I enjoyed Troy Lilly’s Sunday Best recap so much last week, I figured… let’s give it another go!
So, without any delay, here’s our new BFF Troy…
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And then there were five. Last night on Sunday Best, two more contestants went home, leaving behind season three’s Top 5. But it had to be the toughest elimination call for the judges thus far. There was not a single “bad” performance, so their decisions really came down to finite observances of the seven performers.
Regular Judge Tina Campbell of duo Mary Mary returned this week, while Kim Burrell continued to provide pre-performance mentoring behind the scenes. R&B vocalist Chrisette Michele was the show’s opener, to the surprise of virtually everyone. Singing Donnie McClurkin’s “Stand,” she put a unique supper club-like spin on the hit.
The focus for the evening was particularly on vocals. Kirk Franklin announced that night’s theme was “One Mic,” meaning musical accompaniments would be scaled back to emphasize each contestant’s voice. Here’s the rundown:
Dathan Thigpen – “Friend of God”
During the mentor moment with Kim Burrell, we saw her encourage Dathan to embrace his “performer” side in addition to his “worship” side. He seemed to explore the stage more than before, but not at the sacrifice of his signature vocals. He sounded great as usual. The judges, however, were split. I’m not sure the upbeat number was the best fit for an evening of more intimate – unplugged if you will – performances.
Tiffany Carlin-Laird – “Goin’ Up Yonder”
Although she sang second, Tiffany really set the tone for the night with her slow simmering delivery of another song made famous by Tramaine Hawkins. She showed great skill by harnessing her powerhouse voice with precision. There were opportunities for her to revert to screaming, but she maintained a beautiful tone that showed her versatility. I absolutely loved it. The judges did, too.
Durward Davis – “Lean on Me”
Durward pretty much pulled a Tiffany on us. He guided the audience through the poignant lyrics of Kirk Franklin’s song with a conviction that we saw on his face and heard in his voice. He also demonstrated precise vocal ability, giving just enough without launching into growl mode. He’s clearly a seasoned singer knows how minister. Tina was very concise in her critique and used the word “perfection” to describe his performance. Kirk said Durward made him want to rewrite the song.
Martha Buries – “Holy, Holy, Holy”
A week after returning to Sunday Best as the wildcard contestant, Martha showed she’s here to stay. The chopped-and-screwed arrangement of the traditional hymn was risky, but Martha didn’t hold back. I love that she showed the velvety side of her voice without abandoning her style as a singer. She was yet another contestant who got the most of her voice by caressing the notes instead of attacking them. One other observation: it is just me, or does she have a look of sheer terror in her eyes at times? Homegirl is doing a great job. Just hope she knows it.
Brian Smith – “Lord I Lift Your Name on High”
I must say that Brian has one of the best voices this season. And his styling is so unique… kind of contemporary and soulful at the same time. However, he really needed to knock the judges socks off tonight. He didn’t really do that until the very end of his song. Man, Brian is probably the most likeable contestant on the show. He’s so humble and receptive to all the advice he’s gotten. At this point, though, I feel the other singers could be performing professionally tomorrow and have eclipsed him. He still has a bit of artistic growth to do.
LeAndria Johnson – “Endow Me”
The folks at Sunday Best read my mind. I was longing for a Clark Sisters song, and who better to channel all four sisters than LeAndria? She didn’t tone down her voice at all, but gave me a little Karen, Dorinda and Twinkie in less than two minutes. She nailed the Karen-like runs, Dorinda’s smoky scat, and belted out Twinkie’s growl in one breath. This girl can sing an-y-thing. She received and deserved a standing ovation. The applause also gave her time to collect herself because she looked like she was about to dance. Whew.
Elder Goldwire McLendon – “How Great Thou Art”
At age 79, Elder McLendon is as smooth as they come. He again showed that he’s just a great singer. I’m impressed by the sound of his voice alone, which made “How Great Thou Art” sound almost operatic. Then he sealed his fate for sure by ending the song with a sustained note that was simply amazing. His competition is praying they sound this good in thirty or forty years. The judges couldn’t help but admire his craft. Tina said his vocal ability was bananas.
The judges had to make some very difficult eliminations tonight. I personally didn’t want to see anyone go, but I was pretty confident I knew who was going.
So here’s the Top 5:
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
Durward Davis
Martha Buries
LeAndria Johnson
Elder Goldwire McLendon
As for Dathan and Brian, both guys have a future in gospel music. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from them soon. But, I also understand why they were eliminated at this stage in the show.
What are you thoughts, people? Wasn’t this an amazing show?
