The charts have such little activity right now, I nearly didn’t wanna look at ‘em.  And I definitely didn’t feel like typing it… but I shall.

The top 7 albums are in precisely the same spots that they were in last week…

WOW Gospel 2010 is #1, BeBe & CeCe Winans are #2, James Fortune & FIYA’s Encore is #3, Tamela Mann’s The Master Plan is #4 and Fred Hammond is #5 with Love Unstoppable, Mary Mary sits at #6 and Hezekiah Walker & LFC at #7.

Brian Courtney Wilson’s Just Love gets bumped up to #8 from its #9 spot last week.  And Vickie Winans makes a huuuuge leap, from #22 to #9 this week.  I’m assuming that’s from her appearance last week on The Mo’Nique Show on BET.

The next album to shake things up will be Marvin Sapp’s Here I Am, hitting stores in just 3 weeks, on March 16th.  But, stay close to me, folks… some of you are gonna receive it before then…

The nominees for the 41st annual Dove Awards were announced on Thursday.

Natalie Grant and Bart Millard will host the awards show on April 21st.  Unlike last year, the awards will not be broadcast live– they will air on gmc on Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 8pm-10pm EST.

There are 43 categories and you guys don’t know most of the names in ‘em, so I’m not typing it all… sorry.  BUT, you can visit http://www.gmclife.com/41st-dove-award-nominees for the full list.

In the meantime, a quick recap of some of the folks you’ll find there:

Donnie McClurkin, Israel Houghton, Melinda Watts, Freddy Washington, Brian Courtney Wilson, Mali Music, Vickie Winans, Smokie Norful, Mary Mary, Crystal Aikin, Bishop Paul Morton, Hezekiah Walker, Heather Headley, Mandisa, B. Reith, Fred Hammond, Group 1 Crew, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., BeBe & CeCe Winans… see, there are just too many to name!

Ok, more Dove Awards info and discussion as the time draws nigh.  Until then, tell me what you think about the nominee list!

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??

Consider this a public service announcement and don’t pass on this offer.

James Fortune & FIYA’s newest album, Encore, and Brian Courtney Wilson’s acclaimed debut project, Just Love, are both available at Amazon.com FOR JUST $5!  It’s part of their larger 100 Albums For $5 Each campaign.

The $5 sale applies to digital downloads only, but… it’s 2010.  That’s what we’re doing. LOL

Click the images below to check out the music and to make a purchase.

Who’s getting ‘em???

One of the most widely discussed events of the Stellar Awards weekend was not really planned at all; rather, it came suddenly, in response to the earthquake in Haiti.  Kirk Franklin successfully brought together the gospel and Christian music communities to record a new song that he wrote, the proceeds from which will be donated directly to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Though Franklin wrote and produced the track, entitled “Song For Pain,” he’s not getting a cut, nor are any of the dozens of artists and musicians who participated.  And I mean DOZENS.  Some of the artists and musicians who rolled through the session include Mary Mary, Natalie Grant, Donnie McClurkin, J Moss, CeCe Winans, Kierra Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Marvin Winans, Micah Stampley, Karen Clark Sheard, Smokie Norful, Shirley Caesar, Amy Grant, BeBe Winans, Brian Courtney Wilson, Stephen Hurd, Nicole C. Mullen, and MORE.  Every penny is going to Haiti.

Over the course of several recording sessions throughout the weekend, Kirk (who also co-hosted and performed at the Stellar Awards, and had to attend rehearsals and run-thru’s for the same) spent every moment of his “spare time” in Nashville’s Quad Studios, generally until around 6am.  I don’t think he got any sleep all weekend.

Let’s continue to pray for Haiti, that the offering of our music community would be used greatly to take Christ and His healing power to that nation.  And, let’s pray for our own artists and musicians, especially Kirk Franklin, who selflessly gave of their time and energy for this cause.

AAAAND, when the single hits the internet stores this week, BUY IT.  I’ll be sure to let you know when and where.  Deal?

Christmastime is SO here.

And to celebrate, I created a special PunditPlayer playlist with Christmas tunes on it.  It’s separate from the usual media player (so you can still rock out to Karen Clark Sheard’s new single when you wanna).

To access the Christmas playlist, click the link in the menu bar above (look up now).

It looks like this:

So far, I’ve added the following new Christmas tunes:

1.  The Clark Sisters - “Celebration” from The Clark Sisters’ Family Christmas

2. Brian Courtney Wilson - “This Christmas” from Peace, Love, Joy at Christmas

3. Trin-i-tee 5:7 - “Give Love On Christmas Day” from Peace, Love, Joy at Christmas

4. Deon Kipping & New Covenant - “The Gift” from The Gift

Take a listen, tell me what you think, and make sure you keep checkin’ back.  I’ll be adding more songs as Christmas approaches!

