Malaco announced today that it has signed recording artist-turned TV personality Lexi to a recording contract.
“I am humbled to be a family member of the iconic recording label Malaco Records,” says Lexi. “I am honored to have the opportunity of continuing in the legacy of great singers, musicians and music.”
Her first album on the label, titled Phenomenal, is produced by Marcus Cole (perhaps best known as a lead vocalist in Commissioned) and will hit stores this Spring or Summer.
The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson is, by her own admission, just the beginning of all that she has to share with us. To that, I would say that I enjoy what she’s shared so far, but I’m also eager to hear more.
The project opens with “Sunday Best Medley 1,” which includes her on-air rendition of “God Is Trying To Tell You Something” and Commissioned’s “Running Back To You,” before transitioning into “Cast the First Stone,” an incredibly solid urban soul cut with tight background vocals and Le’Andria’s unmistakeable lead. On this tune, her vocals are playful and bouncy, but focused and tasteful.
What follows is probably my favorite track on the album– ”Make Him Like You.” It’s a prayer that God will make the man He’s prepared for Le’Andria like her Heavenly Father. It’s led by a driving bass and soulful chords and reminds me of a great throwback to some good 80′s or 90′s soul R&B– maybe Miki Howard-ish.
“New Reasons” is also a very well-done tune, styled like something the Staples Singers may have done– just flat-foot folky singing with soulful accents from the background singers. Up next is Le’Andria’s current single, “Jesus,” an in-the-pocket outcry for God’s help, with vocals that make you run it back a few times just to re-live it all.
The project closes out with “Struggle Not,” which is probably the weaker of the tunes on the album for me, and “Sunday Best Medley 2.” I almost wish they had included her live performance of “He Was There,” from The Mo’Nique Show some months ago– it was perfection!
My chief issue with the project was immediate and apparent from the moment I got it in the mail– it’s only 7 tracks in length, two of which are “medleys” of LeAndria’s performances on Sunday Best. The album is really more of an EP than an LP and, though albums from Sunday Best finalists are notorious for taking a while to hit stores, I wouldn’t have minded waiting another two months to get 3 to 5 more tracks. However, I also understand taking advantage of this season’s Sunday Best momentum (had there not been a voting glitch, Le’Andria would’ve been featured singing on the finale this past Sunday, with her album hitting the market today– timing couldn’t have been better).
In the end, this project highlights why she won Sunday Best, then goes a step further by showing us the type of music Le’Andria really wants to do– and it’s some REALLY good music. I’d recommend it.
Check out snippets of the tracks and buy it– either from Amazon.com (just $5.99 digitally) or via the iTunes widget below:
And if you missed our interview with her, check it out right here!
Isaac Carree’s long-awaited solo debut, Uncommon Me, hits stores tomorrow, August 23, 2011. The 14-track album doesn’t disappoint, blending together several styles– urban, churchy, worshipful– in a way that is all “Ike.”
The project opens with a beautiful piano intro, followed by the somewhat melancholy ballad “Chances.” It’s a departure from the beat-heavy urban track that I expected the album to open with, but by the bridge, it grows into a grand ballad that frames the rest of the songs on the project fairly well.
I love the concept of the next track, an interlude that chronicles Ike’s gospel music history– from his time with John P. Kee, to Men of Standard, to Kirk Franklin. It seamlessly moves into his hit single, “In the Middle,” before landing on an incredibly tasteful arrangement of the Andraé Crouch-classic “We Are Not Ashamed,” which features a nostalgically great guest performance from John P Kee. It was a winner from the first note.
The title track, “Uncommon Me,” follows. Somehow, this urban gospel track has somewhat of an acoustic vibe to it– and it’s awesome. With a nod to a Men of Standard or Dawkins & Dawkins type of style, it still stands on its own as an all “Isaac” song.
In case you’re looking for the urban, it comes with a vengeance in the next track, “Walk Alone,” produced by Warryn Campbell, and the one after it, “Power,” featuring Eric Dawkins. Isaac is in his element on these.
“Shout It Out,” is a thumping churchy tune mixed with the edgy instrumentation of the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.” It’s cleverly produced with a great vocal performance.
Isaac’s rendition of “Simply Redeemed,” which was actually his first single, follows– it’s as beautiful now as it was when it first reached radio and fans last year. Ike gives an award-winning vocal that is tasteful and moving, solidifying a firm place as one of gospel music’s great male vocalists of the coming generation.
A standout favorite is “I Worship You,” an energetic worship ballad with great movement, in large part because of its drums and piano accompaniment. Blink and you might miss how this song got to be so grand by its end– I had to go back and listen again to realize that Ike’s riffs and pleading tone actually contributed to the forward-moving energy of this tune. Very well done.