Troy...Your recap is just great..oh.. the power of words(lol). I agree with most of your comments.I thought Tiffany did an awesome job with "Going up yonder"using the softer side of her vocals. However I would have preferred hearing the softer side of Le Andrea as well.Maybe its because I am getting old coupled with the fact that my singing ability is nothing to be desired..but the sceraming women are getting to me...eh...That is just me ,don't attack(LOL). Overall "Sunday Best"gets better each week.
Great Recap!!! I think all of the performances last night was great. I wouldn't want to judge this group. However, I think Tiffany was the best last night. She slayed that song last night. It was funky!!!!!!! Although I like LeAndria, she was a little pitchy to me (ya'll don't hit me). She brought it on in though. Love the song. My favorite of the competition is Durward. I think he is the one to beat. He has mad skills. I didn't love Chrisette Michele. Sorry :( I was confused.
THIS WAS THE BEST SHOW YET. everyone sounded great i do see why dathan and brian were let go though. CHRISETTE MICHELLE OMG she KILLED stand geez she was amazing i love her approach to songs and her voice is like no other and she is def. annointed TIFFANY really made me a fan last night i was like MAN this lady has swagg and you could see when she really started to feel that thing and that ararangement was BANANAS im lovin the new band.. DURWARD his voice is soo perfect i swear he has had some classical training the way that he approaches his top notes is sooo professional lol i love his approach. MARTHA my hometown gurl lol..she did a little too much for me it sounded really busy to me but thats how we sing in houston but she is SOOOOOO SKILLED GEEZ. LEANDRIA she has this in the bag that is all lol ELDER as always great dood can REALLY sing geez
oh @troy can you explain the club-like spin chrisette put on stand..cause im confused lol
Great recap Troy. Everyone was on point, but somebody had to go home. I think they were correct in their choice of whom to eliminate. I am enjoying everyone, but I would love for Elder Goldwire to mix it up a lil. He is a great talent, but I would like to hear maybe a uptempo cut or something. But LEANDRIA, LEANDRIA, LEANDRIA. Enough said.
I l0vE sUnday BesT... it is so amazing to see young and old people alike singing with the gift that only God can give cant wait till next Sunday
Troy, your recap was again on point. I thought all the singers did well, and it was a tough decision but I called it just like the judges. I really like what Durwood did with Kirk's song. When you have the songwriter say you make him want to rewrite his song, that is saying something!!! I am loving this competition. What a pleasant surprise to see Chrisette looking gorgeous as ever. I loved her reading of "Stand". Babygirl is a song stylist in the tradition of Nancy Wilson.
Loved the recap! Gotta be the best batch of contestants. I'd hate to have to judge this group as well. At this point, I say pluck Durward, Leandria, and Elder out of the competition...give them record deals or whatever...and leave Tiffany and Martha to duke it out for the crown, lol. Those three are so far above this competition, it's not even fair at this point, lol... Dathan can lead any worship service I ever attend and Brian is just so likeable...he'd prob do better hosting a show along the lines of Bobby Jones Gospel. I'd love him singing in the beginning and then introducing Durward, Leandria, and Elder, LOL...
...my mind is also starting to compare Leandria and Fantasia! If she kicks off her shoes next week, it's official, LOL!
Great recap. truly loved leandria performance. I love elder but he should have been sent home, but he is rating keeper. Dalton should have stayed
Well finally the recap! :-) I waited and waited this morning for it BEFORE I watched the replay online (because you recapped the other week so well and I wanted to see if I saw it the same as you did!) but since a sistah's got stuff to do, I had to watch before reading your recap. Great job once again. I must say that I can usually call things pretty well in terms of what the end will be on these kinds of contests. I'm not necessarily confused, just still searching in the spirit ;-) to see who's going to win versus who I think should win it. I'll start here: I wholeheartedly agree w/v4c's post. So with Tiffany and Martha left standing v4c's scenario, I'd pick Tiffany over Martha although my reason isn't fully thought out. Martha's doing everything right (right song, she's poised, decent voice, etc.) but I'm still not connecting with her... like maybe it's more image than anything else? Tiffany: I like her but if she picked another Tremaine song I'm going to begin to think she's a one-trick pony (no offense). Leandria: like somebody said upthread, she gave us both lungs on this acoustic set but it still worked, right? She's definitely making RIGHT song choices and her lady thug like, gangsta-boo conviction in the Holy Ghost convinces me every time: like if I was in trouble I could call Leandria and she's come with her pocket knife but she'd be praying all the way there that she hopes she won't have to use it but she'd use it for a good cause! LOL! I hope y'all got that! :-) I didn't think I'd start to like this show (first year watching) but it's made a GREAT turnaround so I'm looking forward to seeing what the end will be Great background vocalists, too!
