Beverly Crawford: Dreams Do Come True

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Imagine the scene, if you will...

You are in Florida, out in the country. A mother is busy hanging the family’s clothes on the line to dry. Her young daughter is singing in the yard, the grass her captive audience, leaves swaying in the spirit.

Unbeknownst to the young singer, she has another fan who is not a blade of grass. The lady who lives across the street is also listening eagerly.

Years later, the girl recalls, “I didn’t even know that she was watching me from across the street, or that my voice could even carry that far!”

“Little Beverly” grew up to become powerhouse gospel singer Beverly Crawford…and her new album, Live in Los Angeles, Vol. 2, is currently on Billboard’s top gospel album charts. The debut single, “It’s About Time for a Miracle,” is burning up radio.

Beverly visited with TBGB via telephone while touring in Texas to discuss her gospel roots and Live from Los Angeles, Vol. 2, released September 14 on JDI Records.

“I was brought up on gospel,” the Gainesville, Florida singer said. “My father was an evangelist and pastor, and he also sang in a quartet. My mom sang in a quartet. In Florida, quartets and choirs were very popular. So singing and gospel have been a part of me all my life.”

Crawford’s father, Bishop Walter Camps, Sr., founded what is now known as Holy Temple of God, Inc. Crawford recalls his quartet’s name as “Walter Camps and His Singers.” They made one 45 rpm record.

Beverly sang first with her family group, the Camps Sisters. “One brother played lead guitar and my other brother played the drums,” she said. “Friends from church played bass and keyboard. All five [Camps] sisters did the singing. This was during the ‘70s and early ‘80s.”

Like their father’s group, the Camps Sisters made a recording.

“It was a cassette!” she laughed. “We went to a local studio in Gainesville and we recorded it there, on our own independent label. I think we still have a few copies lying around somewhere!”

Crawford cites Shirley Caesar, Tramaine Hawkins, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, and Patti Labelle as some of her vocal influences. “There are so many great singers out there who I learned from, just by listening to their vocal techniques. That’s how I really learned how to sing and perform.”

Caesar remains her chief inspiration. “When I was a little girl, my mom used to take me to the gospel concerts. I watched Shirley Caesar on stage, and I think I’ve patterned myself after her, more than anybody else.”

The Live in Los Angeles CDs have been a dream come true for the singer.

“It was always a dream of mine to record in Los Angeles,” Crawford commented. “I was always there visiting churches and doing concerts, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to record there. So Live in Los Angeles, Vol. 1 was a dream come true for me. The opportunity to do it again was a double blessing.”

Regarding the second volume, Crawford admits, “We didn’t know we wanted to do a volume two. James Roberson of JDI Records and I just knew we wanted to record again. We recorded at the same church, Bishop [Kenneth] Ulmer's church, Faithful Central. Bishop is definitely a good friend of ours and he said yes.

“We didn’t have a title [for the CD] at first. After we did the recording, it just made sense to call it Live from Los Angeles - Vol. 2, because that is where we made it.”

Rather than replicate note for note the formula of the first volume, Crawford and Roberson did some things differently. For example, the vocalists who back Crawford on the new project are Tim Bishop Brown and Miracle Mass Choir. “They have strong voices,” Crawford noted, “and Tim is the one who wrote the song, ‘He’s Done Enough,’ that made Volume One very popular.”

Another dream come true for Crawford was the chance to sing with Shirley Murdock.

“Shirley and I are good friends…she is my sister! I always wanted to meet her and had the opportunity to do so when I was on Bishop Jakes’ record label [Dexterity]. She was on the same label, and so we met and we have been friends ever since.”  Murdock flew out to Los Angeles and is featured on "Marvelous" and "Everything Will be Alright."

Crawford’s daughter Trina and son Todd Jr. also make appearances.  An especially poignant portion of the live program is Trina's solo performance of “I Need a Word,” a gentle song about selfless prayer.

“Trina wrote the song ten years ago, when she was very young,” Crawford explained. “She was going through some things at the time, and it's her song, so it was fitting that she sing it.” "I Need a Word" has already generated some well-deserved media buzz for Trina.

While Crawford tours in support of her new live CD, she has a couple of other projects on the front burner. One is Choo Choo, a sermon recording.

A sermon?

A lot of people don’t know that I’ve been evangelizing for a long time,” Crawford laughed. “Even before I went on Bobby Jones Gospel, I was an evangelist for my father’s church. I do a lot of speaking engagements, and I was talking to James [Roberson] about putting my recorded sermons out nationally. Now people can hear another side of me, the spoken word.

A Christmas album is also in the works.

“We hope to get the album out this December,” Crawford said. “If not, it will definitely be ready for next Christmas, but we’re hoping we can get it out in time for this one.”

And Live from Los Angeles – Vol. 2 the DVD? “We’re definitely praying for that. We hope to get really good sales on this album so we can release the DVD.”

So remember: the next time you hear a young girl singing in the yard, you may be hearing the next Beverly Crawford.  And be careful not to step on the grass: it's enjoying the music, too.

"Pulling Me Through" - Todd Dulaney

“Pulling Me Through”
Todd Dulaney
Goldstreet Gospel Music 2010

“Pulling Me Through” is a CCR-flavored praise anthem and testimony from Todd Dulaney, a former professional baseball player who grew up in Maywood, Illinois and eventually discovered his calling was to hit home runs for the Kingdom, not the Mets.

Dulaney served as a background singer for fellow western suburbanite Smokie Norful, but is now stepping out on his own. His instantly likeable single, “Pulling Me Through,” marries a dreamy melody with a marching beat. Dulaney sings with incredible ease, too, his pleasant voice moving from melodic moaning to spoken word to long breathless lines of verse to a gospel chuckle.

The song's message: when things get tough and friends walk away, He walks in, "right in to stay...He'll never walk out on you."

Todd Dulaney is worship leader at A Place of Change in Aurora, Illinois.

R.I.P. Mrs. Frances Wooten

Dennis Cole of the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild informed us today that Mrs. Frances Wooten passed away. 

She is the mother of gospel producer Bobby Wooten and wife to the late Dr. Robert Wooten, who founded the Wooten Choral Ensemble.

TBGB extends its heartfelt sympathies to this wonderful family during their time of grieving.

Kim Person - Speak Life

Kim Person
Speak Life
KLP Enterprises, LLC (2010)
http://www.kimperson.org/

Kim Person is a gospel singer from North Carolina, and she possesses that distinctive amalgam of singer, performer, evangelist, witness, prophet, encourager and comforter that talented female gospel singers have. All of these traits, of course, are best exercised – and best witnessed – in live performance.  Person's new live project, Speak Life, demonstrates that ably.

The first half of the program is high energy, high volume and fourth-gear rhythmic power as Person gives full voice to praise and worship anthems such as “Forever” and the riveting current single, “More than Enough,” one motif of which sounds like quintessentially cool theme music for a news program.  Person receives continuously solid backing -- more like a musical partnership -- from a vocally intense group of background vocalists, which include Colandra McDowell, Dennis Reed and G.A.P.

