Coko’s “Hymn Medley” is one of my favorite tracks from her debut gospel album, Grateful.

I stumbled upon this live video performance of the medley and figured I’d have to post it for y’all… check it out:

Lemme know what you think!

The Coko Video Hunt has ended and the winners’ names have been selected.  They are:

Kira Riley of Newport News, VA
Silas Kezengwa of Montclair, NJ
Jason Greaves of Oklahoma City, OK
Keith Hatter of Moundville, AL
Juan McKnight of Sacramento, CA

Again, each winner will receive a copy of Coko’s latest album, The Winner In Me, courtesy of GospelPundit.com and Light Records!

Congrats to each of ya!

Make sure you let me know how the album is!

I’ve got 5 copies of Coko’s The Winner In Me album (which was one of my favorite albums of 2009) to give away to you guys.

I’m alway trying to find fun ways to do giveaways here, instead of just asking you guys to email me your name and address.  Now, I was GONNA say something like “share how Jesus has been the winner in YOU,” but I was yawning before I could even TYPE it!

So, instead, I’ve devised a clever little VIDEO HUNT!!!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

1.  Check out Coko’s video for her latest single, “The Winner In Me,” below and PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to the scenes in it.

2.  Watch the video to answer the following questions:

i.  In the first verse, Coko’s reflection reaches out to her from within the mirror.  Which hand does Coko’s REFLECTION extend?

ii.  Throughout the video, there are scenes with multiple “Cokos in them, but one scene in particular has more Cokos than the rest.  How many Cokos are in the scene with the GREATEST number of Cokos?

iii.  By the end of the video, the little girl finally gets her autograph.  What color is the marker that Coko uses to sign the poster?

3.  Email all three answers, along with your full name and mailing address, to me at ej@gospelpundit.com.  Type “COKO” in the subject field.

4.  From among the email submissions with correct answers, I’ll select five names at random to receive a copy of Coko’s The Winner In Me album.

5.  Act fast!  This giveaway ends on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 11:59pm CST.  The winner will be announced on Monday, the 22nd!

Ready?  Set?  GO!

The newest video from Coko, for her title track “The Winner In Me,” premiered online today…

Check it out and lemme know what you think.

I like the camera shots and I think Coko looks great.  There are also some creative lighting effects, which I’m generally a sucker for.  I wish that the concept was interwoven throughout the video a bit more– like, if we had seen the story with the little girl playing out in the verses and the vamp, not just at the beginning and end of the video… I almost forgot about the little princess!

All in all, I think it’s cool and I’m glad that Coko’s got a video to aid in the promotion of her album.  In my opinion, the project has been underrated and severely slept on, so hopefully this will give it a nice boost.

Whatd’ya think???

Oh, and leave me a comment to let me know if you still don’t have the project. If enough of you say you don’t have it, I just might bless ya with a giveaway…

Word has it that Coko has recorded, and is prepping for the premiere of, a new music video for her hit song “The Winner In Me,” from her recent album of the same name.  The video will debut on Tuesday, January 26, 2010!

Until then, Coko’s blessed us with a little behind-the-scenes footage of the making of her video…

I wish more artists would offer this type of footage. I’m excited for the full video now… how about you?

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???

The industry was blessed with some really great new music in 2009– we saw some highly-anticipated debut projects, a looooong-awaited reunion project, and fresh music from some of our favorite artists.

I think I’ve heard all of it and here are my 10 favorite albums of 2009, in order:

10.  Coko | The Winner In Me
Coko’s got one of those voices that just screamed CHURCH, even when her R&B group, SWV, was at the height of its popularity.  The Winner In Me is her sophomore gospel project and it demonstrated a firm commitment to gospel.  Even more, it demonstrated a firm commitment to Christ, lest there be any doubters.  She crafted a diverse, yet cohesive, body of work that has received significant rotation from me since its release in July.

9.  Tonex | Unspoken
Despite the talk and controversy that seems to follow him, Tonex’s musical gifts are 100% undeniable.  He provides one of the freshest musical perspectives in gospel music, always pushing the envelope to remind us that God, as Creator, gifted His children with the same mindblowing ability to CREATE.  I’m like a kid in a candy store when I listen to Unspoken.  There’s more musical goodness going on than I have the auditory capacity to take in at once, which is why the project has gotten so many spins from me.  And I’m far from being finished with it.