The melody and chords of “Navigation,” alone, are enough to impress. But the clever concept behind the lyrics are a bonus– it’s the testimony of every believer’s battle between our natural selves and God’s navigating Spirit at work within us.
The album closes with “Putcha One Hand Up,” a sure party song that makes you want to run through the whole album again to relive it all.
Isaac Carree has been a part of the progression of gospel music in a way that many don’t take time to recognize– from framing the sound of contemporary choir leads to continuing the excellent tradition of male groups like Commissioned and The Winans with his group, Men of Standard.
The tell-tale sign of a good album– I didn’t want to skip through any of the tracks. I never felt like “okay, I get it”; rather, I was anxious to hear how each tune would start, continue and end. I think we’d call it “captivating.”
If this album falls short, it would be merely as a sequencing issue– I wanted to feel certain things at different places– but feel them, I did. And with a style and ability as versatile as Isaac’s, it’s hard to perfectly merge everything into one ideal order.
You can order here it from Amazon.com
It’s no secret that Donald Lawrence is one of my favorite artists in gospel music. There aren’t many artists who can honor the rich heritage and sound of gospel, while still adding their own element to it. He’s not of this era– he’s got few contemporaries– but he’s still relevant. That’s not an easy feat.
In case you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read my album review at gmc’s official website. That’s my official and formal deal on Donald Lawrence’s new album, YRM (Your Righteous Mind).
Here, I’ll allow myself to be a fan, just chattin’ about my favorite parts of the project… let’s go!
The a cappella intro to D. Lawrence’s remake of Commissioned’s “How Can We Sing (In A Strange Land)”… perfection. And it only gets better, as Keith Staten and Jason Nelson take turns on lead.
Listen to “Spiritual,” the latest single from this album, to hear how masterfully Donald incorporated the classic “fruits of the Spirit” segment from the Clark Sisters’ 1981 tune “Walk In the Spirit” (Twinkie was before her time, by the way). THIS type of stuff is where he shines.
If you attended any of the regional Verizon Wireless How Sweet the Sound events last year, you probably remember Marvin Sapp and CeCe Winans performing the Walter Hawkins classic “When the Battle Is Over” with Donald. On the album, singers Kim McFarland and Dante Hall (one of Donald’s newer full-time vocalists) tag team on it. It’s gospel like it’s s’posed to be.
There aren’t many duos like sisters Tobbi and Tommi. And they demonstrate it on their remake of Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire.” The bass line is true to the original, which is wise– this feels like a great, updated version of something we’re still jamming to anyway.
I adore the complex harmonies on the vamp of “The I AM Factor.” That, with the string arrangement… wow!
Aaaand Floyd Wilkinson’s performance of the Daryl Coley tune “II Chronicles,” is a more-than-fitting pairing. He executes it with precision and passion– definitely a fave.
Other stand-outs for me are “Second Wind” (featuring Anita Wilson) and “We Agree” (featuring Israel Houghton), the latter of which is a refreshing and unexpected pairing.
In a nutshell… buy it.
By the way, for street day (August 9, 2011), Amazon.com is selling it for $3.99!
Grab it here!
Hey guys, just a reminder to tune-in to gmc tomorrow night (Saturday) at 7pm ET (immediately followed by a repeat airing at 8:30pm ET) to catch the incredible performances that went down at this year’s BMI Trailblazers Awards luncheon in Nashville, TN.
The show will honor Shirley Caesar and Commissioned with some of the most jaw-dropping, once-in-a-lifetime performances you’re ever gonna see. Cuz that’s how BMI rolls!
BMI has announced that its Trailblazers Awards luncheon, the heralded, exclusive event of each year’s Stellar Awards weekend, will be aired on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 7pm ET, exclusively on gmc.
The special, co-hosted by Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell, was recorded live during last month’s 12th Annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon on Friday, January 14th. Honored this year were Shirley Caesar and Commissioned, with jaw-dropping performances from Kim Burrell, the Clark Sisters, Ledisi, Lucinda Moore, Marvin Sapp, Dawkins & Dawkins, Men of Standard and many more. Donald Lawrence, with DeWayne Woods, handled musical direction of the event.
An encore presentation of the program will air at 8:30pm ET, immediately following its initial broadcast.
Associate Editor Troy Lilly reminds us about an oldie but goodie…
Back in 1996, a CD player was something you had installed at a Circuit City or Best Buy. I mean lots of people had Walkmans, but in the car, we were still listening to cassette tapes – one side at a time. Boy how the times have changed.