The mood turns more intimate during the second half. The title track is a lovely ballad about speaking your hopes and dreams into the atmosphere so they can ultimately become your destiny. On “Just That Good,” a gospel waltz, Person and Company size up God’s goodness by suggesting that “if you had been through what I’ve been through this year, you’d be shouting.” The song’s simple and well-articulated message, slow-building dynamics, and explosion of vocal sound at the end, including Person’s Lucinda Moore-like soaring high notes, are all components of a decent radio single.

The album’s magnum opus, however, is “Sincerely Yours.” It is a beautiful contemporary gospel song written by Frank Morrison-Henderson. Person recorded it originally in 2006, and bestows upon it here in live performance all of the fullness and emotional intensity the composition deserves.

Speak Life is produced by Grammy Award-winning and Stellar and Dove-nominated Cedric Thompson. His adroit hand is evident throughout the crystal-clear recording, too, which is also available on DVD.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Just That Good,” “Sincerely Yours.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"He Reigns" - Pastor Ira Acree and the Greater St. John Church Choir

“He Reigns”

Pastor Ira Acree & the Greater St. John Church Choir

From the CD Glorify (2010)

Pastor Ira Acree & the Greater St. John Church Choir demonstrate that not all Chicago gospel choirs sing in the old time way. At least, not always.

On “He Reigns,” written and produced by the astutely modern Henry “Henry J2” Johnson II, Pastor Acree’s choir sings to a funky accompaniment highlighted by thumping bass and string-scratching electric guitar. True to Windy City choral structure, Henry J2 adds cascading vocal lines towards the end, a la Ricky Dillard.

To this shoulder-shaking arrangement, the choir chronicles Jesus’s death, rising, ascension and final reign in Heaven, where at the end, “every knee shall bow, every tongue confess.”  The pounding climax at the conclusion makes that ending sound, well, pretty final.

"Church" Chronicles Everyday Experiences in Today's African American Churches

From a press release:

The must see faith-based independent film of the season for all movie-goers interested in family friendly entertainment is the musical, Church, an inspiring story of faith, redemption and forgiveness.

Based on the play Sunday, the Musical, Church chronicles the everyday experiences in today’s African American church.

Produced by Gospel Jam, LLC, the film stars television film veterans Darius McCrary, who plays the “prodigal son” Daniel Rhodes; Joseph C. Phillips as the unforgettable Deacon Melvin Childs; Art Evans as Pastor Jones, Sam Sarpong as Jay; and features gospel greats Daryl Coley (below) as Deacon Cole; Blanche McAllister Dykes as Mother Henry, and Nicole Potts as Evangelist Green.

“If there’s one thing we can all relate to it's church,” noted Tommy Ross, managing partner of Gospel Jam, LLC and executive producer. “Everyone has a story about the church they attend. What we have done is taken those funniest stories, blended them with some original music and unforgettable characters to create a cinematic experience that will not be forgotten.”

Directed by Cory King and Foster Corder, this faith-based film features uplifting, spirit-filled songs from one of the most inspirational soundtracks ever recorded. Movie-goers will have a hard time staying in their seats, as they listen to some of gospel’s greats sing HIS praise!

Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, Calif., will host a screening of the film on Oct. 16, 2010. Additional screenings will be held in Houston, Charlotte, and Sacramento, Calif.

For more information on hosting a film screening in your area, please send your requests to info@churchthefilm.com. Visit http://www.churchthefilm.com/ to see the official movie trailer.

"Touched by a Rose" - JAIA

“Touched by a Rose”
JAIA

Lynda Knox and Lisa Davis, better known as the sweet singing gospel duo JAIA, pay tribute to Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe of Uganda in a special single recorded a few weeks ago in Nashville.

Community crusader Sister Rosemary is director of the St. Monica Girls Tailoring Centre in Gulu, Uganda. She gives safe harbor to young women refugees and their children whose lives have been rent asunder by sexual and psychological abuse. She teaches them practical skills such as sewing so they can learn a trade, raise their families and rebuild their lives. She was honored in 2007 with a CNN Heroes Award (below).

JAIA’s “Touched by a Rose” is a fitting homage: a lovely, well-crafted and inspirational paean to the power of one woman to make change, one young woman and one stitch at a time. The song, with its message of hope, is ideally suited as the soundtrack for other women’s organizations, as well.

JAIA, the singing sweethearts of Oklahoma City, along with iCNN reporter Patricia Smith, unveiled the CD single and DVD today at a special luncheon held at the Oklahoma State Capitol Governor’s Mansion to honor the selfless Ugandan heroine.

For more information about Sister Rosemary’s ministry, visit: http://www.stmonicagulugirlsrelief.org/.

Meanwhile, you can watch the video below.  Inspiring.  Sister Rosemary is a saint among saints!

Sister Rosemary photo from AC 360 website.

Evelyn Turrentine-Agee - There's Gonna Be a Meeting

Evelyn Turrentine-Agee

There’s Gonna Be a Meeting (release date: September 28, 2010)

Shanachie 2010

www.shanachie.com

“Give me that old key,” a female voice drawls. 

An open chord is plucked note for note on an electric guitar, in the fashion of the Golden Age quartets.  It’s the cue for that female voice, belonging to Stellar Award-winner Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, to launch into “He’s Using Me,” which she does, rocking a bluesy beat and sounding for all the world like a protégé of Mavis Staples.

Tomorrow, Turrentine-Agee, whose gospel smash “God Did It” has wrecked churches and auditoriums since the 1980s, will release her seventh solo CD, There’s Gonna Be a Meeting.  It contains the alternately hand-clapping and bluesy church rousers, such as "He's Using Me," for which the Queen of Quartet is known.

The debut single, “Work It Out,” sets the tone with its classic quartet stomp beat.  It subconsciously riffs off of the Cosmopolitan Warriors’ “He Can Work It Out,” now part of the church lexicon. Turrentine-Agee throws up her hands in distress over the daily indignities that, she acknowledges, require Heavenly intervention.

Turrentine-Agee is joined by former Christianaires singer (and godson) Paul Porter on the bright and soulful “So Good.”  On the uptempo “Fresh Anointing,” she trades lyrics with Patrick Wayne Hollis, drummer for Lee Williams and the Spiritual QCs and brother of the album’s producer, Alton Hollis.  Al, also a member of the Spiritual QCs, contributes songs to the project, including the spritely mid-tempo “New Life,” which is reminiscent of the Gospel Four’s “New Walk.”  Top-shelf producer Sanchez Harley lends his studio skills to "God Will Come."

In addition to brand new songs, the CD contains gospel chestnuts near and dear to Turrentine-Agee’s heart.  She is completely at ease on this handful of old-school gospel blues, including Detroiter Tessie Hill’s “Yes He Can,” a simmering version of the Davis Sisters’ two-parter “Bye and Bye” (an early composition by Rev. Clay Evans), Mildred Clark’s “My Job is Working for Jesus,” and “Traveling Shoes.”

But it’s her cover of the James Cleveland composition, “He’s Using Me,” which really heats up There’s Gonna Be a Meeting.  “In the quartet world, you call them your sticks,” Turrentine-Agee remarked.  “They are songs that when all else fails, you grab your sticks and they put you over the top….’He’s Using Me’ has been my #2 stage stick since the 1980s.”

