THIS dude… I’m diggin’ his voice and his sound.

I first learned of Kenny DeShields via Twitter.  He’s just a humble guy who is committed to building folks up and encouraging the Body of Christ.

When I went to his official website, I realized that he’s also quite musically gifted!  His voice has a smooth neo-soul vibe to it, but he’s got solid churchy roots and you can hear tinges of traditional gospel throughout his music.

For your listening pleasure, I’ve added his single “I Thank Ya, Lord” to the PunditPlayer.  Click here to hear it and lemme know what you think!

Then, I want you all to check him out at http://www.KennyDeShields.com, and keep tabs on him.  I think he’s gonna do well.

Whatd’ya think???

Ladies and gents, meet Algernon.  He’s an awesome vocalist with a heart for worship and I want you to check him out.

If you recall from one of my GMWA recaps, Algernon performed at one of the nightly musicals during GMWA’s convention.  The Lord used him to change the entire atmosphere from “showcase” to “worship setting.”  I’ve posted a video of that performance (thank God for YouTube) below, for your enjoyment.

Algernon has worked with a variety of artists, including Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell and Stevie Wonder.  The Atlanta-based artist has also toured internationally, singing his own music in various venues in England.  Algernon’s self-titled debut project is due on October 20th.

In addition to the video below, I’ve added his single, “You Belong To Me,” to the PunditPlayer.  Click here to take a listen.

You can learn more about Algernon at MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/theofficialpageofalgernon) and you can follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sirAlgernon.  AND, make sure you lemme know what you think!

Dunno if you’ve heard of LaNorris McFadden & P.R.O.O.F. yet, but I’m enjoying them VERRRY much right now.  I got their latest project Determination – Live, in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I decided it’s not fair to keep ‘em to myself any longer.

This ensemble has done a superb job of merging the flavor of the several choir sounds– you can hear a little James Hall & WAP or Ricky Dillard & New G, but there’s also the classic sound of Hezekiah Walker & LFC or O’Landa Draper & The Associates.  They’ve got some awesome lead vocalists on this 12-track project, and it never hurts that the incomparable Nikki Ross sings lead on a couple of tracks!

I’ve added their single, “Changed,” to the PunditPlayer.  Listen to it and clear some space on that dance floor, cuz I promise if you’re not careful, you could break something ’round about 3:10 into the song.  And that’s BEFORE soloist Janice Robinson hands the mic to Nikki Ross to ad lib through the vamp.  Click here to check out that single.

And pay a visit to their MySpace page (click here) for a couple more clips and to connect with them.

Lemme know what you think!

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.

Take the smoky tone and intricate musical choices of Brandy, combine them with the vocal agility of Kim Burrell, make a MALE voice out of it… and meet Kevin Gray. THIS DUDE…

I’m gonna try to do a full review on him when his new album, The Comeback, hits stores on August 4th.  In the meantime, he’s someone that I want y’all to check out NOW.  You can learn more about him and listen to some of his music at his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kevingray.

Aaaaand, this just in from Kevin…

He’s leaking a track from his upcoming album TODAY. The song can be heard on his MySpace page (see link above) and at the new website I’mAGospelSinger.com.

A quick video of him singing recently:

Lemme know what you think!!!

This Check ‘Em Out post is a bit different than the rest cuz I’m not really featuring an “artist” in the conventional sense… they’re puppets.

Puppets who sing and dance and teach kids valuable lessons about Christ! At some point, I’m gonna pay special attention to Christian music for kids cuz we don’t always do the best job of presenting them with Christian ALTERNATIVES to what the world puts out– and then we wonder what’s wrong.

Anyway, I came across this awesome project– Grace Place Kids– and I think it deserves some major attention.  The project introduces kids to concepts about Christ in fun, often musical, ways that they can grasp.  The cast and puppets are diverse in many ways and I think it’s reeeeally great.

I know it’s not our usual squallin’ and growlin’ fare, but please watch the video and lemme know what you think.

There’s a full album available NOW on iTunes and you can visit their website, http://www.graceplacekids.com to watch even more videos!

What do you think?

Ok, folks… another artist you should check out– Dayna Caddell.