Anyway, that same year a guy named Keith Staten released an album called Worship in the House as part of Integrity Music’s “Urban Praise” series. You may (and should) remember Keith as one-fifth of a successful male ensemble during the late 80s and early 90s: Commissioned.
But this time the concept was a little different. Keith isn’t just singing with the guys, he’s out front. And instead of featured the cutting-edge studio production value of earlier Commissioned albums, this project was recorded live at Lifeline Christian Center Church to capture an organic worship atmosphere.
With songs like “Praise Looks Good on You,” “Awesome in This Place,” “Healing Grace” and “Lord I Thirst for You,” Worship in the House is essentially a collection of contemporary praise and worship songs recorded in a more urban and soulful vein.
Fred Hammond, who handled the production for his former Commissioned group member, adds just enough rhythm to make the 12 tracks groove-worthy, but not so much that they lose the authenticity of original versions by Don Moen, Gary Sadler, Hillsong and Alleluia Music. And now, more than 14 years later, the integrity of the sound and music still stands. However, the cassette tape I bought back in ’96 is long gone.
Thankfully, advances in technology have provided us with the compact disc and mp3 downloads, which means if you’ve never heard Worship in the House before, there’s a new, shiny copy waiting for you on iTunes and Amazon.com.
If you have heard the album before, feel free to chime in. Either way take a(nother) listen. It’ll bless your life, I promise.
EJ’s note: According to Twitter reports, Keith Staten was JUST in the studio with Donald Lawrence– he’s making a guest appearance on Donald’s upcoming album, YRM (Your Righteous Mind), due in stores in the Spring of 2011.
BMI has just announced its honorees for the 2011 BMI Trailblazers awards– they are COMMISSIONED and SHIRLEY CAESAR!
The annual musical tribute luncheon is THE PLACE to be during Stellar Awards weekend (aside from the awards, themselves). The invitation-only event takes place on Friday, January 14th at Nashville’s Rocketown.
Hopefully, gmc will broadcast the event again, as it did this year in honoring Donnie McClurkin and Andrae Crouch.
Is it just me or is (was?) Men of Standard a gospel group in a separate league from other male gospel groups of the past decade?
Their style and artistry is reminiscent of the excellence we got from The Winans and Commissioned, coupling great songs with great vocals.
With Ike and Lowell’s attention rightfully on their respective solo projects right now, I’m sure they’re not releasing a group project in the very near future, but let this post serve as my public plea–
WE WANT MORE OF WHAT Y’ALL DO… THERE IS NOT ANOTHER GROUP LIKE YOU IN GOSPEL TODAY… YOU ARE WHAT WE WANT. PLEASE, AND THANK YOU. 
Peep the video below to enjoy “Yet Will I Trust In Him,” probably my favorite tune from them (warning, in advance– the very last line is cut off… arggh!).
Is it just me???
New Associate Editor Troy Lilly interviewed Fred Hammond for you guys…
In this chat, he talks with Fred about Life in the Word (the new album that hits stores TODAY), Fred’s new relationship with Universal Music Christian Group, and plans for the future.
It’s a great read, so I won’t delay things any further… here’s Troy with Fred Hammond.
* * *
Troy: How are you doing this morning, man?
Fred: Good, man. How you feel?
Troy: Good, good. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me.
Fred: I appreciate you, doc, for talking to me.
Troy: First off, I want to congratulate you on the new label, fHammond Family Entertainment, and your joint venture with Universal Music Christian Group.
Fred: Yeah.
Troy: Everyone’s really excited about it. Some people are so excited they’ve let their imaginations run wild about what’s going to happen next. I mean really, really wild!
So, tell me how this partnership came about and what exactly this means for future Fred Hammond projects?
Fred: Well, uh, the label is not as new as is kind of being said. It’s fHammond Music, basically, which was on the Verity/Zomba label.
Troy: Ok.
Fred: Verity and Zomba both gave me an opportunity to learn the inside of executive producing …there’s other levels… marketing, and not just finding the talent, but motivating and molding the talent. Verity taught me to do that.
But when we got to the end of our run, Verity wanted to concentrate on less secondary projects and more primary projects. Fred Hammond is a primary and fHammond is a secondary.
Troy: I see.
Fred: Basically, I got dropped! Naw…I’m just kidding! (laughs)
Troy: (LAUGHS)
Fred: And I didn’t really get dropped. We both mutually agreed, you know, it was time to go. It was a good run. We got Joann Rosario [Condrey] out of it, I had the Singletons and Shea Norman … Joann really shined out of that… but I got a chance to learn at each step.
