Heads-up, folks!  I’ve got another great way for you to donate to the Haiti relief efforts while getting some great music in the process… it’s a compilation album called Healing 4 Haiti, distributed by Integrity Music., available DIGITALLY this coming Tuesday, February 23, 2010, with a full retail release in March.

The 21-track project features great music from Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith, Canton Jones, Kari Jobe, Amy Grant, Lecrae, Carlos Whitaker and more.  It also features the newly recorded collaborative track, “Come Together Now,” featuring various artists.

All proceeds will be donated to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association/Samaritan’s Purse for their work on the ground in Haiti.  Plus, the artists are donating their royalties from sales of this album to the same charity.  That’s BIG and awesome.

In the gospel music industry, collaborations are BIG.  You wanna create a crazy buzz about your project before it hits the stores?  Tell folks you’ve got an exciting collabo on it.  You wanna kick up your television performance a notch?  Perform a collabo.

This year was a great year for collaborative work.  But I’ve decided to narrow the list down to my 5 favorite collabos.  In order, they are:

5.  “You Bring Out The Best In Me” - Vanessa Bell Armstrong feat. Rance Allen (from Vanessa Bell Armstrong’s The Experience)

When Vanessa Bell Armstrong decided to remake her own 80’s hit on her latest album, she prolly could’ve just done it herself and knocked it out of the ballpark.  But she’s a kind and gracious woman, apparently, because she gave us the gift of some classic Rance Allen moaning and groaning that took this live performance to a whole… ‘notha… level.  Their two voices grooving over some Donald Lawrence-produced background vocals– you kinda don’t want the track to end.

4.  “The Joy Of The Lord” - Coko feat. Israel Houghton (from Coko’s The Winner In Me)

Coko is a masterful collaborator in gospel.  It’s like she reads our minds and gives the mic to the VERY folks we’re aching to hear.  On her debut album, she featured everyone from Faith Evans to her mama (Lady Tibba).  This time around, she kept her mama, plus grabbed Kelly Price and Canton Jones.  My fave collabo on the album, though (and, thus, one of my faves of the entire year), was with Israel.  It’s a feel-good track with great vocal performances from both of ‘em… a true treat.

3.  “Available To You” - Melinda Watts feat. J Moss (from Melinda Watts’ People Get Ready)

After a much buzzed-about debut album, Melinda Watts entered the gospel scene with a project that had a little something for everyone.  Perhaps one of her strongest tracks was this duet with J Moss.  Kudos for taking a song that is performed too much at midnight musicals and making it fresh for us again, and double kudos for enlisting the vocal assistance (not that Melinda was at all in need) of one of the best male vocalists in the game.

2.  ”Every Prayer” - Israel Houghton feat. Mary Mary (from Israel Houghton’s The Power Of One)

When I saw that the Marys did a song with Israel, the last thing I thought I’d hear was a jazzy contemporary gospel track.  But they mastered the performance like the pros that they are and it quickly became one of my favorite songs on his album, if not of the entire year.  And there’s a GRAMMY nod to show for it.

1.  “Wait On The Lord” Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard (from Donnie McClurkin’s We All Are One)

I hear that Karen Clark Sheard wasn’t actually the original choice for this song– it was gonna be Tramaine Hawkins.  That, too, would’ve been an incredible performance, but God does all things well and He knew that this duet was gonna dominate the charts and our iPods.  On this song, Donnie stays true to his strengths– his a classic vocalist who can render a soaring ballad like few others– while Karen gives, arguably, one of her greatest performances in years.

Which collabos were among YOUR faves this year???

About a month ago, I blogged about the popular Urban Soul Cafe two-day event that is taking place during Stellar Awards weekend, ON January 14th and 16th.  Just wanted to throw out another reminder– if you’re going to be in the area, buy your tickets now!  They’re only $10 in advance.

The events (hosted by Lexi, Canton Jones, DeWayne Woods and Sheilah Belle) will feature performances from J Moss, Melinda Watts, Y’Anna Crawley, Myron Butler, Sean Simmonds, Lisa McClendon and many more.

Plus, it was recently announced that Dr. Bobby Jones will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

I think it’ll be a good time of great performances that you don’t wanna miss.  Anyone planning to go?  Anyone been to one before?

