Several years back, I watched VH1 Divas Live as Bishop Paul Morton joined Aretha Franklin on stage to kill “Precious Memories” before the masses.

I love this performance today as much as I did back then.  Check it out–

What’dya think???

Associate Editor Troy Lilly chats with Y’Anna Crawley, season two winner of BET’s Sunday Best, about the release of her debut album, The Promise, which hit stores this Tuesday…

Troy: How are you?

Y’Anna: I’m good. How are you?

Troy: Great! It’s really good to talk to you, and not just because we’re both from the DMV [DC, Maryland, Virginia], but you are DC’s rising star.

Y’Anna: Oh, yeah?

Troy: It’s kind of like first we had Wale and now… we have Y’Anna.

Y’Anna: Wow, that’s big!

Troy: So, it’s been a little while since you won season two of BET’s Sunday Best, which kind of introduced you to the nation. How has life been since you won the title?

Y’Anna: Everything is just so awesome. I’m still pinching myself – literally! It’s humbling, it’s exciting… just everything that I ever thought it would be. God showed me a long time ago that I would touch many hearts with my voice. And now it’s like, “Wow, God…” Everything that you told me and showed me is right here.

Troy: And now, the release of your debut album, which we’ve been waiting for eagerly. How exciting or terrifying is that?

Y’Anna: It’s really exciting. Just to have my own… like finally it’s my turn. I’ve been singing professionally since I was twelve, backing up people like Chrisette Michele, Raheem DeVaughn – even Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole throughout high school – and just being in the background for so long, and now I’m in the forefront. I’m so blessed and it’s a wonderful feeling

Troy: The Promise is the title of your debut album.  What does that mean to you and what’s the message you’re trying to convey with your first project?

Y’Anna: The message I’m really trying to convey is that no matter how many times you get knocked down, if you have a passion for something God has given you and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, remember to stand on His word. Remember to stand on God’s promises always, because He’ll never give it to you if He’s not going to make it come to fruition. God is a man of his word. He really is.

Troy: The first single from the album was “Grandma’s Hands,” which became a fan favorite from your Sunday Best performances. The current single is the title track, “The Promise,” so tell me, how is it different lyrically and stylistically from what we’re used to hearing you sing?

Y’Anna: Like you said “Grandma’s Hands” was kind of a fan favorite and, since it was so popular on the show, they decided to make that the first single. It’s more southern and soulful, but the lyrics of “The Promise” are more uplifting, telling you to persevere and hold on to God’s promises.

Musically, “The Promise” is a crossover, more pop and mainstream than southern soul. And it’s just so befitting, with my life story and everything I’ve gone through. It’s just perfect.

Troy: So “The Promise” has a pop or crossover appeal to it. But you’ve got a very dynamic voice – sometimes sounds like Aretha Franklin and other greats. What other styles did you experiment with on the album?

Y’Anna: I’m trying to give everybody a variety. I got a little hip hop on there, if you like Mary J. – well Mary J. Blige is hip hop I guess, huh?

Troy: Right!

Y’Anna: But I got a little dance tune on there.

Troy: Wow.

Y’Anna: Because there’s so many variations to my voice, I’m just trying to give everybody something so they can say “ok, she’s not just a down home church singer, like she can do everything.” And that’s really what I was trying to capture.

Troy: Did you try anything jazzy or bluesy?

Y’Anna: Well, I did! Actually I did “Sweet Love” over, but it didn’t make the album. But it’s cool ‘cause I’m gonna leak it out some type of way!

Troy: Please, please do! And you can forward me a copy as soon as you do because my parents tell me that I was conceived to Anita Baker!

Y’Anna: Uh oh! My mother played it every day, all day, so Anita Baker is one of my favorite artists.

Troy: Wow, yeah… she’s definitely on my top list as well.

Y’Anna: Yeah.

Troy: There’s one particular song on the album I want to ask you about called “Stronger.” On that song you talk about becoming pregnant at 17 and being an unwed mother. How was it to address such a personal and pivotal moment in your life?