Whatd’ya think?

BET has announced its roster for its annual gospel performance program, Celebration Of Gospel.  The show, which will be hosted by Steve Harvey, will take place in Los Angeles on December 12th and will air on Sunday, January 10, 2010.

If you’ll be in the L.A. area and wanna ATTEND the show, email BET at BETRSVP@bet.net or call ‘em at (202) 608-2617 for tickets.

As usual, the list is intended to represent a diverse group of singers– some tried-and-true gospel artists with some mainstream artists with a lil’ church on ‘em.  Did they succeed?  You be the judge…

Donnie McClurkin
Fred Hammond
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Shirley Caesar
Marvin Sapp
James Fortune & FIYA
Tye Tribbett & G.A.
The Rance Allen Group
Y’Anna Crawley
Dr. Bobby Jones & The Nashville Super Choir
P.S.A.L.M. Choir (from City of Refuge Church)
Deborah Cox, Kelly Price & Tamia (group members of the upcoming R&B album “The Queen Project”)
Fantasia Barrino and her mother, Diane Barrino Barber
Anthony Hamilton and his wife, Tarsha Hamilton

So, that’s that.  Now, who’s missing from the list for my taste?  Donald Lawrence, Israel Houghton, and J Moss.

Coko is a perfect example of an artist that should be on the roster– great gospel album(s) with mainstream appeal.  That’s just a no-brainer.

Also, Myron Butler & Levi have a new album coming out in 2010 and, though someone might say “they’re not as known among the BET audience,” I would disagree.  They are, in essence, the reincarnation of God’s Property, who put out one of the most successful gospel albums in history.  And that didn’t happen because of gospel consumers– it was the mainstream folks.  So, if BET’s audience doesn’t know who Myron Butler & Levi are, it’s because BET has failed to tell them.  But I bet they have the God’s Property album and I bet they’d care.

And what’s the deal with Kierra Sheard?  She can’t GET a booking in this industry.  BET snoozes on her repeatedly and it’s ridiculous.

I think, all in all, it’s gonna be one of those shows where I’ll be eager to watch one segment, then feel just fine missing the next segment to do something more exciting, like pour orange juice or balance my checkbook.

What do you good people think about the list?

He’s baaaaaaaaaack!

One of GospelPundit’s fave guest bloggers, Brian Courtney Wilson, has shared another blog entry exclusively from the heart.  If you haven’t seen his earlier entries, click here to catch up.

His debut album, Just Love, is doing very well at Billboard, but he managed to take a moment to talk about one of his inspirations in the gospel game.  It’s all yours, Brian…

*     *     *

‘Thank You’ To One Of My Favorites…

One of the things I am thankful for as we continue to promote Just Love across the country is the opportunity to meet and thank some of the artists who have served as inspirations in my continuing quest to be a credible witness for the Kingdom. Canton Jones is one of those artists.

Canton has been able to articulate in a distinct way what it means to struggle with doing right in the eyes of God and doing ‘real life’. In fact, I believe the stories he has been able to chronicle and put into christian perspective are critical to transforming our ‘real lives’ into kingdom living.

If you don’t know what I mean, then take a listen to his classic “Stay Saved” which is in regular rotation on my MP3 player (I highly recommend it for yours as well).  Canton, thank you again for sharing with the world what God allowed you to see.

*     *     *

Well, how often do you see THAT?!  Thanks, Brian.  Canton Jones is a great artist (with some of the catchiest hooks…).

Make sure you guys leave a comment to share your thoughts with Brian.  And connect with him at any/all of the following:

Official Website: www.briancourtneywilson.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/brianwilsonmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/bcourtneywilson

CONGRATS to Coko!  Her sophomore gospel project, The Winner In Me, debuted at #4 on Billboard’s gospel chart this week.

Coko took Brian Courtney Wilson’s #4 spot on the chart, while the rest of the albums simply marched in place around her– Mary Mary remains at #1, Kerry Douglas remains at #2, WOW Gospel 2009 at #3 and Israel’s The Power Of One, brings up the rear at #5.

If you check out the Billboard widget on the sidebar, you’ll see that Brian Courtney Wilson jumped back to the top 5 of the gospel chart, sitting now at #3 after debuting at #1 a few weeks back.

I’m glad to know that his album is doing well– it’s not just one of those that hits the top and sinks to #30 the next week (not naming names).  Make sure you check it out if you haven’t heard it yet.

As you know, Brian is one of GospelPundit.com’s fave guest artist bloggers– regularly sharing stuff with us that’s on his heart.  You can see what he’s had to say so far by clicking here.

Who else has the album?  You like???