From the Jay Records CD
Looking Forward to Another Day (2010)
www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DeWittJohnson

At the age of eight, North Carolina native DeWitt Johnson was trampled by a horse, leaving him deaf in one ear. As an adult, his eighteen-wheeler jackknifed and plummeted off the road. Thankfully, Johnson survived both incidents and even got his hearing back after a time.

So when he sings “Looking Forward to Another Day,” from the album of the same name, it’s no small thing. The song is lightly but infectiously polyrhythmic, has a catchy chorus and is as optimistic as the title suggests. Angela Davis and Willie Hill assist with vocals.

Provision - Devotion

Provision

Devotion (2010)

www.myspace.com/demalbanyboyz

Provision is a five-member contemporary quartet from Albany, Georgia. The group’s harmonies conjure memories of Commissioned but their style has the churchy bounce and hard-shouting to please traditionalists.

In fact, I cannot decide who shouts harder: Cornelious Drake or Jeffrey Newberry, Jr.  Both give Clarence Fountain and the late Bob Washington a run for their money.  But one thing's for sure: members of Provision are clearly fans and serious students of old-school classic quartets like the Gospel Keynotes, Violinaires, and Slim and the Supreme Angels.

As if to prove the point, the strongest tracks on their full-length project, Devotion, are three drive-tempo songs: “Room at the Cross,” “Packin’ Up!” and “I’m Going Home.” “Packin’ Up” is an excellent cover of the Ward Singers’ classic that is guaranteed to get listeners on their feet and clapping along. Same with “I’m Going Home,” which links the ying and yang of contemporary and traditional quartet seamlessly.

Guest artists populate Devotion.  The bluesy “Telephone” (aka “Jesus is on the Mainline”) features Pastor Earl Hallmon, and Teddy Cross leads “My Life Will be Sweeter.” The testosterone-heavy project concludes with some female can-do as Memphian Lisa Knowles (of Lisa Knowles & GIC) steps in to give “God Will Make a Way” some gospel chutzpah.

Provision is one of those rare young groups that can get over with enthusiasts of contemporary quartet as well as traditional. They're keeping the old sound alive and relevant at the same time.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Room at the Cross,” “Packin’ Up!,” “I’m Going Home.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

The Rhythm Road Wants YOU!

From a press release:

Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) and The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs are pleased to collaborate for a sixth year on The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad.

JALC is now accepting band applications for the 2010-11 season. American music quartets from throughout the United States specializing in jazz, urban/hip hop, bluegrass, blues, Cajun, country, gospel, and zydeco are invited to apply for the opportunity to tour internationally and share their music with the world.

Auditions will be held in New York City at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center and, for the first time in the history of the program, in New Orleans. More information will be available in upcoming weeks at jalc.org/TheRoad.

When:
November 1, 2010 Application deadline
December 17, 2010 Selected ensembles invited to live auditions
January 16-18, 2011 Auditions in New York City
January 20-21, 2011 Auditions in New Orleans
January 28, 2011 Announcement of finalist ensembles for 2010-11 Rhythm Road tours
April-June 2011 & September 2011-February 2012 Domestic performances and international touring

Where/How:
For additional information plus photos and video on the program, applications, previous tours, and more, visit The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad at jalc.org/TheRoad.

Musicians inquiring about applications can call 212-258-9899 or email: theroad@jalc.org.

"Lost Souls" - Kevon Carter

“Lost Souls”

Kevon Carter

From the CD Philippians 4:13

www.myspace.com/kevoncarter

Taking on the persona of a newbie to the church, Kevin Carter sings in “Lost Souls” what some are afraid to talk about.

When the lost soul is met by church folk at all, it’s with glaring disapproval for what he wears, what he does and for wearing braids. Carter ripostes with remarks about the hypocrisy of a congregation that has the nerve to criticize him when their actions make them no more perfect than he (gee whiz, this never happens, does it?!)

“Lost Souls” is a song mixed with head-shaking sadness, regret but also hope. In the end, at least the soul seeking salvation doesn’t lose his will to know God. He just decides to watch church on television, and catch some episodes of “Bobby Jones," instead.  It's compelling songwriting: grabs your attention and doesn't let go.