Y’Anna: All songs are birthed out of experience, birthed out of pain, birthed out of joy, or whatever the songwriter has gone through. We were sitting down listening to the track, me and Buster Brown, and I wanted to talk about my life, how I became pregnant and thought the man was going to be husband, but I didn’t get the ring nor the man.

I still had to push through, and everything that happened at that moment made me sad, but now it has made me stronger.

Troy: Yes.

Y’Anna: So we just put all of that into a song. And I believe that’s going to be one of the songs that’s going to really cross over. I’m trying to get Drake to be on it… come on somebody, give me a remix!

Troy: Oh really?

Y’Anna: I believe it. Like really, get me a conscious rapper on the beginning because so many people can relate to it.

Troy: Ok!

Y’Anna: It may not be the same situation, but maybe somebody went through an abusive relationship or an abusive home situation. Whatever you go through only makes you stronger, so you can look back at it and say, “God, I got through that!”

Troy: The concept of “the promise” is not only the theme of your music, but it also expands to your other endeavors, particularly in the lives of young women. Tell me more about that.

Y’Anna: Yes. My [The] Promise Foundation is something that’s very dear to my heart. It’s a safe haven for women to come and talk, and discuss things. We’re going to uplift them and teach them ethics – like beauty ethics – teach them how to look good and dress so they won’t go on thinking that wearing less gets you more attention.

And we’re also going to do scholarships, especially for the young ones that have kids, so they can go back to school if they want to. I was once there so I just want to give back in all of the areas of my life that I grew.

Troy: Wow. That’s great.

Y’Anna: Yes, yes.

Troy: You also have two sons and you’re trying to help young men as well with Mama’s Boys.

Y’Anna: Well, I have my two sons and I’m a single mom. Their dads are in their lives, but I’m not married to them so they don’t see them every day, and it can be hard for a woman to raise boys into men. But there’s nothing like a man being in a young boy’s life.

So I want to bring in some mentors to kind of guide them, have candid talks with them, field trips. And we also want to provide some sort of scholarship for them as well, and I know that if God sees that I’m trying to give back, He’ll provide.

Troy: I’m sure He will as well, and I’m really excited about everything that you’re doing.

Y’Anna: Thank you!

Troy: I wish you the best. And you take care!

Y’Anna: You too!

*     *     *

What do you think, folks?  Did you guys grab Y’Anna’s new project, The Promise, this week?  What do you think of it?

Let us know!

Just one of those cool TV tributes– this one’s to Aretha Franklin a few years back. It features BeBe Winans, Karen Clark Sheard, Kierra Sheard, Micah Stampley, Twinkie Clark on one organ, Warryn Campbell on another, capped off by Mary Mary.

EVERY ONE OF ‘EM delivered great vocal performances. And all the while, the Queen of Soul bopped her head in approval.

Peep the video here–

Dope, right?!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: As of Thursday, April 8th, Jawn Murray reports that Aretha Franklin has clarified-- Karen Clark Sheard is not slated to star as Aretha; she will have another role].

According to a recent post by Jawn Murray at AOL BV Buzz, gospel legend Karen Clark Sheard may be steps away from solidifying her deal to star as her Aretha Franklin in the film, Aretha: From These Roots.

If selected, it will mean that Karen Clark Sheard was selected by the Queen Of Soul over other actresses rumored to be considered for the role, including Jennifer Hudson and Halle Berry.

As many know, Aretha Franklin is Karen Clark Sheard’s favorite vocalist… EVER.  This should be interesting… and the soundtrack??? A must-have.

Click here to read Jawn Murray’s full article.

Thoughts???

I interviewed Karen Clark-Sheard on Friday.  I’m telling you guys, but I’m partly reminding myself, because it was just a little incredible.