Given her performance of the song on this new CD, it’s likely to become stick #1.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “He’s Using Me,” “Work It Out.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

TBGB Pick of the Week: September 27, 2010

“Isaiah 61”
Judy Jacobs
From the forthcoming CD/DVD I Feel a Change (to be released Fall 2010)
His Song Ministries 2010
http://www.judyjacobs.com/

Judy Jacobs dons the cloak of a singing prophet and commands the congregation, by paraphrasing Isaiah 61, to “be ready” because “this is the day for your miracle…the hour of your breakthrough.”

The dramatic, no-nonsense interaction between Jacobs, the choir and the musicians moves with the muscular power of a speeding locomotive.

“Isaiah 61” is produced by Grammy, Dove, and Stellar Award winner Aaron Lindsey.

Mike Farris & the Cumberland Saints - The Night the Cumberland Came Alive

Mike Farris & the Cumberland Saints
The Night the Cumberland Came Alive
Entertainment One Music (release date: October 26, 2010)
www.mikefarrismusic.net

On May 1, 2010, Nashville – better known as “Music City” – experienced a “thousand year” flood. The rising waters of the Cumberland River ravaged homes, businesses, swept away personal possessions and swamped the good people of Nashville. To help relieve the suffering and revive hometown pride, Dove Award-winner Mike Farris assembled an all-star group of singers and musicians to record a six-track EP, The Night the Cumberland Came Alive.

The EP was recorded live at the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville on May 27, 2010, less than a month after the waters rose. Blending folk, blues, country and gospel, Farris and the Cumberland Saints revive the raw vibrancy of pre-war American roots music.

Among the project participants are Ann, Regina and Alfreda McCrary. Their father Sam was an iconic quartet singer and leader of Nashville’s famous Fairfield Four, but the McCrary Sisters are gospel stars in their own right. As background vocalists, the ladies are most prominent on “Mother Earth,” a song that warns that no matter how rich and influential one may be in life, “when it all ends up, you got to go back to Mother Earth.”

Similarly, the title track uses a detailed chronicle of the May flood as a stern reminder that when all is said and done, we “are born to die.” Truth be told, the "by this time another year, I may be gone to some lonesome graveyard" philosophy is prominent throughout the EP, but in an instructive, not a macabre, way.

Farris and company perform the classic testimonial song “Wrapped Up, Tangled Up,” in Rev. Charlie Jackson style, with preaching and stinging guitar licks. A fitting conclusion is the New Orleans-flavored “Down Let the Sun Go Down,” which in its hopeful and optimistic lyric and rhythm suggests that the best recovery of all is to be fully present in the here and now.

An enthusiast of American grassroots music, Farris commented, “Playing these songs—sight unseen, without so much as a lead sheet—and with such a dream team of musicians was the thrill of a lifetime. You can hear the passion. You can feel the love in the room. And I'm thrilled to release it to help this community get back on its feet.”

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the EP will benefit flood relief efforts in Nashville via the Rose Memorial Fund.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “The Night the Cumberland Came Alive,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"A Change is Gonna Come" - Dr. Willie A. Naylor

“A Change is Gonna Come”
Dr. Willie A. Naylor
From the Spongey Boy Music CD
Anthology of Soul Classics
http://www.spongeyboymusic.com/

Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” isn’t exactly gospel, but it might as well be.

Its message of hope in the midst of turbulent times is the bedrock of religious lyricism, and the melody is as melancholy and inspirational as a well-written gospel. Not surprisingly, Cooke's composition has enjoyed a popularity extending back to its release some forty-five years ago.

On his Anthology of Soul Classics, lifelong educator and professional musician Dr. Willie Naylor redoubles the wistfulness of “A Change is Gonna Come by muting his trumpet to sound like a voice in fervent prayer. As an instrumental, the cut demonstrates that you don’t need words to articulate Cooke's poignant message.

In addition to teaching music for thirty-five years at Chicago’s Dunbar Vocational High School, Dr. Naylor has shared the stage with Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt, and enjoyed a long association with Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five.  Anthology is his first solo CD.

"Favor Ain't Fair" - Dr. Bill Winston presents Living Word, feat. Kim Stratton

“Favor Ain’t Fair”
Dr. Bill Winston presents Living Word, feat. Kim Stratton

“Favor ain’t fair but it sure feels fabulous!”

So gushes the effervescent Kim Stratton as she flashes her million-dollar smile, expressing the euphoria one feels when fervent prayers are answered.

Many gospel songs are supplications to make it through the uphill climb; “Favor Ain’t Fair” is about reaching the peak and surveying the remarkable landscape…whatever that means for the faithful, including the prospect of a “six-three, tall, dark and handsome” for single females.  (what about us five foot-eights?! - just kidding!)

To a sultry jazz backdrop, Stratton sounds like she’s giving the audience a sideways wink when she sings, “God’s got a little sumthin’, sumthin’ with my name on it.”

The single is from Dr. Bill Winston and Living Word Christian Center Church Choir’s new CD, scheduled for release on October 5. Donald Lawrence is executive producer.

Beverly Crawford - Live from Los Angeles, Vol. 2

Beverly Crawford
Live From Los Angeles – Vol. 2
JDI Records 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti-qSUU6-cQ

Some sequels work, others don’t. It’s true in film as well as television, books and music.  For every Godfather II and Rocky II, there’s a slough of sequels that don’t live up to the original.

I’m here to report that Beverly Crawford’s follow-up to her successful Live from Los Angeles CD most definitely works.

Live from Los Angeles – Vol. 2 was released on September 14. Just like the first volume, the album showcases the singer’s proclivity for old-school, no-nonsense, wooden church-ready gospel music.

Born and raised in Florida, Crawford belongs in the company of those gospel singers – mostly women – who deliver a song with the ferocity of ten preachers. These include Mahalia, Albertina and all of the Caravans past and present, Lemmie Battles, Jessie May Renfro, Dot Coates, Emily Bram, Ernestine Washington, Kathy Taylor, Angie Spivey, the list goes on. You know them when you hear them, because their voices never leave you.

The first track on Vol. 2 sets the tone. “It’s About Time for a Miracle” is a frenetically paced church steamroller that earns its wings as current single largely through Crawford’s revival-like shouting. She then attacks “It’s So” with similar evangelistic fervor, tossing in bluesy runs and interjections like a twin sister of Shirley Caesar. “Born Again” is a pulse-racing shouter that, in its call-and-response with Tim Bishop Brown and the majestic Miracle Mass Choir, is radio friendly.

The feisty duet between Beverly and Shirley Murdock on “Everything Will Be Alright" works so well you’d think the two had been singing together since kindergarten.

We even get a chance to hear a softer side of Crawford on the quieter praise song “For Who You Are,” but that lasts for only a few moments. By the conclusion, she’s rousing the audience once again with her firebrand vocal delivery.