You may be unfamiliar with the Chicago-based Carter, but that’s because he is usually behind the scenes writing songs for the likes of DeWayne Woods and the Chicago Mass Choir. His “I Cannot Tell It All” for Chicago Mass was covered by the southern gospel group, the Talley Trio. Carter is now in front of the microphone on his debut album, Philippians 4:13, from which this single is taken.

Poor Pilgrim (Baptist Church) of Sorrow...

Lisa Donovan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church is still waiting for the $1 million in state money promised by former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

The pledge came immediately after the January 2006 fire that devastated the historic church, where the music department was once graced by the likes of Thomas A. Dorsey, James Cleveland and Edward Boatner.

The bottom line: poor Pilgrim Baptist still can't seem to catch a break...

Read the article: Pilgrim Baptist Church

Photo: Pilgrim Baptist Church, pre-fire.

Debra Ashley - New Birth

Debra Ashley

New Birth

Habakkuk Music, Inc. 2010

www.habakkukmusic.com

It took the appearance of an angel in a dream to convince Debra Ashley that singing was her calling. 

Perhaps it was this apparition, and the life transformation that followed, which inspired the title of Ashley’s sophomore CD, New Birth, now available on April Washington-Essex's Habakkuk Music.

Certainly a portion of the album’s lyrics speak to the importance of hanging on to one’s faith, whether to achieve a goal, realize a dream or just make it through the day.  The best example on the album is the current single, “Do It Afraid.”  It is a delicate, lovely and instructional ballad that encourages listeners to move toward their destiny (e.g., new birth) with courage, knowing that God has their back.  Likewise, “He’s Able” urges one to “hold on, be strong” for the same reason, while “Weather the Storm” cloaks the message in metaphor.

While Ashley wrote most of the songs for the album, she was more than ably assisted by Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award-winners Fred Hammond and Kevin Bond, who produce their own compositions on New Birth: “Weather the Storm” and “So Thankful,” respectively.

“Do It Afraid” is the CD's strongest track, though “I Found Love” and “A Letter to God” are musically similar to the single.  The former is a love song to Jesus (suitable as a wedding song) and the latter is about exactly what its title suggests.  Like “Do It Afraid,” both illustrate Ashley’s penchant for delicately wrapping her candy-delicious soprano around a set of lyrics as if she is singing to an audience of you.

Musically, New Birth is polished smooth and refined, with musicians that give the contents a quiet storm groove, which fits quite well with Ashley’s urban AC vocals.

Albums such as Debra Ashley's New Birth confirm my belief that gospel ought to be called the music of “encouragement and inspiration,” a more proactive moniker, rather than “hope and inspiration” or “love and inspiration.”  If we ever needed encouragement, it's today.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks:  “Do It Afraid,” “I Found Love.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Lucinda Moore Talks About New CD/DVD, Her Singing Roots, Lady Tramaine

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Singer Lucinda Moore released her sophomore CD, Blessed, Broken & Given, in April.  The album, recorded live at Atlanta's Elizabeth Baptist Church, is available on Tyscot Records, Moore's label home since 2006.

Moore spoke with TBGB about the new album (and companion DVD) and also shared reminiscences about her early days in gospel music.

It was as a child, growing up in the Fire Baptized Holiness Church, when Moore began developing her musical style.

“[Fire Baptist Holiness] has had a major impact on my sound," she said.  "I have been developing my style since I was four years old.  I believe in going back to your roots and just staying there, and using it in everything that you are doing.  But I also listened to singers like Walter Hawkins and Tramaine Hawkins, and ended up backing Tramaine at the age of 17.  These were the people who influenced my singing."

Lady Tramaine was more than a musical influence to the aspiring gospel artist.

"She's like a mother figure to me," Moore recalled.  "Back then, everywhere I’d go, people thought I was her daughter because she and I looked so much alike!  Tramaine was a wonderful tool in my life as far as getting to the place where I am now.

"When I started doing background for her at 17, I was a different person.  I looked different, I was a young tomboy.  Believe it or not, I wore a baseball cap, and at the time, when they had the gold tooth, I was wearing that, too.  She made me take all of that off and she took me shopping and said, 'I’m going to teach you how to be dainty.'  She put me in heels, she put me in girly skirts, I mean it was wonderful.  And I have been like that ever since.  Now you can’t get me out of that skirt now!  I love dressing and I love looking good, but I don’t do it for other people, I do it for myself."