She had just shared advance music from her upcoming album (click here for that recap), so life was already feeling a little surreal.  But to realize that we now sat across from each other in a conference room, me with a BUNCH of questions and her with a willing heart to answer ‘em… FOR REAL?

I’ll admit that I kinda broke protocol and became the UBER-FAN for a minute before launching into the interview, telling her how I used to watch her when I was a kid and blah blah blah… whatever!  I have no regrets EXCEPT for the fact that I totally forgot to grab a photo with her.

So, what did we chat about?  LOTS.

The Clark Sisters were in Nashville on Thursday night for the taping of a TBN Christmas special.  It was actually historic for them because it was the first time that The Clark Sisters have ever had their own TBN program (she shared that they’ve always been invited by other hosts, but never had their own special).  The 30-minute musical program will PROBABLY air sometime next week– I’ll let you know details when I get ‘em.

We chatted briefly about her new album and its direction.  Karen went the studio route for her upcoming album, All In One, instead of doing a live album because, as she explained, “it was just time” to do it this way.  She’s been writing more and the studio afforded her the opportunity to really take her time and put her heart into her writing, a gift that she’s not always felt comfortable with.

Compared to Twinkie Clark, and more recently to Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen shared that she often ”felt inadequate” as a songwriter.  She was encouraged, though, when God allowed her to win a GRAMMY for Gospel Song Of The Year in 2008 for her hit “Blessed And Highly Favored.”  “It was God’s way of saying ‘don’t question the gift’ that was placed inside of me,” she recounted.

In addition to her GRAMMY win, Karen has recently started her own label, Karew Records.  She’s incredibly proud of it because it’s truly a family affair– even her kids, J Drew II and Kierra, have positions in the company.  The first project on the label was the Clark Family Christmas album, which will be followed by her own project.  After that?  Expect to see a new album from The Clark Sisters.

Take note– despite all of the hard work and success, Karen really doesn’t see herself as a celebrity.  As hard as I tried to explain that she’s considered one of the greatest female vocalists alive, she kinda doesn’t get it.  LOL

Instead, she tries to remain as accessible as possible, especially because of her role as a pastor’s wife.  “The people of our church need to be able to reach me and have access to me,” she shares.  That attitude hasn’t been without its problems, though, as she has also had to change her mobile number in the past.  “People would call and just be breathing on the other end, or they’d call and play one of my songs and hang up,” she shared.

I asked Karen why she doesn’t have a Twitter account yet and she said she wasn’t sure about using technology much because she’s seen how negative it can be.  “I saw how some people had hurtful things to say about Kierra for doing the track ["God In Me"] with Mary Mary.”  Apparently, Karen even reached out to encourage Mary Mary after fans came down on them for not featuring Kierra on the BET Awards.  “We weren’t even thinking about that stuff.  Kierra was just so happy to have been included in the song, she didn’t care about all of that.  She’s just happy for them.”  Karen shared that it’s sad to see how nasty things can get on the internet.

Still, I tried to convince her that the web has some merits and, no promises, but we may see a Karen Clark-Sheard Twitter account soon… y’all can thank me later.

Before we wrapped up her chat, we talked a bit about the new track that she recorded with Aretha Franklin.  It was actually completed a while ago, but the opportunity was unreal to Karen because Aretha is her favorite singer.  I got the impression that the song, which will be on Aretha’s upcoming project, turned out very well.

Aaaaand that’s about it.  To say that I enjoyed interviewing Karen Clark-Sheard would be an understatement.  At its core, though, it was just a really great conversation.

Hopefully, you guys got some cool info out of it, too.  Whatd’ya think?

Word has it that a duet to rival ALL duets is in the making– it’s Karen Clark-Sheard and “the Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin.

In January 2010, Aretha Franklin will release her newest album, Aretha, A Woman Falling Out Of Love, produced by Aretha Franklin, BeBe Winans and Gordon Chambers.  One of the album’s 11 tracks will feature the duet with KCS.

The project will be available exclusively on the QVC network first, then released nationwide, exclusively at Wal-Mart.