@v4c kick off shoes, wow. i think she's come a long way since those flip flops. this was the first week i actually sat back and enjoyed leandria. last week's song was not my favorite. this week she delivered a message in song, a clark sisters song at that. the church (audience) should have gone up. i loved all of the performances but longed for something different from dathan. he'll be apart of donald lawrence family of singers soon, wishful thinking. the bow tie dude was consistent in his delivery. speaking of consistent, elder does it everytime. i'm looking forward to something a lil different next week from him. how would he sound singing walter hawkins' anthem thank you Lord? i would be slain in the electronics section of wal-mart as soon as he said "it could've been me". tiffany didn't squall this week, loved it. there's more to her than the church girl side. a sweet diva is itching to come out. martha buries and durward (he's just got that oomph). i love you two also, keep doing what you're doing.
The show was great last night BUT I'm glad somebody finally said it...I felt as if Leandria screamed the song rather than sang it. She has a powerful voice but I don't think her technique compares to the other singers including Eld. Goldwire. They can run circles around Elder Goldwire with the power in their voices but I agree with Tina - he is vocally skilled and can compete with all of them. He shows every week why he deserves to be in this competition. My question is: Can Leandria switch it up? Each week we hear her going hard but can during acoustic night I was also looking for a softer vocal side.
Well I guess I was watching another show b/c I peeped it when LeAndria was singing and all of a sudden got soft with it for a minute. Yes, I'm longing to hear her softer voice also for the majority of a song, b/c Tiffany and Martha's was a treat! I see the comparison w/ LeAndria and Fantasia....I don't think she hollers as much though and I hope she keeps it that way. Love me some Fantasia but I can't stand all the hollering all the time. I don't see LeAndria like that. Can't wait til the next show!
@Michael Dixon: Lol, the supper club reference is a toss back to old jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughn, Billey Holiday and even more recent singers such as Nancy Wilson and Ella Fitzgerald. Those women pioneered the restrained jazz phrasing that singers copy today. They also built their careers singing in venues where people dined while being serenaded by a singer and band. Thus, the supper club reference. Hope that helps.
@ troy oh lol i feel dumb i thought i saw super instead of supper...now it makes complete and total sense THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT UP.. that def. describes chrisette to the T. thank you troy..oh and great recap sir
I enjoyed this show very much... Durward Davis & LeAndria Johnson are still the standouts to me, and I really liked Tiffany Carlin-Laird this time around. Chrisette Michele is a very talented, outstanding vocalist, but I can never really get into her live performances. I can listen to her cd's with no problem, but live? *blank stare* Yet & still her delivery of Stand, was nice.
"her lady thug like, gangsta-boo conviction in the Holy Ghost convinces me every time: like if I was in trouble I could call Leandria and she’s come with her pocket knife but she’d be praying all the way there that she hopes she won’t have to use it but she’d use it for a good cause!" Totally feel you, Tam Tam! Everyone needs one of those friends in the pocket, LOL! @ matthew5and9 - Just want to be sure you knew I was referring to Fantasia's stage antics...kinda like Patti LaBelle...when she gets into a singing frenzy and kicks off her pumps. Wasn't referring to the flip flops at all... LeAndria's "Summertime" moment is on the way...and I can't wait! :-)
Troy, great recap! I enjoyed the scaled back performances. Sometimes with reality/talent-shows the musical accompaniments get more grand with each show, and leave the contestants vocals in shadows. I think people tend to forget that the vocals are what separate you from everyone else, not the piano. It's also important for the contestants to continue to pick songs where they can use the lyrics to truly minister in such a short time, and thus arrangement becomes vitally important to the overall success of the song. I definitely have to agree with v4c...Leandria will have her "Summertime" moment, and as soon as she gets a chance to do more than a snippet I think she's going to bring the house down with her testimony
I've got a question!!!!!!!!! Does the annointing stink? Then why does Donnie put his right hand up and scruntch his face up as if someone passed gas? He could just stand there with his hand on his hips like Erica campbel or just stand there and smile like Yolanda. Whachall think? Is this just me too? I miss Bee Bee our (black simon)Donnie is ok but do we have to get a little Liston Page sermon whenever he Judges a singer. " The Vernacular and the tenacity of the hermeneutics of your voice along with the anointing (face scrounged & Hand raised) wooo was just beautiful." Be blessed. Kirk is like so does that mean u like her or not. I am mad that elder Goldwyer didn't shout!