Moore also described how the single, "Blessed, Broken & Given," not only ended up on the new album but also served as its title and first single.

"At the time of the live recording, my producer [Robert "JoJo" Hill] presented me with a song, 'Blessed, Broken & Given.'  I thought about that song, I listened to the words of that song and found that it ministered to my 'right now,' at that moment. At the time, I was going through a divorce and it really touched my heart.  So I told [Hill], we have got to put this song on the CD.  It ended up becoming the title of the project and the first single."

Like every artist, Moore hoped her album would do well, but even she was surprised that it ministered to so many people.  "Even today, I have gotten a few emails about the CD.  Every time I go to a church, there are people in the congregation that tell me, 'I was going through some things and I put on your CD and it really ministered to me,' or 'It changed my whole atmosphere,' or something like that.  It’s just amazing how it touches peoples lives all over the world."

Blessed, Broken & Given has the pacing of a praise and worship service.  "The people that were there – the singers, the band, everybody – it was a worship experience at the live recording.  It was so amazing.  Even the pastor of the church said, 'We have never experienced anything like this before.'  Watch the DVD and you will see what I’m talking about."

What does Moore want the listener to learn from the project?

“I want them to walk away knowing that there is healing in the atmosphere," Moore said.  "Whatever you are going through, if your heart is still broken, if you have been battered and abused, if you’ve been raped or molested, know that there is healing.  God has healing for you.  You don’t have to stay in the hurt and the pain that you are in right now.  I believe that by just listening to the music and the words that you will be immediately healed, without anybody laying hands on you.”

What has Moore learned during her own period of hurt and healing?

"Life has taught me to forgive," she reflected.  "That was the number one thing I had to do with everything and everybody who has hurt me in my life.  I had to learn how to forgive and move on.  If you stay in the past, you will never be able to get to your destiny.  You have to forgive in order to move on with your life.  You can’t stay there. 

"I have to look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Lucinda, get busy for the kingdom.  Stop thinking about everything that has happened to you, stop giving yourself a pity party, and you are not a victim.'  I have to keep telling myself, 'You are not a victim.  Get up and get working for Christ.'"

"Who Am I" - Jack Yates

“Who Am I”
Jack Yates

From the LeRae Records CD The Journal of Jack Yates (2010)

www.leraerecords.com

Although he is now a worship leader at the 10,000 member Victory Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Jack Yates cut his gospel teeth in Minnesota as part of the talented ensemble James Grear & Company. 

“Who Am I,” a single from Yates’ first solo project, The Journal of Jack Yates, is a delicate but soulfully rendered inspirational ballad reminiscent of Isaac Carree and Carnell Murrell.  The personal lyrics make you feel as if you are eavesdropping on Yates’ evening prayers.

I had an opportunity to hear this young vocalist at Mack Mason’s Gospel Trade Symposium earlier this year and was impressed by the passion he puts into his live performance and the humility with which he approaches his craft.  Both are exceptional characteristics for any artist.  

TBGB Pick of the Week: August 16, 2010

“It’s About Time for a Miracle”
Beverly Crawford
From the JDI Records CD Live From Los Angeles – Vol. 2
(release date: September 14, 2010)
www.myspace.com/jdirecords

In an era of sequels, Beverly Crawford’s Live From Los Angeles – Vol. 2 is one we look forward to hearing.

The original Live From Los Angeles was impressive as a CD and DVD. If Vol. 2’s first single, “It’s About Time for a Miracle” is any indication, the follow-up will be just as powerful. Here, the Grammy and Stellar Award-winning gospel powerhouse Crawford has church, shaking the rafters with a hand-clapping, holy-dancing Pentecostal workout. The false ending hearkens back to Mattie Moss Clark and her Southwest Michigan State Choir.

"It's About Time for a Miracle" is another example of JDI Records' knack for culling phrases from church vernacular to use as song titles.

"I Need You Now" - Bishop Leonard S. Scott

“I Need You Now”
Bishop Leonard S. Scott
From the forthcoming CD
Bishop Leonard Scott Presents My Worship Experience
(in stores September 14, 2010)
http://www.tyscot.com/

Tyscot’s Bishop Leonard Scott assembles a team of top talent to help him deliver this anthemic plea to God for immediate intercession.

