Congrats are in order to Joann Condrey (née Rosario) and her hubby, Cory “CoCo Brother” Condrey– they’re 8 weeks pregnant with their second baby!
The couple already has one daughter, Arianna, born in February of 2010. On Joann’s blog, she asked her web family for prayers to get through the morning sickness.
Let’s keep the entire Condrey fam in prayer, cool?
It’s like her sales are unstoppable! Lol
Le’Andria Johnson returns to the #1 spot on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week, after being bumped to #2 last week by Kierra Sheard’s new project, Free.
Kierra lands at #2, followed by Jessica Reedy at #3.
Most likely a result of the Stellar Awards nominations concert and results, Isaac Carree sees a sales jump, from #6 to #4, and Preashea Hilliard re-enters the chart at #8.
This week’s Top 10 at Billboard:
1 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
2 | Kierra Sheard – Free
3 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
4 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
5 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
6 | Lecrae – Rehab
7 | WOW Gospel 2011
8 | Preashea Hilliard – Live Out Loud
9 | CoCo Brother – Gospel Mix V
10 | 116 Clique – Man Up
Next week should also be interesting, with the anticipated new release from The Nevels Sisters hitting stores this week.
Congrats go out to Kierra Sheard, who debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week with her new album, Free. She also landed at #40 on the Billboard 200! This is her first #1 debut since her 2006 This Is Me album. Check out our review of Free right here.
Also debuting in the top 5 this week is Micah Stampley’s latest project, One Voice. You can read our review of Micah’s project here.
By the way, it’s pretty dope that three young women hold the #1, #2 and #3 positions at Billboard this week!
Here’s a snapshot at this week’s Top 10:
1 | Kierra Sheard – Free
2 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
3 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
4 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
5 | Micah Stampley – One Voice
6 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
7 | Lecrae – Rehab
8 | CoCo Brother – Gospel Mix V
9 | WOW Gospel 2011
10 | 116 Clique – Man Up
I’ll be interested to see if Le’Andria Johnson will rebound to #1 again next week– aside from Jessica Reedy’s debut and, now Kierra’s, she has reigned at #1 since her album came out the first week of September.
Le’Andria Johnson continues to sit at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart this week, with Jessica Reedy again following at #2, this week followed by Kirk Franklin’s Hello Fear.
The complete Top 10 this week:
1 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
2 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
3 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
4 | Lecrae – Rehab
5 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
6 | 116 Clique – Man Up
8 | CoCo Brother – Gospel Mix V
7 | WOW Gospel 2011
9 | VaShawn Mitchell – Triumphant
10 | Andraé Crouch – The Journey
New releases this week came from Kierra Sheard, Micah Stampley, Sounds of Blackness and Shirley Murdock. I’m expecting to see some new entries to the chart next week!
Le’Andria Johnson, returns to #1 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart this week, with Jessica Reedy’s From the Heart following right behind at #2.
Isaac Carree also made a notable jump with his solo debut, Uncommon Me, from #9 last week to #3 this week.
Here’s the full Top 10 on the charts…
1 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
2 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
3 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
4 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
5 | Lecrae – Rehab
6 | 116 Clique – Man Up
7 | CoCo Brother – Gospel Mix V
8 | WOW Gospel 2011
9 | Trin-i-tee 5:7 – Angel & Chanelle
10 | Andraé Crouch – The Journey
VaShawn Mitchell’s Triumphant Deluxe Edition and Music World Gospel’s Ultimate Gospel Vol. 1 are among this week’s new releases. I’m curious to see if they’ll make an appearance in the Top 10 next week.
LOTS of changes to Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week, starting from the top… the highly anticipated album from Jessica Reedy, From the Heart, has debuted at #1 on the gospel chart! Congrats!
Le’Andria Johnson, who had been at #1 for 3 consecutive weeks, still sells well, landing at #2 this week.
Reach Records also had a great sales week, with 116 Clique’s Man Up debuting at #3 and Lecrae’s history-making Rehab jumping to the #4 slot. That’s a good week for holy hip-hop!
The Journey, the new project from gospel legend Andraé Crouch , debuts at #6 (read my review here… I love this album), and the Gospel Mix V compilation from radio personality CoCo Brother debuts at #8 on the chart.
Now, the entry of 4 new albums into the Top 10 means that 4 albums have been bumped out of it… the casualties were Mary Mary’s Something Big, Dorinda Clark Cole’s I Survived, and the latest albums from Earnest Pugh and Deitrick Haddon.
Still, it was a fun sales week, with plenty of changes!
The full top 10…
1 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
2 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
3 | 116 Clique – Man Up
4 | Lecrae – Rehab
5 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
6 | Andraé Crouch – The Journey
7 | WOW Gospel 2011
8 | CoCo Brother – Gospel Mix V
9 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
10 | Donald Lawrence – YRM (Your Righteous Mind)
I’m not aware of any big releases this week that could upset this list, so it will be interesting to see how sales are next week, now that pre-orders and anticipation have been accounted for.
Which of these albums do you NOT have yet, but are planning to get SOON?
Gospel hip-hop fave Da’ T.R.U.T.H. lands at #2 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week with his new album, The Whole Truth.
Still reigning at #1 is winner of last season’s Sunday Best on BET, Le’Andria Johnson, with her debut album, The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson. I expected a bit of a sales dip, but I’m quite proud of her for that staying power!
Trin-i-tee 5:7 also experiences a notable sales bump, moving from #19 to #5 this week with their latest album, Angel & Chanelle.