“I Need a Word” is a special treat written and sung by Crawford’s daughter Latrina. Accompanied by acoustic guitar but an otherwise hushed accompaniment, Trina renders a lovely prayer not for material things, like a home or a car, but simply for the Word. Her song sends the right message to today’s self-absorbed, luxury-addicted society.

Live From Los Angeles – Vol. 2 is such an uplifting listen one wishes there was about 20 or 25 more minutes of singing on it.

NOTE: Be sure to catch TBGB next week for our interview with Beverly Crawford.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “It’s About Time for a Miracle,” “Born Again,” “Everything Will Be Alright.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

TBGB's Bob Marovich on "I'm Just Sayin'" - TCT TV Tonight!

Just a reminder to catch TBGB's Bob Marovich as the guest on Pastor Dan Willis' popular television program, "I'm Just Sayin'" tonight at 10:30 p.m. Central Time.

You can watch the program at 10:30 p.m. Central Time online at http://www.tct.tv/ and on demand. 

Also, check your local listings for the Direct TV, Sky Angel and other satellite and cable stations that offer TCT (Total Christian Television).

"God Made Me" - Mississippi Mass Choir

“God Made Me”
Mississippi Mass Choir
From the Malaco CD Then Sings My Soul (2010)
http://www.malaco.com/

The always-radiant Mississippi Mass Choir, now 250 members strong, does something a little different on their latest single, “God Made Me”: they baste their traditional sound with a more contemporary gospel vibe.

Benjamin (Benji) Cone III, son of Rev. Benjamin Cone, Jr., leads “God Made Me” with shouted encouragement and affirmations while the choir builds to a resounding thunder.  Miss Mass returns to its traditional roots while repeating the concluding line, “My soul says yes,” like straight outta COGIC.

The song encourages listeners to lift their low-bowed heads and know that they are not victims but conquerors...reminds me of the old saying, “God made me. God doesn’t make junk.”

Remembering Little Lucy Smith Collier

Here is a lovely remembrance of Little Lucy Smith Collier, written by Chicago Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez.  Information on homegoing services is included in the article:

Lucy Smith Collier Remembrance

One of Little Lucy's songs, "He's My Light" (right), was a gospel hit for the Roberta Martin Singers.  It was recorded in 1990 by the ARC (Addicts Rehabilitation Center) Choir in New York on their Bound for the Promised Land CD. 

The ARC Choir version, nearly eight minutes in length, is led by vocal group harmony alum Sonny Wright of the Diamonds (Atlantic Records).  Done in doo wop fashion, it is just about as breathtakingly beautiful a version of her song as you are likely to hear.

Sheet Music from the Robert Marovich Collection

"Leaving Babylon" - Lymie Murray

“Leaving Babylon”

Lymie Murray

Levitikal Music

www.myspace.com/levitikalmusicjamaica

Religious reggae has been around for a long time.  Some might argue that many reggae songs are inspirational.  For those who haven’t had the opportunity to hear much of it, check out Lymie Murray’s “Leaving Babylon.”

Released on Martello Melville’s Kingston, Jamaica-based Levitikal label, “Leaving Babylon” is an apocryphal cry that the end is near and we all must lift our weary souls and head swiftly to the Promised Land, "dancing and singing redemption songs."

It's a message as straightforward as the rock steady beat that propels it, and the weary souls, ever forward.

The Barrett Sisters Share Their New Website

The Barrett Sisters -- DeLois, Billie and Rodessa -- have a new website: http://www.barrettsistersonline.com/. 

The site includes information on how to order their most recent concert DVD as well as a teaser for their soon-to-be-released documentary.  Check it out!

The Sweet Sisters of Zion have pleased audiences and congregations for many years.  They are gospel icons and have earned a place in the history of American music.

"Don't Let Go" - Gerald Scott & Co.

“Don’t Let Go”
Gerald Scott & Co.
From the CD Don’t Let Go
Kollective Music 2010

DC’s Gerald Scott & Co. takes the traditional theme of “hold on to God’s unchanging hand,” and gives it a blast of brass and some powerfully strong vocals.

Scott punctuates the melodic stream like a preacher, weaving positive messages in the mix with the dexterity of Jay-Z and Kirk Franklin.

The result is a tirelessly upbeat, buoyant song with a bracing message.

Bishop Kenneth Moales, President of NCGCC, Passes Away

TBGB just learned that Bishop Kenneth H. Moales passed away yesterday evening at the age of 65.

Bishop Moales was Presider of the Pentecostal Churches of Jesus Christ, Pastor of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, gospel recording artist, and President of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (aka "The Dorsey Convention").

He will surely be missed by so many who knew and loved him.

Read more here:

Bishop Kenneth Moales

Homegoing Services (provided by Benita Bellamy):

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Community & Civic Service - 12 noon - 6:00 p.m.
Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love
1243 Stratford Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06607

Sunday, September 26, 2010
Morning Worship – 10:00 a.m.

Bishop Moales will lie in state from 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Celebration Of Life Musical – 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
729 Union Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06607

Monday, September 27, 2010
Celebration of Life Homegoing Service - 10:00 a.m.

Bishop Moales will lie in state at 8:00 a.m.

The Arena at Harbor Yard
600 Main St, Bridgeport, CT 06601

Archbishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr., Eulogist
Presiding Prelate, Mt. Calvary Holy Church of America, Inc.
Best friend for 50 years

Live Streaming of Gospel Concert and Celebration of Life Services on
http://www.cathedraloftheholyspirit.com/

Floral Arrangements:
Service entrusted to Morton’s Funeral Home
25 Margaret E. Morton Lane, Bridgeport, CT 06607
(203) 576-0326.

In Lieu of Flowers those desiring may make donations to:
The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, or Love Christian Academy.

General Inquiries - 203-366-5824

Hotel & Travel Information:
Holiday Inn: 1070 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06601 (203) 334.1234
Trumbull Marriott: 180 Hawley Lane, Trumbull, CT 06611 (203) 378.1400
Hyatt Place: 190 Old Gate Lane, Milford, CT 06460 (203) 877.9800
Absolute Travel: (203) 938.0000
Mention Bishop Moales/Prayer Tabernacle and receive discounted rate.


Photo: Church Website

For Cheneta Jones, God is Everything

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Cheneta Jones is on her way.

Winner of the KATZ Hallelujah Praise Alive Talent Search in 2008, the St. Louis native is a singer, songwriter and recording artist with a new single, "My Everything."

“Growing up in the church, I sang in the church and that’s all I knew,” Jones told TBGB during a recent conversation. “When I turned sixteen, I met some people putting together an R&B girl group. I joined that group, then I went solo, then I was in another group. But that’s where I started recording and singing on a professional level. It was strictly R&B at that time.”

Jones’ vocal group met with representatives from various labels, and was even in negotiations for a contract.  But in January, 2008, right in the middle of negotiations, Jones headed in a new direction.  “God showed me that this wasn’t the destiny He had in store for me. I had to be obedient. I removed myself from the group.”

After a month of soul-searching, Jones auditioned for the KATZ Hallelujah Praise Alive Talent Search competition. “I made it through the finals and was deemed the winner. I feel that God was showing Himself, like, ‘See, this is what I have planned for you and I’ll continue to open more doors as long as you stay in my will.’”