If you’ve ever attended the Stellar Awards weekend or GMA week, you’ve probably noticed (and perhaps attended) the highly popular performance event, Urban Soul Cafe.

Quickly becoming one of the largest and most successful grassroots performance opps in the industry, the event features performances from major and indie artists at reasonable prices in an intimate setting.

This year, Urban Soul Cafe presents its Stellar Awards weekend event, “Access Granted,” and it promises to be just as good as past events, with performances expected from J Moss, Melinda Watts, 21:03, Adrianne Archie and many more urban gospel artists.

There will be two events– one on Thursday, January 14th and one following the Stellars taping on Saturday, January 16th– and will be hosted by DeWayne Woods, Canton Jones, Lexi and Sheilah Belle.

Click here to view the full flyers for the event and to purchase tickets!

The long-awaited reunion project from BeBe & CeCe Winans, Still, remains at #1 in sales this week on Billboard’s gospel albums chart.  Similarly, Fred Hammond’s Love Unstoppable and Mary Mary’s The Sound remain in their previous positions, at #2 and #3, respectively.

The successful How I Got Over, from Vickie Winans, made a significant leap from the #10 spot to #4.  And Hezekiah Walker’s Souled Out has jumped from #9 to the #5 position.

Earnest Pugh’s Rain On Us project, which was #4, has fallen to #12, and Canton Jones’s Kingdom Business Part 2 has dipped from #5 to #10.

BeBe & CeCe Winans have taken a 15-year break and STILL manage to top the charts (pun intended).

Their latest project, Still, has debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart and the Christian Albums chart.  The project also debuted at #14 on Billboard’s Top 200 and #4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.  Congrats to you, both!

But they weren’t the only folks debuting in the top 5 this week– urban gospel artist Canton Jones’ newest project, Kingdom Business Part 2, entered the scene at #5.  Congrats to you, too, man!

Vanessa Bell Armstrong ALSO debuted with a strong showing– first-week sales for the legendary vocalist placed her at #11.

Fred Hammond’s Love Unstoppable gets bumped from the top spot to the #2 position, causing Mary Mary and Earnest Pugh to move from #2 and #3 to #3 and #4, respectively.

J Moss’ Just James lands at #6 from last week’s #5 position, while Vickie Winans’ How I Got Over falls from #4 to #10.

Which of these albums are your faves?  Which ones are you still planning to purchase?  Which ones are you passing on?

Talk to me!

I got a chance to catch up with one of the busiest newer artists in the gospel industry– Darlene McCoy.

Not only is she a celebrated recording artist (her self-titled debut album did pretty well in 2007), Darlene can be seen on television, heard on radio, viewed on web video chats… geeeeez!  You definitely don’t wanna miss out on the exciting stuff that she’s doing– it’s innovative and Kingdom-building.

Anyway, she can talk about all that she’s doing better than I can, so here’s my chat with Darlene McCoy…

*     *     *

EJ:  Hey there! How are ya?

DM:  I’m good.  How are you?

EJ:  I’m good!  Thanks for taking a minute to chat with me.  You’ve got a lot going on right now, right?

DM:  Yeah!

EJ:  Talk to me about what’s up.

DM:  Well, I’ve got a new radio show.  I’m a midday host on Atlanta’s Praise 102.5.  That, in itself, is taking a lot out of me because I’ve never been in radio in my life (other than some work that I did with Canton Jones).  So, I’m learning and getting the feel of things and that’s been really cool.

That all happened in the middle of me working on my second record, so some things have slowed up a little bit, but I’m still trying to get that ready and done.

EJ:  Very nice!

DM:  Also, I have an online ministry called “In My Living Room.”  It just kinda started on Facebook, but it’s become pretty popular.

EJ:  It REALLY has.

DM:  Yeah, with Facebook and Twitter… a lot of my online friends.  “In My Living Room” is kind of a reality ministry and, basically, we talk about life topics.  More than just what we talk about in church… we talk about a little more.

