A new Bishop Paul Morton compilation album, Memorable Moments, debuted at #8 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week.  The project features some of his greatest hits, including “Cry Your Last Tear” and “Let It Rain”.

I love to hear Bishop Morton sing– even more, I love to WATCH him sing.  Great man of God with lots of gifts…  Did anyone pick up the compilation project? Check it out by clicking here.

In related news, WOW Gospel 2010 still sits at #1 on the chart, followed by BeBe & CeCe Winans and James Fortune & FIYA at #2 and #3, respectively.

Tamela Mann’s The Master Plan is at #4 and Fred Hammond’s Love Unstoppable rounds out the top 5.

And that’s about it.

Little movement in Billboard’s top 5 this week, with the exception of Mary Mary’s return to the mix, from the #6 spot to the #5 spot.

Other than that, WOW Gospel 2010 is still at #1, followed by BeBe & CeCe Winans, James Fortune & FIYA, and Tamela Mann at #2, #3, and #4 respectively.

Other than that, things are pretty… simple.

WOW Gospel 2010 is still at the top of Billboard’s gospel album chart, while James Fortune & FIYA’s Encore drops from #2 to #3, switching places with the reunion project from gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans.

Tamela Mann’s The Master Plan and Fred Hammond’s Love Unstoppable remain at the #4 and #5 spots, respectively.

What’s weird to me– remember how I’ve been rooting for James Fortune to have two albums in the top 10, but he just missed the mark because, though Encore debuted at #2, The Transformation fell to #11?  Well, now I dunno WHEN it’ll happen, cuz The Transformation just dropped from #11 to #24.  What’s up with that?!

In related news, Byron Cage’s Faithful To Believe jumps from #12 to #10 this week, which reminds me to ask you folks why his project hasn’t been doing better in sales.  In my estimation, it’s time for another single because the title track has been at radio since around July or August.  I think he could use a boost in exposure (though, I think the Stellar Awards probably helped a bit)… another track from the project might be just what the doctor ordered.

Whatd’ya think???

No movement whatsoever in Billboard’s Top 5.  AT ALL.

WOW Gospel stays at #1, James Fortune & FIYA’s Encore is #2, BeBe & CeCe are #3, Tamela Mann’s The Master Plan is at #4 and Fred Hammond rounds it out again at #5.

In fact, #6 and #7 stay the same, too, with Mary Mary and Hezekiah Walker holding fast, respectively.

Props to Brian Courtney Wilson for jumping from #12 to #8.

The charts may look the same for a while, at least until Marvin Sapp’s Here I Am comes out next month.  Then, it’s all over. LOL

Whatd’ya think??

Marvin Sapp’s new single, “The Best In Me,” is proving to be a huge hit in the marketplace, and the full album’s release is still over a month away!

Aside from being the #1 gospel song at iTunes and the #1 Christian/Gospel song at Amazon.com, “The Best In Me” is #3 with a bullet at radio.

Perhaps most impressive is the song’s success relative to other songs in the music industry right now.  The track has jumped from #78 to #14 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hot Songs Chart.  Billboard says that his jump represents the largest position jump by a gospel track since the chart began using Nielsen SoundScan data 18 years ago.  So… like… EVER.  It’s also the largest jump in 4 years across all genres of music.
 
“The Best In Me” is the debut single from Marvin Sapp’s upcoming album, Here I Am, a live project hitting stores on March 16, 2010.  It’s available NOW at iTunes for pre-order.

The momentum of “The Best In Me” has been incredible since the live recording.  Then, it was boosted by the BET’s airing of Celebration Of Gospel…

Are y’all still loving this single?

I kept saying a shake-up would come, and it kinda did.

The newest project in the WOW Gospel series has debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart.

James Fortune & FIYA’s newest album, Encore, debuted at #2.  He said yesterday, via Twitter, that Encore sold more in one week than his last album, The Transformation, sold in 6 months’ time!