The song that helped the singer win the competition was Kim Burrell’s “I Come to You More than I Give."

Jones exclaimed, “First off, let me say that I love Kim Burrell! The song was on the list that they gave us. I sang that song, and Donnie McClurkin and Percy Bady were some of the judges and they said, ‘That’s not an easy song to sing, but you executed it so well.’ Not too many people can sing Kim Burrell, so I was nervous!”

Winning the competition afforded Jones new opportunities almost instantly. It was the genesis of her first album, The Cheneta Jones Experience. She began opening for top gospel artists such as John P. Kee, Lisa McClendon, and Fred Hammond when they appeared in St. Louis. “That was where it all began,” she said, “when I started recording and singing as a gospel artist. It was a major jumpstart to where I am now.”

“My Everything,” written and produced by Percy Bady, is now available on iTunes. “The response to the single has been wonderful,” Jones said. “People say it’s such a pure song, it’s such a welcoming song. I’ve had nothing but good comments about it.”

Jones is in the early stages of recording her sophomore album, scheduled for release next May.  She indicated that the new project might possibly include a few songs from The Cheneta Jones Experience, but if so, they would be redone. Most of the material will be new.

“I’ve been writing.  I love to write,” Jones stated. “There’s much that I have been through in these last two years that I want to share. I have more to say, more to testify, more to encourage.”

As far as guest vocalists for the album, Jones replied, “I do want to collaborate with gospel artists who are well known. We are looking at a few people, but nothing is set in stone yet.”

The Real Talent Media Group (realtalentmg.com), an independent label, will release the new album.

“I’m the first artist on their label, and I know the President and CEO very well. It’s been great to work with people you can connect with, who you are on the same page with. We just want to get the gospel message out there and go forth and do what God has called us to do.

“I’ve been singing for my entire life," Jones reflected, "so to be able to sing full-time has always been a dream of mine.  God’s given me a gift to share with the world, and I know He will make ways for me to go forth and fulfill the will He has for my life.  I’m excited about what’s to come.”

Cheneta Jones is a member of Faith Miracle Temple (Pentecostal) in Florissant, Missouri, where the Pastor is Bishop Larry J. Baylor.

TBGB Pick of the Week: September 20, 2010

“YRM (Your Righteous Mind)"
Donald Lawrence & Company feat. Dorinda Clark-Cole
Verity Records 2010
http://www.verityrecords.com/

A lesson wrapped in gospel song.

Backed by strong singers and pumping musicians, Donald Lawrence instructs the listener to “let go your natural thinking and embrace your righteous mind” and miracle things will happen. The always-effervescent and hard-shouting Dorinda Clark-Cole turns up the heat at the conclusion to collect anyone not yet convinced.

Sounds as if the multi-talented Grammy and Stellar Award winning “Gospel Icon” has another hit single!

Lucy Smith Collier, Gospel Keyboardist, Dies

Those listening to the radio or attending gospel programs in Chicago during 1955 would have been treated to the Little Lucy Smith Singers (right) rendering their gospel hit, "Somebody Bigger than You and I," in soulfully rich, sweet harmonies.

Anthony Heilbut, author of The Gospel Sound, informed TBGB that Little Lucy Smith Collier passed away today.

In addition to fronting the popular female gospel group that bore her name, Collier was an amazing pianist and organist, serving for many years as a singer and principal accompanist for the Roberta Martin Singers.  She even served as matchmaker, introducing Martin to her father, James Austin, and the two eventually wed.

Collier's grandmother was Elder Lucy Smith, a pioneering female church leader whose All Nations Pentecostal Church was among the first African American churches in Chicago to have a regular radio broadcast.  Little Lucy, along with other gospel luminaries such as Gladys Beamon Gregory and Romance and Florence Watson, provided music for All Nations back in the day.

Heilbut, who recorded Collier in the early 1990s for a CD called The Soul of Chicago (Shanachie/Spirit Feel) notes that James Cleveland learned his piano techniques from Collier's playing.

Another member of gospel royalty has gone from labor to reward.  Bless you, Little Lucy Smith, for your many contributions to gospel music.

Deadly Auto Accident Takes Lives of Six, Including Bishop and First Lady

Bishop Simon White; his wife, Minister Zelda White (photo, right); and four others from Joy Fellowship Christian Academies in the Bronx were killed yesterday afternoon when a rear tire on their van ruptured en route to a church event in Schenectady. 

The van spun out of control and turned over on a grassy median near Woodbury, NY. 

Eight others traveling in the van were seriously hurt.

Please keep the Joy Fellowship Christian Academies congregation and the family and friends of the Whites in your prayers as they struggle to cope with such an unimaginable loss.

Read the Associated Press article here:  Deadly auto accident

"Believe" - Donneshia "DC" Clark

“Believe”

Donneshia “DC” Clark

Gus Music Group 2010

www.myspace.com/donneshiaclark

TBGB readers will recognize Donneshia “DC” Clark as the guest voice on Chris Fields’ “My Joy.” On her R&B-infused “Believe,” complete with wah-wah guitar, the New Orleans singer directs her message to those who have become couch potatoes when it comes to their dreams. “Believe in yourself, because God believes in you.”

Like Fields, Clark has a full-length album due this fall.

A Message from Queen Albertina Walker

Click on the photo for clearer reading.

De-Ann Lott - Return to the Center

De-Ann Lott

Return to the Center

DeAnn Lott Music 2010
http://www.deannlottmusic.com/

Last year, TBGB reviewed the sampler of De-Ann Lott’s forthcoming CD, Return to the Center:

Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area have been wellsprings of contemporary gospel music for decades, and De-Ann (pronounced Dionn) Lott is among the artists who are helping the area maintain its well-deserved reputation.

Lott’s forthcoming CD, Return to the Center, is produced by Jamie Walter Hawkins of the Bay Area’s famed Hawkins Family. Lott has toured and recorded with Bishop Walter Hawkins as well as with Berkeley’s Daryl Coley, but this is her first solo project.

In true California fashion, Lott’s music – previewed via a limited edition pre-release sampler – is bright and bubbly, friendly and accessible, energetic and joyous. The musicians are marvelous and provide steady support without overpowering the vocalist. Lott and Hawkins wrote all of the songs on the sampler.

While the fresh-sounding title track and “Worthy to be Praised” are the first single releases, TBGB prefers “Faith” because it is a simmering, straight-ahead, traditional-leaning gospel ballad with bluesy twists and interjections. One can only imagine that it makes for an outstanding live performance.

Lott’s years of apprenticeship as a background vocalist for sacred and pop artists have produced a singer of tremendous promise.

Lott released the full project on September 1, 2010. Return to the Center includes the sampler singles mentioned above as well as several new songs, all bathed partially or completely in the smooth, body-swaying California inspirational sound. The new tracks include the Latin-influenced “My Everything” and “Spirit of the Living God,” the latter resplendent with haunting Afro-Caribbean harmonies.