Dunno the title of the duet yet, but it’s gonna HAVE to be quite the performance!

I have to admit that I was never a big Rance Allen fan growing up.  He’s absolutely a legendary male vocalist in gospel (and beyond) who shaped the way many fellas sing these days.  It’s really just that I was ignorant to most of the stuff he recorded in his prime.  Kinda like how my appreciation of Aretha Franklin was limited until I actually listened for myself to what she was doing, vocally, on each track.  Now that I’ve started to do that with him, I wanna share these Goodies with the masses.

Now, I reeeaaaally wanted to post a link of Rance Allen singing “Lying On the Truth” at the WattStax music festival in the 70s, but it was removed from YouTube since I last saw it.  I suffer, you suffer.

No worries, though, cuz he STILL delivers on any occasion.  Here, he’s singing his tail off in “That Will Be Good Enough For Me”:

As September comes to a speeding end, I didn’t wanna let Gospel Music Heritage Month end without making sure I talked about the incomparable Mahalia Jackson.  Many people hear the name her name and think to themselves, “yeah, gospel pioneer… I get it.”

But few of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, will acknowledge that we actually know very little about her.  So, here goes…

Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972) was born in New Orleans, LA.  At the age of 16, she moved to Chicago, where she worked as a domestic, then as a beautician.  At age 18, she met Thomas A. Dorsey and, shortly thereafter, began touring with him as his primary vocalist and collaborator.

At age 24, she landed her first recording contract (Decca Records) after being heard singing at a funeral.  From that record deal, she later went to sign with Apollo Records, then Columbia Records (you thought Mary Mary was Columbia’s first gospel artist??? ).

She married Isaac Lanes Grey Hockenhull in 1936, but divorced him in 1941 (allegedly because of his racehorse gambling addiction and persistent pressure from him that she sing secular music, which would be more profitable).

Meanwhile, her success in gospel music began bringing her international acclaim as she toured throughout Europe.  In 1958, Mahalia’s version of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” peaked at #68 on Billboard’s singles chart, which was unprecedented at the time.

Toward the latter portion of her life on Earth, Mahalia was very involved with the Civil Rights Movement.  She is known to have joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at many events, the most famous of which was probably the 1963 March On Washington, where Dr. King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.

Mahalia Jackson passed from heart failure in January of 1972, in Evergreen Park, IL.  Two services were held–one in Chicago and one in New Orleans.  Aretha Franklin closed the Chicago service with “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” the now classic song made famous by Jackson.  The majority of her estate, with an estimated value of over a million dollars, was left to her family back in New Orleans.

Following her death, she was honored with a GRAMMY Lifetime Acheivement Award and, since then, has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Hame and has her face on a U.S. postal stamp.

I remember seeing some great videos of Mahalia on YouTube a while back… just HAD to post one of ‘em.  In this one, “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” watch how Mahalia WORKS this song so tough that, by the end, she’s in another DIMENSION! LOL

Here’s a little Gospel Music Heritage Month Tidbit for ya…

Clara Ward (1924-1973) was well-known as the leader of The Famous Ward Singers.  She was a pioneer in the movement of small gospel ensembles– they even used choreography, which was criticized by some as “clowning.”

In addition to penning the popular gospel song “How I Got Over,” Clara Ward recorded background vocals on several secular albums and sang pop songs for various compilation albums in the 60′s.  She is cited by Aretha Franklin as a strong musical influence.  She passed away at the young age of 48 after suffering two strokes.

Here’s two videos (both with great vocals and great performances)– first is “We’ll Soon Be Done” and the second is “Didn’t It Rain”:

Whatd’ya think???

Is it just me, or could you go for a new gospel album from Aretha Franklin?  If done right, with some great production (maybe Kevin Bond) and awesome songwriting (ummm… Richard Smallwood), some guest spots and a killin’ choir to back her… it could be incredible.

Who would YOU tap for production, songwriting, guest spots?

Holla at me!