The fun industry moment that I predicted last week didn’t take place… though James Fortune debuted #2, his older project, The Transformation, got bumped outta the top 10.  It sits at #11, though, so stay tuned… maybe he’ll have two albums in the top 10 next week.

WOW Gospel, however, DID manage to have two albums in the top 10– in addition to the 2010 release debuting at #1, WOW Gospel 2009 sits at #9.  Well, kudos to Y’ALL then!

With last week’s releases, BeBe & CeCe Winans’ reunion project, Still, drops from the #1 spot for the first time since its release, landing at #3.  Tamela Mann is holding strong at #4, followed by Fred Hammond’s Love Unstoppable at #5.

Time Life Entertainment’s latest rendevous into the gospel marketplace, Shouting Down The Aisles, debuted at #8 on the charts.

Hmm… I think those are the highlights.  Whatd’ya think???

We could be on the brink of a fun little industry moment… and, since I’m an industry nerd, that excites me!

James Fortune & FIYA’s last project, The Transformation, still rests at #10 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart.  With the release of their newest album, Encore, this past Tuesday, James Fortune & FIYA stand a really good chance of having TWO projects in Billboard’s Top 10.  That will be quite cool for him.  Rootin’ for ya, James! LOL

Other than that, same ol’ deal… little movement in the top 5 spots– BeBe & CeCe Winans, Fred Hammond, Tamela Mann rest at #1, #2 and #3, respectively.  This past week, Mary Mary and Hezekiah Walker switched spots, with Bishop Hez landing at #4 and the Marys at #5.

In addition to James Fortune’s record, we can expect WOW Gospel 2010 make some significant sales… we’ll probably see that high on the charts next week, too.

Whatd’ya think???

I’m still waiting for the releases on the 26th to make some waves in the top 5… or at least the top 10.  Until then, not too much to report.

BeBe & CeCe Winans reign atop the charts, with Fred Hammond holding fast at #2.  This week, Tamela Mann jumps to #3 from her #5 position last week.  As a result, Mary Mary and Hezekiah Walker (who were at #3 and #4, respectively) get bumped a bit to the #4 and #5 spots.

A couple of spots down, James Fortune & FIYA leap from the #22 position to the #10 spot with their last project, The Transformation.  I’m assuming that the sales jump is from their performance on BET’s Celebration Of Gospel, but I’m not sure…

In any case, it would be kinda tight for him if he can keep The Transformation in the top 10 AND debut in the top 10 with his upcoming project, Encore.  Two projects at the top of the charts ain’t bad at all!

Dunno if it’s more monotonous for me to report it, or for you to read it… but the top 5 spots on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart haven’t really changed much.

BeBe & CeCe Winans remain at the top, followed by Fred Hammond, then Mary Mary.

Tamela Mann drops just a bit, from #4 to #5, and Hezekiah Walker & LFC’s Souled Out jumps from #6 to #4.

For some reason, Israel Houghton’s The Power Of One fell from the #5 spot to #14, but I think it’s just an issue of market correction– he may have gotten a large push somehow last week and he’s simply returning to the regular spot for his sales figure.

I’m ready for new music from James Fortune & FIYA, WOW Gospel 2010 and The Mighty Clouds Of Joy at the end of this month, just to see if the new releases can shake things up a bit.

Since the new year began, there’s been little activity on Billboard’s Gospel Album chart, with the exception of a bunch of Christmas and compilation albums dropping off the radar.

That leaves the top 5 slots this week looking very similar to sometime in November…

BeBe & CeCe Winans are still at #1, Fred Hammond at #2, Mary Mary at #3, and Tamela Mann sits at #4.

Last week, WOW Gospel 2009 lingered at #5, but it has since dropped to #13, being replaced by Israel Houghton’s The Power Of One.

Upcoming January releases that will probably shake things up a bit are WOW Gospel 2010 and James Fortune & FIYA’s Encore.

Thoughts???