Particularly noteworthy is “Top of Your Mountain.” Jamie Hawkins’ stylish piano work, Lott’s duet with silky vocalist Titus Starks, and the stirring lyrics give the song crossover potential. On Deniece Williams’ “Amazing,” Lott hits even more stratospheric notes than usual.

Jamie and Sunny Hawkins gave generously of their skills both behind the scenes and in front of the microphone. To my ears, “Faith” remains the album’s piece de resistance because it channels the Hawkins Family magic, from the temperature-raising dynamics to the bluesy grace notes that Lott lofts to the heavens.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Faith,” “Amazing,” “Top of Your Mountain.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

TBGB's Bob Marovich on "I'm Just Sayin'" with Pastor Dan Willis

On Thursday, September 23, TBGB Founder and Editor in Chief Bob Marovich will be the featured guest on the television program "I'm Just Sayin'" with Pastor Dan Willis.

"I'm Just Sayin'" will air on Total Christian Television (TCT) at 10:30 p.m. Central Time.  Check your cable guide for the channel listing in your area.

The show can also be viewed on demand at http://www.tct.tv/demand.php.  Scroll down to the sixth icon in the middle and click on "I'm Just Sayin'."

Don’t Let Go: Music of the Civil Rights Movement

African American Museum of Philadelphia

701 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA

September 25, 2010

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Don’t Let Go: Music of the Civil Rights Movement

In celebration of Gospel Music History Month, and in conjunction with the 6th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day, the African American Museum in Philadelphia and Reverend Joe Williams of Mount Airy United Fellowship invite you to meet living legends of gospel and soul, and hear some of the music that strengthened and encouraged African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.

Special Guests include Garnett Mims, Bunny Sigler, Goldwire McClendon, Howard Carroll, Rosie Wallace, Ali Hackett, Romance Watson, and Frank Bey.

Music compilation provided courtesy of TBGB's Bob Marovich from his "Gospel Memories" radio broadcast on 88.7 WLUW Chicago.

The multimedia presentation and roundtable discussion with artists and media personalities are a perfect complement to the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition, 381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story.

For more information, contact Rev. Joe Williams at (215) 848-2972 or the Museum at (215) 574-0380.

"On The Battlefield" - Bishop Larry D. Trotter & the Sweet Holy Spirit Church

“On the Battlefield”
Bishop Larry D. Trotter and the Sweet Holy Spirit Church
From the forthcoming CD “How Far Back Can You Go?” (Just Sunday Morning Church)
Utopia Music Group 2010
www.myspace.com/bishoplarrydtrotter

On his forthcoming CD, Chicago’s Bishop Larry D. Trotter asks, “How far back can you go?”

Knowing his penchant for traditional gospel, I suspect Bishop can pretty much top whatever answer you give.

Indeed, Sweet Holy Spirit Church’s forthcoming release is reminiscent of Bishop G.E. Patterson’s Singing the Old Time Way: it's like the soundtrack to an old-fashioned revival meeting, one joyous gospel song after another.

With appropriate gusto, “Uncle” Ron Barrett renders the congregational classic “On the Battlefield” in his distinctive tenor, while Bishop Trotter joins in at the conclusion. Recordings like this remind you just how much fun church can be.

The project is scheduled for release sometime near the end of October 2010.

Vetrea Slack Ruffin & the Ruffin Family - House of Worship

Vetrea Slack Ruffin & the Ruffin Family
House of Worship
Heavenly Spirit Music 2010
http://www.vetreaslackruffin.com/

Vetrea (pron. VEE-tree-ah) Slack Ruffin & the Ruffin Family is a mother-daughter trio who combine the sweet traditional harmonies of the Simmons-Akers Trio with the sassiness of the Clark Sisters and the Anointed Pace Sisters. The result is nothing less than extraordinary. This gospel group from Huntsville, Alabama is splendid and deserves much greater attention.

On their album, House of Worship, the Ruffin trio (the daughters are Lacretia and Angel) use their COGIC music experience to transform even the most uncomplicated praise and worship songs into something special.  Just listen to the third track, “The Place I Need You,” and you will know that this group is trained, talented and the real deal.

The outstanding selection on the album is also the current single, “That’s Why I Call His Name.” Here the ladies trade their Clark Sisters sound for an Afro-Caribbean gospel style that I haven’t heard since Arise’s “Arise Medley” two years ago. At the end of the song, one of Vetrea’s grandchildren begs them not to stop singing. She says aloud what we are thinking.

“Victorious, More than a Conqueror” is a fine example of the trio’s clear-as-a-bell harmonies, while “God Is Good” shows they are equally capable of delivering a handclapping, full-throttle church song.  On “Lord, I Wanna Thank You," the Ruffins handle quartet with the same confidence, with Thomas Holman, Sr. providing an authentic shouting lead.

The ladies tag on a hymn to the conclusion of “Lord I Need You,” forming an ending so heartwarming and pure, it takes your breath away.

A celebrity sighting: gospel promoter Ms. Willie McClendon has a speaking role on “Fill This Place.”

Singer-songwriter Vetrea is no newcomer to gospel music.  Years ago, her mother formed The Slack Family Singers, a traditional gospel group, when the family was based in the St. Louis area.  Vetrea is active in the COGIC church, and serves as First Lady of Forge Temple COGIC in Birmingham (husband Dr. Paul B. Ruffin contributes a sermon to the project).  Clearly the Slack musical gene has traveled down through the generations.

To the many individual contributors who provided the financial support for House of Worship – they are listed on the inside jacket – your investment was well worth it.

Five of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “That’s Why I Call His Name,” “God Is Good,” “The Place I Need You.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

"Old Revival Going On" - The Voices of Clouds

“Old Revival Going On”
The Voices of Clouds
From the VOC Records CD Everywhere I Go (2010)
http://www.thevoicesofclouds.com/

When the Voices of Clouds first organized, Eisenhower was in the White House and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the fresh-faced new pastor of Montgomery, Alabama’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

Many years and a couple of record labels later, the quartet took time off to pursue ministerial work, but Joe James, Jr. convinced them to reunite. And that is what they’ve done. Needless to say, the Voices of Clouds have traveled up and down the gospel highway a few times since then.

So when they deliver a song like “Old Revival Going On,” which is as raucously exuberant and foot-stomping as its title suggests, you know they’ve been there, done that and saved souls in the process.

Buford - Get Ready

Buford
Get Ready
DB Productions 2010
www.cdbaby.com/cd/Buford

Guitar is the featured instrument on East St. Louis, Illinois native Buford Noris’ debut CD, the inspirational smooth jazz flavored Get Ready.

Buford, who now lives and works in Houston, credits his deft touch on electric and acoustic guitars to his influences, which include George Benson, Jimi Hendrix, and his father, blues guitarist Henry Noris, Sr. Though uncredited, the spirit of Wes Montgomery can also be heard in Buford’s solo guitar runs.

Musicians jamming in the combo organized for the CD session are Gary Easter and Nick McNack on bass, Wayne Gordon and Andre Venson on keyboards, Mark Holter and Jeryl Harper on alto sax and John “Puncho” Williams on drums. Eddie Rojas plays the trumpet on “Is It Right?” All offer solid support to the guitarist throughout.

