Last night’s episode of BET’s Sunday Best chopped 20 finalists down to 10 and we’re one week closer to crowning a winner. Here’s how it all went down…
Kurt Carr was the guest artist, opening the show with “In The Sanctuary.” There was a funky edit during the modulations, in which a phrase started in one key and ended in another, but aside from that, it was cool enough. I would’ve liked to hear something a tad more recent from him (like “Peace And Favor Rest On Us”), but “In The Sanctuary” was a black church anthem at one point, so thought it’s 10 years and two albums old, it still works, I guess.
The competition this week was as tough as last week. The judges– Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams and Tina Campbell, were straight-up and on-point, in my opinion. They were kind to all, but absolutely honest in their critiques. Let’s go one-by-one:
Mesie Augustine – “How Great Is Our God”
I wasn’t a fan of the arrangement and her nerves got the best of her on the vocals, but I really like her spirit. I kinda knew the judges were gonna call her on the nervousness– it made an otherwise capable young lady subject to her anxiety, rather than being able to own her voice and do what she wanted with it.
Orlando Wright - “The Presence Of The Lord”
I just don’t know. I like him and his voice, but I don’t know if I’d want an album from him. I don’t know if he’s got an innate “artist” quality to him. That said, he’s a likeable guy who clearly believed what he was singing– I think he has an audience, I just don’t know if it’s on a national platform. I see him more regional, but time will tell.
Brittney Dear - “Here I Am To Worship”
Nerves again. Oh my goooooodness, it made me nervous FOR her. I really wanted her to be okay, but the vocal performance really suffered as a result of her emotions. Her tone and vocal quality was completely different from what we saw in her audition– I think Tina said it best– that her nerves consumed her.
David Wilford – “I Will Bless The Lord”
Loved this performance– it was full of energy, demonstrated his range and agility a bit… and he’s comfortable on the stage, which always puts others at ease. For my taste, he could demonstrate a bit more control and focus on some of his riffs, but I enjoy him, for sure. I wanna see more.
Tiffany Carlin-Laird – “Walk With Me”
Loved her at the audition and loved her on stage. That performance was HOT. Like her audition, she came and delivered without a problem. She owns her voice, and the stage on which she uses it, and that makes you WANT to hear more. She never gives too much or too little, it seems… I really love what she brings to the stage.
Dathan Thigpen - “Open The Eyes Of My Heart”
This performance was really great, too– his voice matched the acoustic vibe of the song. It was just an awesome performance and there’s really very little to say about it– it was just RIGHT, y’know? I felt like we were simply invited to his own worship moment on stage. He did what he would probably be doing if he were by himself, and not being taped for TV. It translated well.
Martha Buries - “Our God Is Awesome God”
She gave a solid performance– it was a jazzy and tasteful rendition of a song that generally puts me to sleep (not because of the message, but because of how slowwwwwwly some people sing it in worship). In any event, she kept my attention. And I would like to hear more of what she does.
Brian Smith – “Precious Jesus”
Good ol’, Brian. He’s just a nice guy, and that translates to his entire performance– he’s got a nice tone with a nice delivery, nice agility with a nice stage presence. NICE! I like it a lot. In future weeks, he’ll probably have to show more stage confidence and ownership if he’s to compete with some of the people that came harder with it, but until then, he’s someone I wanna hear. By the way– DOPE song choice.
Bethany Divine – “For Every Mountain”
I loved her vocal. She played it safe quite a bit and I wish she had just gone for it, but I felt like she knows her voice. She may know it better than most of the finalists we’ve seen. And her tone, her vocal agility… she’s got one of those pre-approved voices for gospel. She fits right in and I think we’ll be seeing more of her. This is the one performance with which I disagreed with the judges a bit.
Vernell Payton - “Praise Is What I Do”
Vernell’s got a great tone and control, and he does all the things you’d expect, but there appeared to be a disconnect, and the judges did not delay in talking about it. I dunno what it was– the performance just didn’t… go… from vocal performance to ministry moment. I have no clue as to why. All in all, I enjoyed his vocal performance enough, but I don’t know if he’s ready to give more than a great vocal when he’s on stage.
At the end of the show, the top 20 were shaved down to the top 10 for next week. And they are:
Durward Davis
Franklin Davis
Tawanna Tarvin
LeAndria Johnson
Orlando Wright
Brian Smith
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
David Wilford
Dathan Thigpen
Elder Goldwire McLendon
One wildcard will join ‘em next week, so we’ll have to see who they saved from elimination… I’m hopin’ for Bethany Divine or Jonte Thomas. Aside from those omissions, I’m actually quite satisfied with their selection– I think they kept the finalists who demonstrated the most prior preparation and future potential. It’s gonna be a good show.
And that was that! What were your thoughts? What did you think about the show?
Talk to me!
EJ, I agree with you about the wildcards. I hope it's either Jonte or Bethany. Bethany reminds me of Jazmine Sullivan. I really enjoy her vocals and feel like she did give it to them, just not like the judges wanted. She gave HER style, which was just fine for me! Jonte is nice too. Her range is crazy, and I want to hear more from her. At any rate, it's gonna be an interesting season!