8.  Melinda Watts | People Get Ready
The winner of Gospel Music Channel’s 2008 season of Gospel Dream gathered an award-winning team of producers and songwriters to assist her in crafting a fresh and exciting debut project that represented her diverse influences and musical preferences.  There’s a little something for everyone on her album, so she’s been able to get major love from CCM and gospel audiences alike.  She’s an up and coming gap-bridger and, with her debut project, Melinda’s carving a nice lil’ spot in the industry for herself.

7.  Ted Winn | Balance
With his debut solo album, Ted Winn demonstrated his ability to handle every form of artistry in the gospel biz– he’s gone from choir, to ensemble, to duo, and has landed firmly as a solo artist.  What’s more– he’s one of a few artists that I trust, musically, to respect the gospel genre while remaining relevant to the marketplace.  The project is bursting with simply good music– from catchy songwriting (primarily his own) to great production and arrangements, Balance provides just that for listeners.

6.  Sheri Jones-Moffett | Renewed
On her debut solo album, Sheri Jones-Moffett “renewed” the industry’s concept of her as a vocalist.  We knew that she could dominate a churchy lead vocal, but we were blessed to see her jump effortlessly from soaring ballads to pop-infused tracks, even a 70′s-themed single and a New Orleans-styled praise chant.  With an inspirational and encouraging message to share, Sheri knocked her debut offering out of the ballpark… and nabbed a much-deserved GRAMMY nod in the process.

5.  Fred Hammond | Love Unstoppable
The pioneer of contemporary praise  & worship in gospel added yet another hit album to his discography with Love Unstoppable.  Perhaps most refreshing about this project is that he successfully tested the waters of other styles– even calypso and jazz– while remaining at all times “classic Fred.”  This album demonstrated why we continue to look to him for musical guidance for the coming years… great things keep coming from his lab.  He’s kinda unstoppable, too.

4.  BeBe & CeCe Winans | Still
The world waited 15 years for gospel’s favorite sibling duo to reunite and make music together again.  The wait proved worth it when BeBe & CeCe finally released a collection of music that was a great reminder of why we loved them in the first place, while remaining relevant to today’s musical climate.  How many duos can, at their height, take a break, experience chart-topping and award-winning solo careers, come back together, and prove that they’ve “still” got it?  Just one, I think…

3.  Israel Houghton | The Power Of One
Israel ventured out on his own, sans New Breed, for his latest project.  The result was a cohesive project from a musician who remained loyal to his gap-bridging musical technique while demonstrating his ability to master other styles within the gospel and Christian genres.  This album affirmed Israel’s ability to make music for the universal Body of Believers, a feat that not all ministers of music are able to perform.

2.  J Moss | Just James
After a year marked by a test, a shortcoming and, ultimately, a triumph, J Moss returned to the marketplace this year with a new perspective on his third major solo release, stripping away all pretense in an attempt to present himself as “just James.”  The result was a collection of work that seems to have been born straight from his time with the Lord– times in which he saw his need for grace and experienced, in a fresh way, God’s redeeming power and love.  We were merely blessed enough to have those experiences translated to music that could encourage us in our own journeys.

1.  Donald Lawrence & Co. | The Law Of Confession, Vol. 1
In recent years, Donald Lawrence has focused a lot of his musical energy on encouraging the Body of Christ by teaching us who God is, who we are in relation to Him, and what we might expect as a result of that relationship.  With his latest release, Donald challenged believers by demonstrating the power of our words, especially in view of God’s words.  As if the message, alone, wasn’t enough to make a great album, he set it to music that is as diverse as it is beautiful.  From instrumentation to his in-demand group of singers, Donald Lawrence is unparalleled in his ability to produce and arrange music that pays homage to the heritage of gospel music while progressing the genre for the glory of God.  The musical manifestation of that ability is, hands-down, what makes The Law Of Confession, Vol. 1 my favorite album of 2009.

If I can do an honorable mention category, I’d have to point out that the following albums got a tremendous amount of play time in my car and on iTunes, too:

JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise | Resting On His Promise

Da’ T.R.U.T.H. | The Big Picture

The Anointed Pace Sisters | Access Granted

Vanessa Bell Armstrong | The Experience

For your musical enjoyment, you can click an album image below to listen to snippets and/or make a purchase.  You’re never too late!

What do you think of my faves?