While Get Ready is inspirational jazz, it is not an instrumental album. In fact, most of the tracks feature a lead singer, background vocalists, or both, with solo contributions by Dorian Allen and Kim Williams especially noteworthy on “Live Your Life” and “Thank U,” respectively. D’Rell raps smartly on “Is It Right?,” a song about searching for the right way to live. Starr Busby’s aggressive lead on “I’ll Try” complements the selection’s funkiness.

“Live Your Life” is a “wait ‘til your Father gets home” warning to those who are cavalier in their wrongdoing, i.e., that “Christ is coming back soon.” The song is the album's top track because of its engaging repetitiveness, though Buford’s cover of “People Get Ready” runs a close second. The Curtis Mayfield classic is the inspiration for the album’s title and cover artwork, which features a train engine in the station.

The concluding track, “Amazin’,” is a bluesy as well as country take (yes, you read that correctly) on “Amazing Grace.”

Sometimes the background singers carry the vocal line by themselves, and whenever this happens, they remain in the background aurally when they should have been brought to the fore for a stronger group sound. Otherwise, Get Ready is a pleasant listen, especially for those who like their sacred on the smooth side.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Live Your Life,” “People Get Ready.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

TBGB Pick of the Week: September 13, 2010

“My Everything”
Cheneta Jones
Available on iTunes starting September 14, 2010
http://www.realtalentmg.com/

Cheneta Jones and songwriter Percy Bady are a winning combination on "My Everything." Jones’ crystal-clear voice and gospel embellishments are ideal for this steady rolling, feel-good hymn of unbridled praise and worship. Jones makes singing sound effortless, and Bady makes songwriting seem effortless.

Jones is a St. Louis-based singer-songwriter. She is currently planning the follow-up to her debut album, The Cheneta Jones Experience. Later this week, TBGB will publish its in-depth interview with the singer.

Shekinah Glory Ministry - Refreshed By Fire

Shekinah Glory Ministry
Refreshed By Fire
Kingdom Records (release date: September 14, 2010)
http://www.kingdomrecordsinc.com/

Apostle H.D. Wilson, co-producers and writers Phil Tarver and Michael Weatherspoon, and the multitudinous worship warriors of Shekinah Glory Ministry are back with Refreshed By Fire, their new two-CD experience.

I don’t use the word “experience” lightly, because that is what it is. From the opening to closing notes, Refreshed By Fire is the dramatic, theatrical, colorful, eclectic and soul-renewing project that gospel music has come to expect from the music ministry of suburban Chicago’s Kingdom Valley Ministries.

Indeed, like past SGM albums, Refreshed By Fire has a distinct pacing. Like James Cleveland’s vintage choir projects, it demands to be heard in its entirety. And if Mattie Moss Clark’s musical accompaniment to sanctification roared with the fury of Mozart, SGM’s accompaniment is the delicate and peaceful Faure. Vigorous opening singing segues into gently whispered conversations with God and continues with the process of spirit renewal. It concludes with songs that release the saved back to the surface. At once hypnotic and soothing, the album is a baptism where the water is not raging but is calm, comforting and welcoming.

Despite the water analogy above, the key transformational element on this project is fire, which burns off the physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological shackles so worshippers can reclaim, literally unfettered, what is rightfully theirs. The eleven-plus minute “Dance” argues this most succinctly, and could be radio-edited as the group’s latest single with a one-word title. As of today, “Just For Me” is the reigning single. On the full project, "Just For Me" weighs in at fourteen minutes and is an effective concluding piece, a musical expression of a people baptized and ready to conquer and reclaim.

Pastor Dan Willis and Lighthouse Church cameo on the rocking “Giant Slayer,” a metaphorical selection on which the “giant” can either be a personal or a societal issue. Like SGM’s “Stomp,” the devil can be in one’s personal details or dabbling in more global concerns.

Most fascinating about Refreshed By Fire is how it blends many different sounds into one seamless performance structure. While ostensibly a praise and worship project, and certainly the lyrics and the service’s pacing bear that out, the album also incorporates elements of classical music and rock, the electric guitarist on “The Minstrel Release” playing with the searing abandon of the Scorpions’ Michael Schenker.

Like the pit orchestra for an opera, the musicians – under Tarver's and Weatherspoon's leadership – deserve tremendous credit for supporting the extended opus.

The liner notes identify vocal and musical soloists but not always who sings or plays on what song.  So for example, we don’t know who the lovely female voice is on “Ascending Higher” or the aforementioned Schenker-like guitarist. These mysteries will most assuredly be solved on the DVD, however, which adds SGM's striking visual dimension of flag and banner bearers, dancers, and the altar filling company.

Refreshed By Fire will appeal to SGM fans and serve as an ideal introduction to the group’s music ministry for the uninitiated.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Just for Me,” “Dance,” “Giant Slayer.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Pace Jubilee Singers Inducted into the Starr-Gennett Walk of Fame

Rachel E. Sheeley of the Palladium-Item reports on the 2010 induction ceremonies at the Starr-Gennett Walk of Fame this weekend in Richmond, Indiana.  See link below.

The three artists recognized with their own medallions on the Walk of Fame were blues woman Alberta Hunter, guitarist Lonnie Johnson and Chicago's own Pace Jubilee Singers.  Each artist was recorded on the Gennett label, or its subsidiaries.

The Pace Jubilee Singers (medallion, right), who recorded for a variety of labels between 1926 and 1929, released sides for Gennett between March 1927 and March 1928.

Frances Pace Barnes, daughter of Charles H. Pace, founder of the Pace Jubilee Singers, was present for the festivities and was interviewed for the article.  TBGB's Bob Marovich was honored to meet Ms. Barnes and to provide biographical information on her father's group, which is credited with being a musical bridge between jubilee singing and the emerging gospel sound of the late 1920s.

Other artists represented on the Walk of Fame due to their association with Gennett -- "the original indie label" -- include Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Thomas A. Dorsey.  Dorsey recorded blues for the label in the 1920s.

During the festival, the Eternal Joy Singers, a gospel group, performed a tribute to the Pace Jubilee Singers.

The original site of the Gennett recording studios was mapped out so festivalgoers could experience where Louis Armstrong and other famous musicians played and sang onto disc.

Read more here: Pace Jubilee Singers

Y'Anna - The Promise

Y’Anna
The Promise
Imago Dei Music Group 2010
http://www.yannacrawley.net/

“I’m a diamond in the rough,” Y’Anna Crawley asserts on “Stronger,” a track from her debut CD The Promise, released last month on Max Siegel’s new Imago Dei Music Group imprint.

The singer, known simply as “Y’Anna” (pron. EE-AH-NAH) demonstrated that statement when she took home top honors on BET’s "Sunday Best" program, the “American Idol” of gospel singing.