Lil’ Mo, Phillip Bryant, Damita Haddon and Lamar Campbell are among the artists who contribute their voices to the song, which in its heartwarming simplicity is motion picture soundtrack-ready.

Bonus: by changing the “I” to “We,” church choirs can transform the anthem into a communal cry for help in the midst of life’s storms.

Big 7 - The Secret Place of Thunder

Big 7
The Secret Place of Thunder
Sixx1 Arts 2010
http://www.lets-pause.com/

Anyone who has seen Iowa-based gospel rap artist Big 7 knows about the trademark white hand towel he wears over his left shoulder. Those who have heard Big 7 recognize a rapper who deserves a closer look, especially when he spits rapid-fire rhymes with attitude.

In truth, the finest moments on Big 7’s The Secret Place of Thunder, the coolest gospel album title of 2010, are when he channels his tough rhymes and unflappable attitude into teaching opportunities. Big 7 chronicles – as do many holy hip hop projects – the protagonist’s transition from street life, or at minimum the allure and temptation of street life, to a righteous existence.  The title is a reference to Psalms 81:7 (“You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder.”) and serves as the project’s overarching theme.

While Big 7 rhymes after having chosen the straight and narrow, he is besieged – also like many gospel rappers – by the haters who liked him better when he was unsaved. Big 7 has plenty to say to them.  On the opening track, “Chauncey’s Song (Flyin’ Away),” the artist as disembodied voice taunts his haters by describing what he imagines Heaven to be, reminding them that they are heading to a place that is not so nice.

Big 7 rhymes that righteous living also applies to dating (“A Classy Affair”) and getting ahead (“Success Effect," the radio-friendly selection on the album). The title track is a fiercely spat summary of the album, during which Big 7 delivers a not-so-subtle warning to haters, including church folk who aren’t as Christian as they appear.

The liner notes are meager, and it doesn’t appear that other rappers are involved, although a pleasant female voice appears on a couple of tracks. And at least on the copy I reviewed, the track list was incorrect and matching the selection to its place on the CD took puzzle-solving skills. I suspect that if the next album incorporates a more professional design and features other prominent holy hip hop artists as guests, Big 7 can extend his impact because he certainly has the chops.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Lead Me On,” “The Secret Place of Thunder.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Choose Hope - "Dr. T." Tonya Armstrong

“Dr. T.” Tonya Armstrong
Choose Hope
Overflowing Hope Music 2009
http://www.armstrongcenterforhope.com/

Remember in Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, where the person with five talents went out and secured five more, and God was pleased?

I'm pretty certain that God is pleased with Dr. Tonya Armstrong.

That passage came to mind immediately after reading Armstrong’s curriculum vitae. A music major from Yale (like gospel violinist Kersten Stevens), she went on to secure a masters and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UNC – Chapel Hill and a masters in theology from Duke University Divinity School.

She also directed, wrote and arranged for the Yale Gospel Choir and an acappella group called Shades. She helps people overcome depression, conducts workshops through her Armstrong Center for Hope, writes songs, rocks a stunning ‘do, and sings.  I'm exhausted just writing about all that she does.
Armstrong’s debut solo recording, Choose Hope, shows her affection for the hymns of the church. It opens with a light jazz version of Fanny Crosby’s classic “Blessed Assurance” and includes a straightforward reading of “It Is Well With My Soul.” “Papa’s Medley,” dedicated to her grandfather, Edwin D. Durham, combines several popular hymns, though the real plum in the medley is the “Peace Meditation.” It’s not what you’d expect. Here Armstrong, who up to this point in the CD has sung in a crystal clear, delicate, vibrato-less soprano, gets gospel bluesy.  Her piano accompanist is tops.

While you can tell Armstrong has a trained voice from the first few notes on the album, her forays into bluesy runs are what’s most captivating about Choose Hope. This is especially true on “Choose You This Day” and the album’s highlight cut, the gospel waltz “He’s So Real,” the latter being the most ideal setting for her voice. Throughout, the arrangements are understated and calming, ensuring that the CD can serve as a tool for ministry and meditation, religion and spiritual reflection.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “He’s So Real.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Kurt Carr Headlines Summer Gospel Concert Series in La Puente, CA

Attention, California readers: 

St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church is hosting a Summer Gospel Concert Series.  The event is $20 and runs the nights of August 21 & 22, 2010.

