Sunday Best winner (and recent Grammy winner) Le’Andria Johnson has confirmed that she is indeed expecting another baby, and is due in September. Her public statement puts an end to weeks of speculation that the singer is pregnant, most recently peaking after her recent televised appearance on BET’s Celebration of Gospel.

In an exclusive statement to Elev8.com, Le’Andria states:

“In recent weeks, there have been numerous published reports stating that I am pregnant. I would like to take this time to confirm that I am pregnant and due in September. I have been feeling well and maintaining a healthy appetite. I have been busy traveling around the country with my music ministry. One can only imagine that as a mother and mother-to-be, my plate is quite full—taking the kids to school, doing homework, cooking—regular mother duties. I have been blessed to have the love and support of my church, family, friends, label, management, and fans. I have received so many beautiful and thoughtful notes and prayers from people all over the country. I ask that you continue to pray for me and my family. I cannot do this alone. I will continue to pray for God’s guidance and protection over my life. I love you all very much and I will be in touch soon.”

Let’s pray for Le’Andria. Keep her lifted up and pray for a safe, healthy pregnancy and delivery!

Don’t get caught slipping… BET’s Celebration of Gospel airs THIS SUNDAY at 8pm ET/PT.

The 12th annual performance showcase, hosted by Steve Harvey, will feature performances from Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, Le’Andria Johnson, Jessica Reedy, Isaac Carree, Mali Music, Faith Evans and MANY MANY more.

Don’t miss it. And check out this video of BET’s Torrence Glenn chatting it up with the artists as they arrive on the Celebration of Gospel BLUE carpet!

Mark your calendars!

The 12th annual Celebration of Gospel, hosted by Steve Harvey, will air on BET on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT.

Folks already slated to perform/appear include:

Kirk Franklin
Yolanda Adams
Marvin Sapp
Shirley Caesar
Fred Hammond
Le’Andria Johnson
The Rance Allen Group
Earnest Pugh
Zacardi Cortez
Jessica Reedy
Ricky Dillard & New G 
Isaac Carree
Mali Music
Ledisi
Faith Evans
Kelly Price
Johnny Gill
Jennifer Holliday
James Fortune & FIYA
Moses Tyson, Jr.
Maurette Brown Clark
Dr. Bobby Jones
Wendy Raquel Robinson

The event will also feature tributes to Mahalia Jackson and Whitney Houston.

The two-hour special will be taped next Friday, March 16th, at 8 p.m. PT at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

FREE TICKETS are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Email betrsvp@bet.net to get ‘em!

After being postponed from its usual December-taping, BET’s popular Celebration of Gospel returns to Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theater for a taping on March 16, 2012 at 8pm PT.

The long-running program will again be hosted by Steve Harvey. No word yet on who performers will be.

Visit http://www.bet.com/celebrationofgospel for updates and info. There’s nothing there just yet, but there will be. And I guess I’ll clue you in as I get details, too.

Kirk Franklin, one of the most innovative and gifted trendsetters to ever enter gospel music, returns to the marketplace with his latest offering, Hello Fear. It’s theme? A bold, in-your-face, musical expression of stepping to our fears and, in essence, saying “so what?!”

The album opens with the beautiful title track, “Hello Fear.” Though love-song in its acoustic sound and style, its lyrics are that of an unwavering breakup letter to FEAR– “never again will I love you; my heart, it refuses to be your home; no longer your prisoner, today I remember– apart from you is where I belong.”

The project then moves into a spoken word piece, before launching the banger “Before I Die.” Many will remember loving it on BET’s Celebration of Gospel this year, but it’s even better when you can put it on repeat over and over and over… (and over).

The project seamlessly transitions to “I Am,” a great declaration of who we, as children of God bought by Christ’s blood, truly are. And more– what it means for life… real life. The simple piano accompaniment on “But the Blood” is perfectly placed, framing the simplicity of its message.

“Everyone Hurts” offers a mellow reminder of the reality of life, tagged by the promise that God will actually “heal the hurt,” before the hit single “I Smile,” encourages believers to… smile. And, listening to the playful tune, you kinda can’t help but to do just that.