Without reading the liner notes, one can tell from the album's very first note (on the anthemic "I Believe") that Imago Dei surrounded the singer with some of the industry’s top talents. Among the leading lights gathered for The Promise are Lou “Buster” Brown, who produces and co-writes. PAJAM’s J Moss and Paul Allen deliver the goods on “I’m Blessed,” though the synth-drenched “Right Now,” produced by Scott “Shavoni” Parker, sounds more like PAJAM than PAJAM. James “Big Jim” Wright, Rickey Grundy, Natalie Wilson…the list goes on.

Naturally, The Promise includes Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands,” the song that catapulted Y’Anna to the top of the judges’ list on the television program, although the inspirational title track and autobiographical “Stronger” are more revealing of the artist’s personal life. Listen to “Stronger,” in fact, and you will hear the story of the young woman’s struggles and overcoming.

Thanks to the assembled talent and Y’Anna’s unfettered energy, the album is power packed and speeds along at the brisk pace of a Damita Haddon or Kiki Sheard recording. Amidst the urban AC and power pop arrangements, Y’Anna is given room to exercise the full range of her vocal skills on “Lookin’ Toward Heaven” and “You’re Still God.” It is on these two tracks that she shines most brightly and the world gets a sense of what she has to offer. As such, it would be great to hear her knock out an old hymn or two on her sophomore CD.

The Promise is a fitting title because it introduces a young artist at the dawn of her craft, though even now, at this early stage, she is clearly far more diamond than rough.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “The Promise,” “Stronger,” “Lookin’ Toward Heaven.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Another Sad Note to Report...

Joe James, Jr. of the Voices of Clouds told TBGB that Terry Mendheim, radio promoter with Cross Light Group, lost his mother this week. 

We extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to Terry and his family during this difficult time, and know that our readers will do the same.

Bishop Leonard Scott Presents My Worship Experience

Bishop Leonard Scott Presents
My Worship Experience
Tyscot Records 2010 (release date: September 14, 2010)
http://www.tyscot.com/

On several occasions, TBGB has referred to gospel CDs as “worship services in a jewel case.”

Well, Bishop Leonard Scott Presents My Worship Experience is literally that.

Recorded live at the Madame Walker Theatre in Indianapolis during the 2009 Harmony Conference, My Worship Experience is a two-CD set that captures every moment of the conference's plenary worship service. The recording tape runs as songs, exhortations, testimonies and commentary come forward, from congregational warm-up songs to the altar call.

The CD set features a galaxy of gospel artists – from Tyscot and other labels – who were on hand for the service. Included are stars such as Lucinda Moore (who hits her trademark off-the-staff high notes on “The Joy of the Lord”), Deitrick Haddon, Joann Rosario Condrey, Pastor Ronnie “Diamond” Hoard, and gospel saxophonist Pastor Harold Rayford. Musical Director Jeffrey Thomas II lined up a superb group of musicians, including Tyron Cooper on electric guitar. Bishop Scott sings several songs and Pastor Bryant Scott sets the tone early on with an emotional exhortation about what a true worship service means to him.

For a program that was not intended to be a commercial recording, it is marvelously paced. My Worship Experience ushers in praise and worship with a jaunty island beat on "Did You Come to Praise Him," while the parade of artists turns the Walker Theatre into a megachurch with CCM-spiced praise songs. Like a Shekinah Glory Ministry CD, the atmosphere gradually shifts from exuberant and energetic to peaceful and introspective to celebratory by the conclusion.

During the tranquil segment on the second CD, Bishop Scott, along with Ernest and Ericka Jackson, challenge the congregation with a simple but often unasked question: “Will you still worship when the music stops?” As the Jacksons deliver their incredible testimony of overcoming extreme hardship, the program hushes to a whisper for a rare quiescent moment on a gospel recording. The metaphor, of course, is if the congregant will continue to praise when life gets tough, or when life is not terribly melodious.

The album’s current single, “I Need You Now,” features the combined talents of Lil Mo, Damita Haddon, Phillip Bryant, Ivan Powell, Lamar Campbell, Rodnie Bryant, with the Indiana Celebration Mass Choir dubbed in. Other standout tracks here include Rosario Condrey and Rayford’s “Give Your Life to Christ” and Bishop Scott’s “Greatness of Your Love,” with its steady rolling melody.

My Worship Experience is a portable church service where the music plays the dominant role setting the mood, delivering the Word, saving the souls, conducting the doxology and sending everyone home with renewed vigor and purpose.

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “I Need You Now,” “Give Your Life to Christ.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

RIP: Lady MaLinda Sapp, Wife of Pastor Marvin Sapp

From Gospel News Now:

Gospel music artist Marvin Sapp has lost his wife and best friend, MaLinda Sapp to colon cancer.

Marvin and MaLinda had been married for 15 years and have three children. Marvin and his church, Lighthouse Full Life Center Church, had previously launched a 24 hour prayer campaign for the complete healing of MaLinda. Marvin recently curtailed his travel and recording plans in order to be with his wife during her time of sickness.


MaLinda Sapp was Administrative Pastor alongside Marvin Sapp at their church, Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, MI. According to MaLinda's bio she was a limited licensed psychologist, licensed professional counselor and served as a college professor. She also served as manager for Marvin Sapp and had Executive Producer credits on many of his audio and video recordings.

Marvin Sapp was part of the popular Gospel group Commissioned and is best known for chart topping Gospel songs “Never Would Have Made It” and “The Best in Me”.

Information on the homegoing service is below.  Click on the poster for a closer look at the details.

Meanwhile, please pray for Marvin, his children and the entire family during this difficult time.  

Photo: Gospel News Now

LaNell - Work It Out

LaNell
Work It Out
Zhana Records 2010
http://www.zhanarecords.com/

LaNell has a new man in her life.

In fact, she sings, he’s the “best man in town.”

And when she calls the one who did her wrong “a no good devil,” she’s not speaking metaphorically. Jesus is her man, and Satan, the no good devil, is out.

This refreshing and delightfully tongue-in-cheek play on the blues theme of the wronged woman is “Satan, I’ve Had Enough” from LaNell’s new CD, Work It Out. One can imagine the singer/songwriter and actor pacing the stage during this selection, an agitated tornado of a woman, full of fury and holy elation.

Another blues-soaked performance, this one of Thomas Dorsey’s “I’m Going To Live the Life I Sing About in My Song,” (abbreviated on the CD to “Live the Life”) is equally animated and powerful, complete with playfully tinkling piano and snarling guitar. The Anderson, South Carolina resident has mastered the gospel blues persona so well that she ought to record an entire CD of Dorsey tracks.

But that’s just one side of LaNell Rice-Rollins, whose star began to rise when her performance on the "Bobby Jones Gospel Explosion" in Florida was televised on BET. LaNell’s always razor-sharp delivery is bright and bouncy on the CD’s radio-friendly track “Stand Up,” smooth and jazzy on “Just When I Needed You Most,” and meditative on the moody "Lord, I Love You More."  She sings her heart out on the concluding selection, “Keep Me,” a slow, pleading soul-cry for spirit nourishment. 

Other songs on Work It Out contain the casual friendliness of Top 40 hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The slower pieces are LaNell's sweet spot, because she can employ her dramatic skills to “work it out.”

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Stand Up,” “Live the Life,” “Satan, I’ve Had Enough.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.