Dayna’s a new artist, but she’s not a novice or amateur.  She’s already received ringing endorsements from Jazzy Jordan (head of Verity Gospel Music Group), Ton3x, Warryn Campbell, Eric Dawkins and many more.  At one event, she was killin’ so tough that Mary Mary jumped on stage to sing background vocals for HER.

Her single, “What He’s Done,” is already gaining significant airplay in various markets and SEVERAL people have asked me why I haven’t talked about Dayna Caddell yet.  Fine!  HERE YOU GO!

I’ve just added her single, “What He’s Done,” to the PunditPlayer, so click the logo at the top-right of this page, take a listen, and lemme know what you think!!!

And check her out at her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/daynacaddell.

You’ll be seeing more of her, I know.  What do you think???

Over the past several months, I’ve gotten A LOT of new music from people asking for reviews or features.  Sometimes, I’m pleased, sometimes I’m… concerned.

But I just got Claude Deuce’s upcoming project, Claude Deuce: Young Elder, and I’m kinda giddy!  He’s already pretty well-known behind the scenes, having written and produced for some of gospel’s finest, including Deitrick Haddon, Canton Jones, Ton3x, Izzy and Sean Simmonds.  Now, he steps out as a solo artist.

In addition to his keen songwriting and production abilities, Claude is an incredibly gifted vocalist, with clear influences from Marvin Winans and Ton3x, to Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway.

I’ll do a full album review in a coupla weeks (cuz I want y’all to know PRECISELY why you need to purchase his album when it drops on July 14th), but in the meantime, I need y’all to check him out!  I just added his single, “It Ain’t Over,” to the PunditPlayer.  Launch the player by clicking the logo on the top-right of the page. Make sure you lemme know what you think!

Visit his MySpace page for more clips, too: http://www.myspace.com/claudedeuce

Folks, a new artist I want you to check out: James Murphy.

Not only is James the lead vocalist for Jeff Majors right now, his musical resume includes work with a who’s-who list of the top artists in the industry, including Donald Lawrence, Patti LaBelle, J Moss, Kelly Price, on and on and on.  If he’s not on stage, you might catch him hosting a radio show.  Geeeeeez!

I’ve been rockin’ to his single, “Follow Thee,” for MONTHS now and I just added it to the PunditPlayer.  It’s produced by Fontez Camp Productions (think Jessica Greene) and it’s one of those feel-good summertime songs to me.  His full album, So Crazy, No Boundaries, will be released later this year.

You can check him out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/jamesmurphymusic4u.  Also, do yourself a favor and follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jamesmurphy.  He is one of the most HILARIOUSLY RANDOM people you’ll find.  He has tons to say and the overwhelming majority of it will make you cry from laughing.

In the meantime, listen to his single ”Follow Thee” on the PunditPlayer (click the launch button at the top-right of the page) and lemme know what you think!

Mali Music’s name has been spreading like wildfire throughout the industry for a good minute now, so I’m assuming that this is not an “introduction” for most of you.  But for the few of you that have not heard his refreshing sound, you’re gonna wanna read on…

Use your auditory imaginations to combine the soulful voice of soul/funk artist Bilal (or maybe, a throwback to Sam Cooke) with the musical freedom of someone like Tye Tribbett… Mali Music is what might result.  Combine that with his passion for Christ and the new sound he brings to the industry, though, and it becomes clear that he’s an artist without comparison.

This dude’s creativity is at first impressive, then kinda staggering.  His message (the Gospel) isn’t ”new,” but it’s packaged SO well that it’s refreshing.  Judging by his tour calendar, he’s in high demand with gigs galore booked through the summer and beyond.

The industry and a bunch of consumers are practically drooling for his upcoming album, The 2econd Coming, available on July 14th.  I predict that he is going to do VERY well in this industry.

One of my fave tracks from him is “Forward”… 30-second snippet here:

FULL audio available at his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/malimusicnote.  And sign up for his JUST launched Mali Music Official FAM Network at http://www.malimusicnetwork.com/.  More streaming audio, tons of photos, tour dates, FAM phone number… ALL of that.

Who’s already on to him?  Who’s about to be?  HOLLA!