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?
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