This season's" Sunday Best" is the best ever.It has all the elements of a good show....I was not impressed with the previous seasons ..did not grab my attention. There are far better talents and I personally like the new judges especially Donnie,he makes it more interesting. I agree with the decision for the 10 finalist, no real surprise...but yet to decide who "Sunday Best" should be.
the only one i disagree with is franklin davis but this is gud i still dont see anyone coming strong like leandria and elder but will see ej i agree with you on ORLANDO WRIGHT it was just somethin About him i was like idk how to feel he can sing but it didnt move me and i cant see him or i shud say hear him on a cd idk..i liked johnte shes great
I think it goes without saying that the producers CLEARLY want a male vocalist to win this season. It was evident during the audtions when the judges would send home amazing female singers, yet move average male singers to the next level. Then the producers, not the judges, choose 7 males and only 3 females to compose the Final 10. Not that im upset nor bitter, im just saying that it is very obvious what they are trying to do.
Loved the show and can't wait to hear some more singing - the songs r so short!! Yes I wanted a more updated song from Kurt Carr but oh well! From this show loved the guy with the bow tie, the guy who looked like fonsworth bentley lol and the lady who looked liked Jill scott lol o I liked the guy who reminded me of Cuban Gooding Jr n understood the judges critique I was feeling his voice I wish he didint mess it up though. Excuse the grammar/commenting from my phone LOL!
Sigh.... I REALLY wanted this show to keep my attention.... It has FAILED to do so.... Maybe it's the Orlando Wright cough>ringer<cough.... or the lack of backstories on the contestants (no time to get to know them because they start off with too many?).... or the inconsistency of the judging.... Maybe I'm just fed up with the commercialization of (mainstream) gospel.... If somebody has a word to interest me again, please share....
Last night's show was good, but I enjoyed the first ten contestants more. I feel that last night's 10 contestants should have had to sing Donnie and Yolanda songs, just like the first ten from last week's episode. It doesn't seem fair that this group of 10 had a wider selection of songs to choose from, and it was still the same round. But in any case, the two I liked from last week are still there. The finalist from Nigeria didn't make the top ten, but maybe she or Jonte Thomas, who sang Yolanda's 'Just a Prayer Away' will be chosen as a wildcard.
Towards the end of the show when kirk franklin says a special thankyou to our judges,I noticed Donald Lawrence and Kim Burrell bow their heads at the same instance as though they're hiding from camera view or something. How many people notice that?
@ Danny, it seems as if the camera caught them bowed over laughing at something idk. @ EJ, Can you explain why Orlando Wright and Dathan Thigpen qualify for this competition? Orlando well not be a former recording artist, but I own Dathan Thigpen's CD. Is it that he does not have a current contract? It just bothers me . . . I thought they were looking for new talent. Orlando even said in his opening that he is trying to show that his career is not over.
Eleanora, Very interesting observation. I didn't even THINK about that! I will say, subconciously I felt "the men are really strong"..but that's because the competition was heavily weighed in favor of choosing a man! 7 men..3 women?...wow! I agree. I feel the judges made the right decisions for the final ten. It seem a lot more strategized to appear that way too...there wasn't THAT much competition between the two teams of ten to compare! I must admit I was surprised to see Orlando Wright on the show. Before recalling his name, I was familiar with Orlando's stage work in "The Fabric of A Man" by Christian playwright, David E. Talbert, which is great by the way! Orlando really lays down his vocal skills and humor in this production. He was a little reserved to me but showed great spirit non the less. All in all, I'm looking forward to the rest of the episodes
I think the judges got it wrong on Bethany Divine. Her vocals are CRAZY!!! Martha Buries should have made it too. Something about her delivery was AWESOME. Some of the ones they chose for the top 10 should not be in the top 10.
EJ I DEFINETLY AGREE WITH BETHANY DIVINE AS THE WILDCARD. HER VOCALS WERE FANTASTIC. SHE HAS ALOT TO BRING TO THE GOSPEL INDUSTRY. I LIKE HER. I ASLO DON'T FEEL LIKE FRANKLIN DAVIS NOR ORLANDO WRIGHT SHOULD BE THERE. BECAUSE FRANKLIN DID'NT DO A GOOD JOB ON HIS PERFORMANCE, AND AS FAR AS ORLANDO GOES, I THINK HE IS GREAT, BUT I JUST DON'T SEE HIM ON A PLATFORM AS SUNDAYBEST. HOPEFULLY HE PROVES ME WRONG. BUT BETHANY MOST DEF, GURL GOT SOMETHANG SPECIAL!!!!!!!
BETHANY DEVINE SHUD BE THE WILDCARD. MARTHA BURIES WAS AWESOME TOO. THEY SHOULD REPLACE ORLANDO AND FRANKLIN WITH THESE 2 WOMEN!