Always an artist who presents varied musical stylings, Kirk doesn’t disappoint this go ’round either– the “Never Alone” interlude, which features just a children’s choir, is sandwiched between the urban pop track “Give Me” (featuring the stylized and popular Mali Music) and the oh-so-churchy “The Altar,” featuring Beverly Crawford and Marvin Sapp. Contrast those tracks with the electronica dance vibe on “Today,” and you’re reminded that Kirk really is an incredible musician, able to authentically master multiple styles of music, even if one or more of those styles don’t fit your fancy.

Fans of unbeatable male crooners will enjoy “Something About the Name Jesus Pt. 2,” which features the incomparable Marvin Winans, Rance Allen, Isaac Carree and John P Kee. I probably would have enjoyed more of an integration of the now-classic original with this new tune, aside from the “shoo doo doo doo’s” at the end. Still, you can’t beat the guest vocals on this one.

But lest you think that the guest artists make this project, “The Moment #1″ and “The Moment #2″ remind listeners that Kirk’s got some of the most gifted “backup singers” in the game. As the vocalists trade leads on multiple musical medleys, Kirk fades to virtually silent, showcasing the incredible talent, and worship, that his team brings to the table. The album closes with the playful and bouncy “A God Like You.” It’s a fun, lighthearted declaration that there is no one like the God that we serve.

I am intentionally avoiding the trite conclusion that Hello Fear is better than Album X, but falls short of Album Y.  With a catalogue as vast as his, it’s becoming difficult to make such delineations.  More than that, though, this album has a bit of something for everyone and I don’t want anyone thinking they can pass on it. At the most fundamental level, plainly– you’re going to be out of the loop if you don’t get this project.

See, with each album release, the gospel industry looks to see what Kirk Franklin will do. Maybe not to imitate it, but definitely to be informed. Kirk informs the gospel music genre, progressing it in a way that only a handful of artists can. Though younger than most “legends” in our industry, Kirk is certainly one of the gospel community’s teachers.

So, hurry to your seats… with Hello Fear, Kirk Franklin announces that class is once again in session.

Buy it NOW by clicking right here.

Hey folks– just a quick reminder to make sure you tune-in to BET this Sunday, January 30th, at 8pm ET for Celebration of Gospel.

And right after the show, BET.com will do a webcast of “My First Celebration of Gospel,” where cameras follow rising artists VaShawn Mitchell and Jessica Reedy to capture all the running around that leads up to an artist’s first time on BET’s Celebration of Gospel– from rehearsals to interviews, glam to pre-parties… all the action is on film, and will be online.

It’s gonna be goooooood.  Check my recap if you don’t believe me.  Or, better yet, don’t take my word for it– let host Steve Harvey give you 10 reasons to watch:

This Sunday, January 30th at 8pm ET, BET will air this year’s much-anticipated Celebration of Gospel program, with incredible performances from Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, VaShawn Mitchell, James Fortune & FIYA, Kim Burrell (with Whitney Houston!)… and many more.

Before that, though, BET.com is already buzzing with exclusive content about the event– from red carpet interviews to video footage, from photos to funny stuff from host Steve Harvey, you could easily spend an hour just getting lost in Celebration of Gospel-ness.

And make sure you check out The Gospel According to Torrence for his take on all that went down that weekend– he’s got the inside track on all of it.

Visit http://www.bet.com/celebrationofgospel to get in on the action.

And make sure you tune in this Sunday for the show– check my recap to be reminded of how good it was.

Sister duo Mary Mary are gearing up for the March 29 release of their sixth album, titled Something Big.

The project, produced by Warryn Campbell, features the hit single “Walking,” which has already climbed to the #6 position on radio this week. The single can be purchased digitally now, or buy it at your local WalMart and receive a bonus track with it– “Something Bigger.”

The ladies will also be on BET’s Celebration of Gospel this Sunday, January 30 at 8pm ET, performing “Something Big,” the catchy call and response anthem and title track from their upcoming project.