EJ:  Why was that important for you to do?  Were we lacking stuff in church?! *laughs*

DM:  Absolutely!  A lot of times, we lack reality in church.  People don’t realize that you were human before you became a Christian.  There are so many things that we miss by trying to box all of life into Christianity.

And what I mean by that– I don’t want people to get me wrong– we definitely govern ourselves as Christians, but we live our lives as human beings.

*pauses and says to herself “Is she getting arrested?!“*

*returns to the convo*  I’m sorry.

EJ:  *laughing hard*  You’re driving?

DM:  *laughing*  I’m sorry.  I’m driving… and I’m nosy, too.  I am SO nosy! *laughs*

EJ:  *laughs* That’s hilarious!

DM:  But unfortunately, sometimes our church experience is all that we have, as Christians, to give to the world.  And we don’t take the time to have a common ground with non-Christians.

EJ:  So true.

DM:  So, the whole idea behind “In My Living Room” is that, the things that are hush-hush– things we don’t want to talk about– let’s talk about ‘em and bring the reality of life to it.

And I’m actually going to start moving more into the direction of talking about life-focused topics that are mainstream, not just Christian.  But with that, I’ll give the Christian HEART behind it.

EJ:  Sure.

DM:  You know what I mean?  So that people can understand that we’re not just a bunch of church folks.

EJ:  Right.  They’ll see that we actually deal with practical issues in life.

DM:  Yeah.  We deal with practical issues.  And also, a lot of non-Christians think that the life of a Christian is boring.  It’s so wack.  And they think it’s a little club that you have to be invited to join.  And they’re like “whatever.”

But when they see us living life, and being successful in life, and doing great things in life… then, they wonder “okay, how do you do ALL of that?”

EJ:  Wow.

DM:  And that becomes attractive, for non-Christians, so they’ll want to know who Christ is.

EJ:  Awesome.  I’ve watched “In My Living Room” a couple of times and you have a great turn-out of people weighing-in on topics via chatroom.  Where are you broadcasting from?

DM:  Well, I was broadcasting right from in my living room.  And that’s where the name came from.  It didn’t dawn on me until months later that “In My Living Room” could actually mean Christian living. *laughing*

EJ:  C’mon now!

DM:  I was talking about, like… my ACTUAL living room. *laughs hard*

EJ:  *laughing* Right!  Like, “in my HOUSE.”

DM:  And I talked to my husband about it later and he said “I’ve never thought about it being our living room, I thought it was the CHRISTIAN LIVING room.”  I was like “oh.” *laughs*

But lately, I’ve been so busy– I’ve got two sons playin’ football, I’m running all over the place– I’m logging in whenever and from wherever I can.

EJ:  I hear that.  And that’s the beauty of the web.  When do you do it and how can people be a part of it?

DM:  What they need to do is, every Wednesday night at 10pm ET, go to www.darlenemccoytv.com and log in.  You type in your nickname, whatever you wanna be called.  You don’t have to say your real name– you can remain anonymous and say what you want.

The only thing is, if you say stuff out of the way… if it’s vulgar or whatever it is– I always wear this stiletto Versace boot and I will BOOT you out of my living room. *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs* It’s gotta be a Versace, though!

DM:  *laughing* It’s a Versace!

EJ:  That’s good, though, because I know that even on GospelPundit, sometimes people get a little testy.

DM:  Yeah.

EJ:  Now, you were doing something on TV before, too, right?  You were doing some weight-loss challenge…

DM:  Yeah!  I was with Dr. Ian Smith, State Farm’s 50 Million Pound Challenge.  Gospel Music Channel asked me to be their artist for that particular effort. And I did.  I lost 30 pounds with the plan…

EJ:  Congratulations.

DM:  Thank you very much.  Then, gained 25 BACK…

EJ:  Well, that’s… alright!

DM:  *laughing* And just lost 26 more.

The thing of it is– and I’ve learned this from experience– you cannot deprive yourself of things you need because once the diet is over, you’re gonna gain it all back.  So, I’m on a new eating plan now and I’ve lost a lot of weight by just eating right.

And by eating right, I mean just looking on the labels on the backs of bread or something. You know? The actual BAG.