Top names Kurt Carr, Tramaine Hawkins and Norman Hutchins are featured artists.

The address is:
St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church
1720 N. Walnut Ave.
La Puente, CA 91744
(626) 918-3225

For more info, visit http://www.stsbc.org/.

"All of Me" - B. Chase Williams feat. ShaBach

“All of Me”
B. Chase Williams feat. ShaBach
From the Mellie’s Boy Musik Group CD R3 (2010)
www.facebook.com/bchasewilliams

After a decade-long wait, B. Chase Williams fans will be pleased to hear that the Cincinnati-born singer and his group, ShaBach, are back with a new album: R3 – Redeemed! Reconciled! Released!

The current singles from the album are “Crazy Praise” and “All of Me.” 

“All of Me” is a pleasant, bright and tuneful CCM-infused mid-tempo ballad that showcases Williams’ lovely and flexible tenor.  Here, Williams gives everything – mind, body and soul – as "a living sacrifice" to his Lord so he can be used to “do anything.”

Those who enjoy Forever Jones' latest single, "He Wants It All," will enjoy "All of Me" because the two songs share similarities both melodically and thematically.

Merge Summit August 26-28 to Bring Together Gospel, Entertainment Industries

What do Kirk Franklin and Brian Courtney Wilson have in common with Harry Lennix and Chrisette Michele?

They are all confirmed presenters for the second Merge Summit, to be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles August 26 to 28.

Dr. Holly Carter (right), founder and chairman of the event, spoke by telephone with TBGB about the Merge Summit and how it began.

"The Merge Summit is a two and a half day event designed to bring the sacred and the secular together,” Carter explained. “It brings the faith community and the entertainment community together in one place for networking, empowerment sessions, panel discussions and interactive workshops. The goal is to empower talented Christians seeking to cross over into the entertainment field."

Carter has loads of experience in both the faith and entertainment worlds. Her company, Releve' Entertainment, is an LA-based firm representing urban crossover talent, with a focus towards packaging and managing family and faith-based products for mainstream success. Relevé also specializes in artist management, where intersecting involvement in the genres of film, television, and music is the focal point.

The inspiration to organize the first Merge Summit, held last year, came from Carter's educational and professional experience.

“I got the inspiration from my last year in school, writing my dissertation on merging the sacred and secular, Christianity and Hollywood. I was encouraged to put the paper to task because that’s what I’ve been doing all along, representing music artists and working with family- and faith-based television and film production. I also travel a lot, and in my travels, I’m often handed a CD or a script, or asked if I can check a person out to see if they have what it takes. I figured, it’s going to take more than me to be of assistance, so let me try to find a platform to give people an opportunity to touch the entertainment industry in a way they haven’t had before."  The Merge Summit was born.

The response to the first Merge Summit was "overwhelming," she said. “We only anticipated 100 people to attend because it was our first year and the economy was down,” Carter related. “But over the course of the three days, 500 people attended. I did not imagine we would get that kind of response.”

Sessions and panels scheduled for this year's event include creating music that sells, film and television scriptwriting, personal imaging, faith and Hollywood, producing, and spiritual development. Speakers and presenters are major representatives of the television, film, and music industries.

While securing such a stellar pool of talent for the summit workshops and concerts would be an herculean task for most, for Carter it’s all about “having relationships. The Lord has really blessed me over the course of my life to have relationships with talented people in the gospel industry. If I have not managed the artist, I have worked with him or her in some form or fashion. God’s grace and favor allows me to pick up the phone and say to artists, ‘I need you.’ "

Does she and her team anticipate a similar response this year? “We’re looking for the same number as last year [500], but the main thing I’m concerned about is meeting the standard and going beyond what we did last year, because we received so many gracious comments and compliments about what we put together. And I say 'we' because a group of people really puts it together.” Robi Reed serves as the event's co-chair, and a board of directors and host committee are in place to help facilitate a smooth operation.

A highlight of the event will be the Merge Showcase for emerging gospel talent, hosted by Pastor Hezekiah Walker. Carter said that slots are still available if artists want to get on the showcase. The registration deadline has been extended to August 14. Interested parties should contact Nicole Pearson for more details; her contact information can be found at www.themergesummit.com.