I took a minute before writing my thoughts about this year’s Stellar Awards, held in Nashville, TN this past Saturday.  Aside from being utterly exhausted by Monday morning, I also wanted to reflect a bit before I penned my thoughts. Having so reflected, here we go…

The 26th Annual Stellar Awards program was hosted by Donnie McClurkin– the first time that only one person has had hosting duties.  It had to be a bit exhausting for him, but he’s a great host who keeps the energy high both on and off-camera.

For me, one major highlight of the show was that newer artists (or those that we don’t see often on national TV) were given performance slots– the Soul Seekers, forever Jones, the Nevels Sisters, Joshua’s Troop… I think the overwhelming consensus has been that the “same people” get booked for the Stellars, the Celebration of Gospel, etc.  This year, I feel like the mold was broken a bit.  And that’s good.

Similarly, some non-”regulars” won in a few categories– Lucinda Moore for Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Darwin Hobbs for Praise & Worship CD of the Year… it seemed like, for a lot of categories, one could not predict the winner. That’s fine, until one also cannot explain the winner, and there were quite a few head-scratching moments as it relates to the winner’s list.

I’m not going to dig too deeply into how I feel about who won an award and who didn’t– what’s done is done.  But I will say that the Just James from J Moss was career-defining and one of the only albums in the past decade that I have allowed to play without skipping a track.  That he didn’t win one of the many awards for which he was nominated is more than unfortunate.  I also think that forever Jones had the greatest eligible song of last year with “He Wants It All,” but the family band wasn’t even nominated in the “Best Song” category.

You’ll see the edited show in various markets beginning this weekend (check your local listings) and on gmc on March 5th at 8pm.  But I’ll tell you my fave moments now–

Key performances for me came from JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, who opened the show with “Lord, You’re Mighty,” as well as Beverly Crawford who simply does not disappoint on stage, and VaShawn Mitchell with his unstoppable hit “Nobody Greater.”  I also loved the Nevels Sisters (they whipped their “hair back and forth”) and the quartet moment, which featured INCREDIBLE vocals from The Rance Allen Group, the Soul Seekers and the Williams Brothers. Deitrick Haddon commanded the stage like few can on his set.  But at the end, it was Marvin Sapp, in a moving tribute to his wife MaLinda, who had the entire audience on their feet (and nearly in tears) before Donnie McClurkin had us all pray for Pastor Sapp– hope they show that on TV.

Fairly or unfairly, the Stellar Awards really needed to meet or exceed the performance success of last year’s 25th Anniversary Stellar Awards.  While this year’s show was not bad, it’s hard not to knock it down a few pegs in comparison to the incredible show from last year, with its once-in-a-lifetime collaborative performances.

But then the question becomes “should they be considered ‘once-in-a-lifetime’?”  As the show did this year with the quartet collabo, is there not a way to creatively combine performances each year in such a way that the Stellar Awards consistently features unique performances that you cannot see elsewhere?

If I’ve seen an artist perform his or her song at the Gospel Heritage Conference, then GMWA, then COGIC Convocation and, finally, Celebration of Gospel over the past year, what’s so special about seeing them do it again on the Stellar Awards?  The suits and dresses?  The lights and house band? The audience?  It’s not enough.  We need more than a performance of the song– we need a moment.  Last year, the Stellars gave us hours of moments. This year, we also got a couple. But we need more. I get that last year’s show was special– but I do believe that the gospel community wants it to be the norm.

In any case, kudos to Central City Productions and the Stellar Awards– it’s not an easy task and, for all the commentary I’m giving, I still wouldn’t miss a taping for the world. Here’s to a good 26th, and a great 27th.

If you haven’t already grabbed Better Days, the latest project from Jonathan Nelson, you need to do so TODAY– it’s only $5, but it’s only for today (Tuesday, December 7).

To get it, you have to order it directly from the online store of his label, Integrity Music, at integritydirect.com. Shipping is FREE.

Also, FYI– Jonathan is slated to perform his single, “Expect the Great,” on BET’s Celebration of Gospel, which tapes this Saturday in Los Angeles.

Who’s getting a copy (or two)?