EJ:  Yooo!  Yes!  Because, for real, my wife just bought some 12-grain bread yesterday and I said “it’s so healthy!”  And she said “actually, that 12-grain bread has more sugar and less fiber than the 7-grain bread.”  But how would you know that unless you look at the back?! You’d assume that 12 grains were better than 7.

DM:  That’s exactly right.  It’s really important to know the guidelines and how to read what’s there.  Once you know that, you’re good.

EJ:  Now, you mentioned a second record in the works.  Talk to me about where that’s gonna be.  Are you’re still at EMI Gospel?

DM:  No, I’m not at EMI anymore, but we’re talking about the distribution part going through EMI Gospel.  I just… I dunno… that whole label thing is a different kind of beast.

EJ:  Yeah.  It can be rough.

DM:  And I think that… with me, on EMI Gospel, brand new artist… there were already so many established artists that there was just… y’know, I guess… there was no time for me. *laughing*

They had so many other things they were working on, y’know?  So many… I would say “bigger fish to fry”… with my record, it was like “okay, do your best, chick.” *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs* But that album did well.

DM:  It was a blessing.  The record was nominated for two Dove Awards– for Urban Album Of The Year and Urban Song Of The Year.  And I have to say that EMI did an incredible job with getting my name out there, even without a budget.

EJ:  Sure.  And at the end of the day, it’s about a FIT.  A lot of new artists think they wanna be signed to a big label– Verity or EMI or whatever– but a lot of artists don’t realize that if they don’t FIT you, or they are not a business that provides what your particular ministry requires, it may not be the best situation.

DM:  Right!  You’re so right.

EJ:  So, when DO we get some new music?  Are you gonna add something on MySpace or do we get a sneak listen somewhere?

DM:  I might sneak and let my “In My Living Room”-ers listen to a song.

EJ:  Very nice.  So, there’s ANOTHER reason folks need to get on the ball.  Get up in the living room.

DM:  *laughing*  C’mon in my living room and lemme turn the speakers up!

EJ:  *laughs* Right! You’re doing some great stuff.

DM:  But I wanna say to you EJ, I really enjoy your blog.  It’s just cool.

EJ:  Wow.  Thank you.

DM:  Yeah.  I just enjoy it.  I especially enjoy reading your blog because it’s so… I wanna say “off-key” but I want you to understand what I’m saying.  It’s so “not the norm.”  And you have such a fresh perspective on the things that you write, so I just really enjoy it and I’m honored to do this interview with you today.

EJ:  Oh, absolutely.  Thank you so much.  I knew that I wanted to chat with you– I saw all that you were doing and I thought “this is real.  This is someone who has a burden for the work to be done in the industry.”

DM:  Amen.

EJ:  And I gravitate toward that– it’s more than just singing.  Ok, you’ve got a nice album and what not, but if you’re stank backstage…

DM:  HA! *laughing*

EJ:  But that’s for another article.

DM:  And I’ve never been able to understand that.  It’s like “you say you’re a Christian?!  Ewwwww!” *laughing*

But I really feel like the Lord is raising up no-names as the new names.  And people that are coming RIGHT from the heart of God.  Right from under His shadow, if I can get REAL spiritual with you. *laughs*

EJ:  For the holy rollers!

DM:  *laughing* Right!  They’re coming RIGHT from the hiding place! *laughs*

But, seriously, he’s giving those people the platform to let others know that it’s SO not what it used to be.  We don’t have to settle for that garbage.

EJ:  Amen.  I’m exciting for what he’s doing.

DM:  Yeah.

EJ:  Well, thanks so much for talkin’ to me.  I really appreciate it.

DM:  Ok, my friend.

EJ:  And keep in touch.  I’m sure I’ll talk to you soon.

DM:  Ok, EJ.  Take care!

EJ:  You too.  Bye-bye.

*     *     *

You probably gathered from the interview– Darlene McCoy is HILARIOUS.  She exudes such humility with a boldness based on what God has called her to do.  I love it.  And, as I said… HILARIOUS.

Just for your listening pleasure, here’s a video of her singing “Amazing,” one of my favorite songs from her (it’s just one of those feel-good grooves!):

What did you guys think of the chit-chat?  Talk to me!