The Merge Summit will conclude with Freedom, a concert experience hosted by Kirk Franklin and featuring top-shelf performers such as J Moss and the Soul Seekers.

The concert is a celebration of the life and legacy of Carter’s father, the late Rev. Billy Watkins. Formerly of the popular gospel quartet the Zion Travelers, Watkins later toured the world as a soloist. “Then he wanted to come back to his roots, give his life to God and feed the people," Carter said. "He dedicated the last thirty years of his life to feeding the homeless every single day, out of his own pocket.”

The Freedom Travelers, a quartet Watkins formed later in his life, will also perform at the concert.

“What we are hoping to do is raise enough money to buy the lot where my father fed the homeless,” Carter explained. “We want to create an oasis and erect a building in his honor. We want to maintain the lot with flowers and grass so people can come there, remember my dad, and continue to be fed and sheltered and clothed.”

For more information about the Merge Summit 2010, visit www.themergesummit.com.

Darwin Hobbs "Doing Amazing;" Back on the Road this Weekend

By Bob Marovich, The Black Gospel Blog.

Darwin Hobbs told TBGB by telephone this morning that he is "doing amazing!  I'm resting and recovering and doing very well."

Last month, Hobbs was headed from Atlanta to Indianapolis, where he was scheduled to perform live on the Yolanda Adams Morning Show.  On the way to the airport, he experienced shortness of breath and detoured to the emergency room to be checked.  

He ended up in the hospital for a week.

"Contrary to popular belief," Hobbs explained, "I did not have blood clots in my throat, and I did not have blood clots as a result of my recent lap band surgery.  I had a blood clot in my leg.  It's called deep vein thrombosis. Part of it detached and went to my lung."  

He continued, "After the [lap band] surgery, I was leading a pretty sedentary lifestyle.  When you have the kind of surgery I had, you are predisposed to blood clots.  You have to move around and keep your blood circulating, but most people don’t do that after surgery.  They sit around, which is what I was doing.  So it wasn’t the surgery that caused the blood clot, but it was the fact that after the surgery, I was sitting around all day and that's how I developed a clot.  It’s no joke: you’ve really got to keep the blood circulating."

Hobbs' doctor ordered him to spend three weeks resting, during which the artist received tremendous support from his fans and friends.  "It has been overwhelming," Hobbs exclaimed.  "All kinds of cards, emails, tweets, Facebook messages.  And flowers galore!  It almost seemed like we were living in a botanic garden!  I’m so grateful to everybody for their support and concern.  Prayer was the most important thing I received.  It means a lot."

This weekend, Hobbs is ramping up once again to promote his new album, Champion.  

He can't wait.  

"It’s not just because of Champion, but I'm excited to get out and do what I’m called to do.  This coming weekend I will be at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville with Bishop Joseph Walker.  Soon I’m going to New York to spend some time with A.R. Bernard and the Christian Cultural Center. 

Will his future music reflect this harrowing experience?  

“Most definitely," Hobbs answered.  "It’s also going to express other facets of my life.  I can’t wait to sing songs that speak about the amazing marriage I have with Traci and the fact that we have been best friends since fifth grade.  I’m actually going to make a record about it and I’m going to sing songs about curveballs that life can throw you.  Those songs can be just as encouraging, and just as classified as worship, as anything else, because worship is so much more to do with our relationship with God than the music we sing."

Hobbs will be on blood thinners for six months "and hopefully by then the clots will be dissolved.  But it was very frightening.  It can be a fatal incident but thanks to God’s grace, I’m still alive.”

TBGB Pick of the Week: August 9, 2010

“The Corinthian Song”
Micah Stampley
Originally from the CD Ransomed
Interface Entertainment/Central South Distribution 2009
http://www.micahstampley.org/

V. Michael McKay’s majestic anthem to the power of God in man is ideally suited for Micah Stampley’s alternatively soothing and explosive tenor voice. Recording this song during a live performance, Stampley moves from psalmist to church leveler as the performance energy intensifies to boiling point.

Noting that this song is on a four-track radio sampler from Music World Gospel, Stampley’s new label home, I am guessing that a reissue is in the works.

Minister Johnson - What Will My Legacy Be?