Here’s a glance at the full Top 10 in Gospel…
1 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
2 | Da’ T.R.U.T.H. – The Whole Truth
3 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
4 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
5 | Trin-i-tee 5:7 – Angel & Chanelle
6 | WOW Gospel 2011
7 | Donald Lawrence – YRM (Your Righteous Mind)
8 | Dorinda Clark Cole – I Survived
9 | Mary Mary – Something Big
10 | Earnest Pugh – Earnestly Yours
I’m not expecting to see any big debuts on the charts in the coming week, but the following week, I think we’ll see strong showings from Jessica Reedy, Andraé Crouch and CoCo Brother’s Gospel Mix V compilation, all of which hit stores on the 27th of September.
After a hiatus, one of my absolute favorite Christian rap artists, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., returns to the game with a great video for his new single, “Alive.”
The message of the song is great– transparently declaring “I was going left, but Jesus made me right.” And I love its conclusive ending– “I am alive, cuz He’s alive.”
The video is high-energy, with a performance interwoven with footage of Da’ T.R.U.T.H. working on the road. It also features several of his co-laborers in Christian hip-hop, including radio personality CoCo Brother, history-making artist Lecrae and labelmate The Ambassador. I think I also spotted Brian Courtney Wilson, J Moss and Sean Simmonds… a lil’ of e’rybody!
Check it out–
Donnie McClurkin is offering you a shot to join him on this year’s Radio One One Love Cruise, from April 3-8, 2011. He’s got 3 free cabins to give away!
To win one, visit Donnie’s website, http://www.donnieradio.com, and submit a video question to “Ask Donnie.”
The cruise sails from Miami, FL, with ports in Nassau (Bahamas) and Samana (Dominican Republic). So far, the cruise has announced special guests Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and CoCo Brother, but just about everybody pops in at some point, so it’s definitely THE gospel cruise to be on this year.
For more details, visit http://www.donnieradio.com and http://onelovecruise.com.
The 26th Annual Stellar Awards were held in Nashville, TN this past Saturday.
Special awards went to Donald Lawrence (Lifetime Achievement), Kirk Franklin (Notable Achievement) and Vanessa Bell Armstrong (Living Legend).
Here’s a full list of the night’s winners…
Artist of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Fred Hammond
James Fortune & FIYA
Marvin Sapp
Song of the Year
BeBe Winans, “Close to You”
Fred Hammond, Calvin Rodgers, Phillip Feaster, Ericka Warren, Michael Bethany and Dynna Wells, “They That Wait”
James Fortune, C. Fortune and T. Vaughn, “Encore”
Marvin Sapp, “Best In Me”
Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
Marvin Sapp
Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lucinda Moore
Tamela Mann
Group/Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune & FIYA
The Anointed Pace Sisters
New Artist of the Year
Forever Jones
Kristina Halloway
Travis Greene
Victory Cathedral Choir
CD of the Year
Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
J. Moss, Just James
James Fortune & FIYA, Encore
Marvin Sapp, Here I Am
Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir
Producer of the Year
Aaron Lindsey, Here I Am
Donald Lawrence, The Experience
Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
James Fortune, Terrance Vaughn and Ayron Lewis, Encore
Contemporary Group/ Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune and FIYA
Trin-i-tee 5:7
Traditional Group/Duo of the Year
James Greer & Company
The Anointed Pace Sisters
The Christian Angels
The Mighty Clouds of Joy
Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
James Fortune
Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year
Alvin Darling
Darrell Hines
Marvin Sapp
Marvin Winans
Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lisa Page Brooks
Tamela Mann
Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year
Fredericka Faison
Lucinda Moore
Shirley Caesar
Vanessa Bell Armstrong
Contemporary CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans, Still
Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
J.Moss, Just James
James Fortune and FIYA, Encore
Traditional CD of the Year
James Hall & Voices of Citadel, Won’t It Be Wonderful
Marvin Sapp, Here I Am
Shirley Caesar, A City Called Heaven
Vanessa Bell Armstrong, The Experience
Urban/ Inspirational Single / Performance of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans, “Still”
Forever Jones, “Get Ready”
James Fortune & FIYA, “Encore”
Marvin Sapp, “Here I Am”
Music Video of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans, “Close to You”
Kirk Whalum, “Make Me a Believer”
Shirley Caesar, “Playground In Heaven”
The Anointed Pace Sisters, “If I Be Lifted Up”
Contemporary Choir of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International
Myron Butler & Levi
Youth for Christ
Youthful Praise featuring JJ Hairston
Traditional Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir
Special Event CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans, Still
Kirk Franklin, Are You Listening
Various Artists, CoCo Brother Live Presents Stand 2010
Various Artists, WOW Gospel 2010
Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year
DJ Official, Entermission
Everyday Process, Outtadisworld
Sho Baraka, Lions and Liars
Trip Lee, Between Two Worlds
Children’s Project of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International, Soldier Story
Kingdom Kids Worldwide, Kingdom Kids Worldwide Volume 1
The Velasquez Family Singers, While We Still Have Time
Youth for Christ, Thanks In Advance
Quartet of the Year
Reverend F.C. Barnes & Company
The Christian Angels
The Golden Wings Quartet
The Mighty Clouds of Joy
Recorded Music Package of the Year
Cameron Hilson and Mark Neubauer, Get Ready (forever Jones)
Denise Trotman, Here I Am (Marvin Sapp)
Derek Blanks and Ken Barboza, Still (BeBe & CeCe Winans)
Jeff Gilligan, Love Unstoppable (Fred Hammond)
Praise and Worship CD of the Year
Darwin Hobbs, Darwin Hobbs Live: Champion
James Fortune & FIYA, Encore
Phil Tarver, Place of Worship
The Anointed Pace Sisters, Access Granted
The awards show will air on gmc on March 5 at 8pm ET. Before that, however, you can catch it in most major markets (check your local listings) between January 22 and March 13.