I loved the performances, it was on point and inspiring. I am only going to give a recap of the people I liked. Tiffany Carlin-Laird- That woman is amazing, her voice is so strong and powerful. Not only can she sing, but she is anointed, she is one of my favorites. LeAndria Johnson –What can I say? She is a singer for real, I love how she just tears it up every time she gets the mic, If she make a cd I would be buying it! Elder Goldwire McLendon-I did`nt get the hype before but after that rendition of "How Great Thou Art" he became a sensation, his voice is smooth and he lives what he sings! Durward David- He is my favorite male contestant, he can really sing. I love his take on "Lean on Me", he has some major pips and he really feels when he sings. All of my favorites made it to the top five, I love it.
LeAndria is going to win. I think we all know that. She's a beast. A real beast. When in competition there's never a time to play games. You've got to give God your VERY best. LeAndria is in it to win it. But like others have said, I can't wait to hear her softer side. It's all about tone. I know that she has it in her.... I just don't know if that side is yet developed. Even the great Aretha Franklin was quiet at times, but she still had a commanding tone. I would like to see and hear this come out of LeAndria.
I enjoyed last Sunday's show.It was refreshing to hear the contestants in that mode of singing. Elder does have a smooth velvety voice..he does not have to holla he is natrual.He has got it....Enjoyed Tiffany,she did a great job. I like LeAndrea...but would like to her her softer side. This Sunday Best is more than a competiton it is a show ,and I look forward to it. Can't go without giving Donnie some props..I enjoy anything Donnie is a part of.
Chrisette Michelle was a no for me.
what is a summertime moment?
Troy Troy Troy, you did it again man,!!! This by far was one of my FAVORITE episodes so far. First off, chrissette(to me) KILLED the opener,I didn't like the hair cut and the make-up she was lookin a little to amber rose(kanye's girlfriend-the bald chic)ish for me Next is it me or is Tina tryin waaayyy to hard to be EXTRA nice, I mean I know she was extra harsh during the auditions,but I miss having someone who's not so exta mushy nice. I understand that this is gospel music and all,but come on!! I mean yea Tina can be a bit much, but that's who she is-honestly these judges are holding back-give it to them straight. Anywho,onto the performers: Dathan: he sounded like israel to me. It was nice, but it just didn't move me spirtutally. Duward: it was pretty I'll admit that, but it didn't connect with me, he did a beautiful job,but the connection(for me) was.not.there. Brian:he's got a nice personality, but vocally, this dude isn't up to par with where the competition is voacally or spiritually. If you looked out in the audience, the crowd wasn't really into it as much. Martha:I like hymns(I'ma baptist brat)and since they sing this at my grandaddy's church, she got extra points with me, but she seemed a bit nervous or apprehensive-she didn't let herslef go there.it was good, but at this point, I'ma need Ms. Martha to turn it up just a little bit more Tiffany: I like this gurl here!!! She makes me proud to be a baptist!! Lol. She has great potential-I totally LOVED her rendition of a lady Tramaine hawkins classic- it's not too many people who can re-do Tramaine...last week it was Martha, this week it's Tiffany-gone gurl!!! LeAndria: there's just something about her that just stands out to me. I do agree with the fantasia comparison. Now like I stated earlier, there are some CLASSICS that just SHOULD NOT be remade-case in point "we are the world" but that's another story. The clark sisters are LEGENDARY-period!! And they're on that list of folks who's stuff should.not.be.touched.so to see LeAndria do "endow me" I was a bit taken back by that one. There's only 1 person who came as close to perfection as you can singin "endow me" and that's coko(from the first album-a classic!) But this chic here,WOW!!!! That's all I can say. Elder McClendon:if you've been followin this show, you'll notice that since DAY 1 they've been puttin him at the end-them folks at BET are smarter than they act. Elder McClendon closes every show because: he simply knows how to do it-and he takes ya on to glory...it's like bein at church: the choir always sings before the pastor preaches, well LeAndria is the choir, and Elder Goldwier is the preacher!! He ceases to amaze me time and time again. His rendition of "how great thou art" was breathtaking. He gave you passion,purity,and even threw in an operatic feel at the end, and he was killin that red jacket!!! I mean he's 79 years old in a singing competition with 20 and 30 somethings, and he outsings them ALL(you can say what you wanna, but how many old people YOU know good enough to go on sunday best??? Exactly!!) So all in all:very good show. I'm too pumped about this week's episode: laila hathaway(donnie's daughter) and THEE KAREN CLARK SHEARD on one stage,on the same show. One word:BANANAS!!! I already have my top 3(and I've been right so far): LeAndria Elder As for 3rd: I'm tied: Martha or Tiffany #thatisall