Minister Johnson

What Will My Legacy Be? 
Minister Johnson Catalog, Volume 1

Psalms Way Music Ministry Publishing 2009

www.theministerjohnsoncatalog.com

In October 2007, Lamont Johnson was sitting in the back row of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Sacramento, California, attending a Kevin Bond music clinic, when he received a life-changing message.  After observing the clinic for a while, Johnson recalled, “The Lord said [to me], ‘That’s what I want you to do.’  I said to the Lord, ‘I can’t do that.  I have no talent, I cannot sing, I can’t play an instrument.  I have nothing to offer.’  The Lord told me, ‘I gave you the gift of writing.’”

And that’s where it started.  Minister Johnson began to write music with the intention of recording his songs, but he could not find anyone to sing them.  Again the Lord intervened.  “The Lord showed me that the job and the gift that he had for me, it was for me.  It was my lack of confidence that kept me from moving forward.”

Two years later, Johnson released the aptly titled What Will My Legacy Be? Minister Johnson Catalog, Volume 1.  He handles the lead vocals, backed by a smooth-toned female vocal harmony group and quite capable musicians.  While the project showcases Johnson’s songwriting skills, he did not need to lack confidence; his mellow, soulful voice is more than up for the task. 

The nine-song recording infuses Johnson songs with California contemporary gospel, traditional, and urban AC-style inspirational musical backdrops.  Johnson’s sweet spot as a writer and singer, however, is the quiet ballad, where the piano is his main accompaniment and the vocals are so intimate that he is basically having a musical conversation with the audience.  Three selections – “Are You Ready,” the intro to “It’s Your Time to Shine” and the title track -- benefit from this singular arrangement.

Of all the songs on the CD, the title track packs the biggest punch.  Here, Johnson ponders how he will be remembered after his own passing.  Will enemies “scandalize my name,” or will friends testify that I was “a servant of God?”  Possessing a soulful quartet feel, this is a song any male lead could wrap his chops around.

What Will My Legacy Be? is a pleasant, enjoyable debut for Minister Johnson, and it sounds as if Volume 2 is already on the burners.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks:  “What Will My Legacy Be,” “Are You Ready.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"I Believe" - James Fortune, Shawn McLemore & Zacardi Cortez

“I Believe”
James Fortune, Shawn McLemore & Zacardi Cortez
From Kerry Douglas Presents Gospel Mix Volume IV
Blacksmoke Music Worldwide 2010
www.myspace.com/blacksmokemusicworldwide

On “I Believe,” James Fortune blends his plaintive preacher voice with Shawn McLemore’s soaring tenor (“You Are Holy”) and the explosive vocals of Zacardi Cortez (“The Blood”) to deliver a mighty message of hope and encouragement. Fortune’s vocal group FIYA fortifies the background as the three men sing and shout that "it's going to get better" because “your blessing is already done.”

And if you can’t believe this high-octane power trio, who can you believe?

Fans of James Fortune and FIYA will especially enjoy this new single because it is performed in the fiery evangelistic speaking-singing style for which the group is well known.

On August 31, 2010, you will be able to hear as well as see these gentlemen sing when the latest installment of Kerry Douglas’ Gospel Mix (Vol. 4) is released on CD and DVD.

Fred Hammond Family Entertainment Presents...Life in the Word

Fred Hammond Family Entertainment Presents
Life in the Word
fHammond Family Entertainment 2010
http://www.fhammondfamilyent.com/

Life in the Word is the first project to be released by iconic gospel artist Fred Hammond on his new imprint, fHammond Family Entertainment. The album reflects the label's purpose, which is to foster “out of the box thinking and creativity.”

And that it does.

First, Hammond produced, co-wrote songs and mentored singers on the project -- not out of the ordinary -- but what's different is that he sings only two of the tracks. Life in the Word shines the spotlight on fresh new solo talents such as Dynna Wells, Michael Bethany, Faith Anderson, Candace Laster and Lowell Pye. All the singers demonstrate that they have the moxie and the chops to be there, and they do Hammond and his songwriters proud.

Hammond may not be the featured vocalist but his presence in the music is undeniable. The songs contain his trademark bracing urban AC beat, especially the title track and “You Do Great Things,” which is the current single. The songs don't have the same immediate wow factor as “Nobody Like You Lord” or “They That Wait,” but they are appealing and have Hammond’s urban contemporary P&W fingerprints on them.