Tomorrow, GospelPundit.com turns ONE YEAR OLD!

It’s humbling to see how much growth my blog has experienced in just one year.  From hard-hitting interviews to exclusive premieres of highly anticipated singles, God has blessed me to play a pivotal role in the industry.  I’m blown away by that because I DO NOT deserve to fulfill all that He’s called me to do and be.

Moreover, I’m grateful to each of you for visiting the site on a regular basis, for telling folks about it, and for every encouraging comment or email I’ve received about it.  Daily readership continues to skyrocket and I promise that I’ll continue to give you my absolute best, for the glory of God alone.

I’ve got some major things planned for the coming year.  But, first, we’re gonna celebrate the past year!!!

Beginning MONDAY, I’m giving away a bundle of recent releases EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Each day next week, I’ll pose a question about SOMETHING I’ve said on the site in the past year.  Your task will be to find the answer and email it to me.  From among those emails, I’ll randomly select a winner to receive my hand-picked bundle pack of new music, which will include the new releases from BeBe & CeCe Winans, Fred Hammond, Byron Cage, Israel & New Breed, Ted Winn, Kierra Sheard, J Moss, Rizen, Shirley Caesar, Coko, JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise AND MORE… even an autographed copy of the newest album from Smokie Norful!  For real, guys… it’s big.  Kinda like the “new release JACKPOT.”

Do you hear what I’m saying?  Every day, ONE person will win about 20 new CDs.    Just my little way of sayin’ “thanks.”

Okay, so spread the word and get ready to celebrate all week long.  Sound good?

Love you guys.

Soooo, if you were followin’ my tweets, you got up-to-the-minute results of the nominees.  My fingers HURT from typing so quickly on that BlackBerry!

For those of you who missed it, click here for a full list of nominees.

I’m disappointed that Sheri Jones-Moffett, Coko, 21:03, Melinda Watts, Damita Haddon and Kevin LeVar’s names are not anywhere among the nominees.  Each had great projects and should have been recognized.  Majorly not okay.

I’m very happy, though, for artists like Donald Lawrence (one of my faves this year), Kierra Sheard, Mary Mary, Hezekiah Walker, Israel Houghton, Daniel Weatherspoon, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., Bishop Paul Morton…

Geez.  I just dunno.  Some of the names on there…

What do you guys think of the nominees?

Curious– does the gospel music marketplace attempt to dictate who can sing gospel music?  Moreover, do we think that God has asked us to determine for Him who is authentic and who is not?

Two things served as the impetus for my query– first, this morning, Gerard Bonner launched his new radio show, Bonnerfide Radio, during which he played an incredible track from Ledisi entitled “Knockin’.”  In it, she tells the devil “I hear you knockin’, but you can’t come in.”  In the chatroom, we discussed whether it’s “okay” for secular artists to sing gospel songs, etc. (I think we all agreed that she sang that song and we love it).

Second, on Monday, I announced the release date for the debut gospel album from legendary R&B/soul group The Whispers.  Comments were made that suggested the group was just another secular act trying to take advantage of the gospel marketplace.

My concern: It seems unfair to me that a musician who has spent any amount of time singing or playing secular music would have to PROVE to us that they’re legitimate before they can enter “our” arena.  First of all, we stand divided as to whether “secular” music is even bad.  But even assuming that it is, why would we have SOOOO many barriers up and hurdles to jump before some prodigal singer or musician can “come home”?

We’ve seen it time after time.  Whether it’s Coko, Kelly Price, Dave Hollister… we give them the side-eye and assume the worst FIRST– they’re probably not for real, they probably don’t really wanna honor God, they must have a hidden motive.

But do we look at our altars every Sunday morning and assume that most of the people who have come to it are just fakin’ it?  Do we wonder whether they’re just trying to steal from the offering plate?

Why is the default response, in MUSIC, one of mistrust, rather than a warm embrace?  When was the last time WE had to prove ourselves in the same way?  And if we haven’t had to do so, what Biblical basis do we have for demanding such proof from them?

AND, if we’re gonna demand proof, what have we decided it will be?  Do we need press releases about their salvation before the gospel album is released?  Is there a waiting period of 3 years between the time that they “leave” secular music and start singing gospel?  Where’s our list of criteria and from where are we deriving it?

It all seems unfortunate, but it’s the reality…  I’m just wondering why.

Thoughts???