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

There’s been a lot of buzz about Coko’s sophomore gospel effort, The Winner In Me, for several months now.  And lemme tell ya– the wait was worth it.

This project, in stores this coming Tuesday, is a great follow-up to her debut from a few years back– it demonstrates artistic growth while providing fans with the classic sound that we fell in love with on the first gospel album… actually, no… we fell in love with it back in the SWV days, didn’t we?!

Diverse tracks with memorable hooks and great production are hallmarks of this 12-track project, which features guest spots from Canton Jones, Israel Houghton, Kelly Price and Coko’s mother, Lady Tibba.  Among the producers are Coko’s husband (and industry drummer extraordinaire) Mike “Big Mike” Clemons and relative newcomer Jamiene “J Skills” Thompson (who produced half of George Huff’s latest project).  And I think I peeped some songwriting credits for David Caton and his wife Timiney. [Editor's Note: Timiney Caton's maiden name is Timiney Figueroa, as in... the lead soloist on the classic Hezekiah Walker cut "Calling My Name"... as in... current member of the Kurt Carr Singers... as in... the older sister of Anaysha Figueroa... need I go on?]

I digress.  Coko’s soaring soprano transitions well across a wide range of musical styles on this project– she moves from tracks with hip-hop beats, to modern churchy joints, to CCM-styled ballads.  But she remains at all times AUTHENTIC.  If I’m being honest (and I always try to be), I have to admit that I was looking forward to the Coko & Kelly Price duet because I wanted to hear them demolish a really churchy track.  Instead, they demolished a more urban track.  But “demolished” is the operative word, so how mad could I be?

Favorite cuts: “May Be The Last Time,” a single-worthy anthem that is sure to be added to repertoires of MANY praise teams; “Make A Way,” a rock-infused track laced with verses by Canton Jones (it’s hot); “The Joy Of The Lord,” an urban duet with Israel; “I Surrender,” an all-out song of… well, surrender; and “Renew My Mind,” a classic song of supplication for renewal, featuring Coko’s mother (who, if you recall, appeared on Coko’s debut project, on the “Mighty God” track).  That song, too, could be a fave on Sunday morning.  And, of course, I’m still enjoying the project’s first single, “Wait.”

The short and sweet of it: fans of Coko will absolutely not be disappointed, people on the fence will appreciate the great music on this project, and skeptics of the whole “R&B-turned-gospel-artist” phenomenon will have one more reason to pipe down.  Coko appears to have poured all of her energy into her passion– making music that glorifies God and edifies the Body of Christ.  With The Winner In Me, I think she succeeds at both.

I featured Claude Deuce on a recent post in the Check ‘Em Out series, and added his single, “It Ain’t Over,” to the PunditPlayer so you all could listen.  His album, Claude Deuce: Young Elder, is available on Tuesday, July 14th… I wanted to give you a review so you’d save your pennies NOW.

Lately, I’ve felt like many artists (especially new or independent ones) try to conform to whatever is popular in music.  And that’s cool, but it means that the audience never gets a sense of who he/she really is, because once the music changes, so does everything about that artist.

Claude Deuce is different.  I don’t see him being bound by the musical tastes du jour… he just makes good, timeless music, and everyone else follows suit.

His songwriting and vocals exude a certain confidence– you can tell that he knows who he is, how he writes, how he sings… he’s not figuring this out as he goes, at our expense.  And there’s something comforting about an artist who is comfortable in his lane.

He’s written and produced for everyone from Deitrick Haddon to Canton Jones, Izzy to Tonex, and more.  The sound of this album is as varied as his musical experience, yet crafted well enough to be a cohesive unit.

Standout tracks for me are numerous. ”4 Who U R” is a melodious song of gratitude, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s classic cuts.  Still, Claude owns it as his own.  “Dont 4 Get,” is an eclectic and acrobatic groove urging us to remain excited about what God has done for us.  “What More” has an old skool kinda vibe to it, and it’s hot.  “Never Know,” is an acoustic-driven spoken word track, with an infectious hook.  And of course, as I posted before, I love his single, “It Ain’t Over”… I could go on, but I need you to trust me and purchase this project.

I am thoroughly impressed with Claude Deuce’s gift and presentation.  I think this album is a must-have.