The real plums of Life in the Word are the featured singers. For example, Wells sparkles with warmth and personality on the alternately comforting and intensely emotional “Home Inside My Praise.” Bethany, who co-produced the album, lends his coolly handsome voice to “Need My Time With You.” On “Walkin’ in Victory,” Men of Standard alumnus and current solo hitmaker Lowell Pye almost sounds like Hammond in his muscular delivery.

Adding to Life in the Word’s maverick appeal is the bonus DVD containing episodes of Hammond’s “Warehouse Worship” program. The CD also contains several interstitials, Biblical passages recited by the featured artists. Most are done with appropriate gravitas and backed by new age-y instrumentation, but one where Wells coaches her young daughters through the reading of Psalms 8:1-4 has an hilarious outcome. On another, Hammond serves as preacher – and a remarkably good one, too – as Wells declares the words of I Samuel 12:24.

A sleeper on the CD is the concluding selection, “Just to be Close to You.” Not the BeBe and CeCe Winans hit, this one is a lovely praise and worship ballad rendered soulfully by Hammond and memorable long after the CD has stopped spinning.

Life in the Word is an auspicious debut for fHammond Family Entertainment. It proved it this week, too, debuting on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart at number two.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “You Do Great Things,” “Life in the Word,” “Just to be Close to You.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"Lord, You've Been Good" - JAIA

“Lord, You’ve Been Good”

JAIA

From the CD Just As I Am (2010)

www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Jaia

Oklahoma City’s gospel sweethearts Lynda Knox and Lisa Davis, better known as JAIA (Just As I Am) are taking South Africa by storm with their infectious enthusiasm that seeps through in their singing.

While South African gospel remains true to its close-harmony Zulu roots, the people there do enjoy American-style gospel, the more soulful the better, including SA-based groups like the Christian Explainers who perform in the American style.

So it’s no surprise that a JAIA single heard on SA radio these days is “Lord, You’ve Been Good.” This praise song is a classic slow-burner – Aretha style – that builds in intensity and emotion until you can’t get it out of your head. Amandla!

"Moving Forward" - feat. Joann Rosario Condrey and Tye Tribbett

“Moving Forward”
Feat. Joann Rosario Condrey & Tye Tribbett
From the Tyscot CD Coco Brother Live Presents Stand 2010
http://www.tyscot.com/

“Moving Forward” is a track from radio host Corey “Coco Brother” Condrey’s first-ever various artists compilation, Coco Brother Live Presents Stand 2010.

The album is one of several vehicles that he and his wife, Joann Rosario Condrey, are using to promote their Stand campaign, which aims “to encourage the Body of Christ to become aggressive evangelists in their communities.” Invoking the mission of Stand, “Moving Forward” urges the listener to leave the past behind, accept Christ through conversion and follow His ways.

On paper, a Joann Rosario Condrey and Tye Tribbett duet sounds different, but it works in a Beyonce/Jay-Z kind of way. Joann's voice is, as always, achingly gorgeous and captivating, and Tye interjects, encourages and evangelizes in the background.

Korey Bowie (“Favor Ain’t Fair”) produced “Moving Forward,” washing Ricardo Sanchez’ lovely CCM-inspired melody in a lithe techno groove.

"Still Standing" - Rev. Stefanie Minatee & Jubilation

“Still Standing”

Rev. Stefanie Minatee & Jubilation

http://www.jubilationinc.com/

Available on iTunes

Fresh from their collaboration with Queen Latifah on the title track of EMI’s Grammy Award-winning compilation Oh Happy Day, Rev. Stefanie Minatee & Jubilation have released a new single. It’s a bluesy version of A. Jeffrey LaValley’s “Still Standing,” complete with that old style “rocking chair” tempo I refer to as the gospel waltz.

Minatee opens by quoting, with an evangelist’s declamation, Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians 4:8. Referencing her own testimony (“I should have been dead a long time ago”), Minatee joins Jubilation in encouraging those “who have been cast down…persecuted…trouble on every side” to push on, because “you are not forsaken.”

The ensemble's message of optimism and persistence is just as cogent today as it was in Paul’s time. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.