Troy: Right, right.
Fred: But Universal came along. And see, because Universal is not a label – they’re distribution – they can help develop a label, you know.
Troy: Right…
Fred: They don’t have artists to compete with. They were looking for some talented young labels and people who had music and they said, ‘we can help you.’ And when we met up with each other I felt really good about it. I went there and sat down and I felt like this was the place to be.
They allow me, as a businessperson, to say, “this is the plan and this is the direction we’re going.”
Troy: Wow.
Fred: Sometimes I’m almost asking them permission to do something as a label…
Troy: (Chuckles)
Fred: And they’re like… ‘uh, that’s your label. You tell us what to do.’ And I’m like, “oh, ok!” It’s almost like Eddie Murphy in the movie Trading Places when he walked into the house and said, ‘oh, so this vase is mine …so that means I can just throw it down on the ground,’ – POW! You don’t really believe it at the end of the day.
Troy: The first project on the fHammond Family Entertainment label hits stores on July 27th and is titled Life in the Word. What’s the significance of the title?
Fred: It’s interesting that the first CD that comes out is Word-based. It’s what the whole foundation of the company and the label will be based on – life in the Word. So the actual CD itself is a praise and worship devotional.
There’s little narrated scriptures in between most of the music. Some of them are comedic, some are dramatic. But if you just hear them it’ll remind you… that we should go over into the land because we can certainly take it. Whatever your promised land is, go get it.
Troy: Yeah.
Fred: And like I said, some of them are comedic. I play a preacher on one of ‘em, from a store front church, and I scream, “READ!” (Laughs)
Troy: (Laughs)
Fred: And they start reading and I change the words up on ‘em. So they’re reading, ‘for this’ and I say, “No, for that,” then, “no, for this…” (laughs)
Troy: (Laughs)
Fred: It’s funny, but it’s still reading the Word of God.
Troy: Now, I have to say this: the spoken scriptural interludes on the album are a treat and really take me back to the “Inner Court” days with Radical for Christ… stuff like “The Communion Song” where there’s actual reading during the song,
Fred: Yeah!
Troy: And then like “Hear My Cry”…man! That stuff is just ripped from scripture, kind of like hearing people sing the Bible.
Fred: That’s just my style, man.
Troy: You’re credited with creating the sub-genre Urban Praise and Worship, but you described the Life in the Word project as “the other side” of your style. Do you feel this style and sound will appeal to a new, wider audience, or…?
Fred: On this one… it’s a little departure, but it’s not theeeee departure, you know what I’m sayin’? I didn’t wanna shock people too bad. But if they got to listen to “You Are My Dwelling Place” – which I sing on – they’re gonna hear a little alternative and rock edge to it.
Troy: The album features an ensemble of gifted singers such as Lowell Pye, Ericka Warren, Candace Laster, Michael Bethany, and Faith Anderson. What caused you to choose this particular group of singers?
Fred: Man, it’s like these cats…they can really sing! I reached out to Lowell because he’s a friend of mine. I think Lowell has an [amazing] voice. Some people I sit there and like everything they do. Lowell, when he sings, that’s me. He reminds me of John P. Kee, who’s my favorite male vocalist.
Troy: Yeah, probably for a lot of us. (chuckles)
Fred: So at the end of the day, Lowell was a no brainer. And when I asked him he was like, ‘yeah, man, yeah…I’ll do it.’
And then the rest of them kinda sing with me. They go out on the road with me, except Faith, who sings with Kirk [Franklin]. But it was an opportunity and they all jumped at the opportunity. I’ve always had a heart to help people
Troy: How much will we hear you, Fred, vocally on this new record?
Fred: I’m actually singing two songs on there. One of them is a remake, the full version of “Just to Be Close to You” with the verses and everything.
Troy: Yeah, I saw that. So, it sounds like this new album is really similar to the In Case You Missed It… project, which primarily featured and introduced a plethora of guest artists.
Fred: Absolutely. It’s just the same concept. I may even do an In Case You Missed It 2… on this label. I may take some of my old music that people didn’t’ really catch onto, songs that I thought were great and nobody really listened to…
Troy: (Laughs)
Fred: And let somebody else do it. Folks will hear it and say, “Wow! I didn’t hear that song that way when he sang it.” So there’s an In Case You Missed It 2… coming, a Life in the Word 2 coming.
Troy: Should we expect to see solo projects on this new imprint by some of the guest artists you’ve introduced over the years…perhaps even solo work from Fred Hammond in the future?
Fred: Well hopefully, all of them. Hopefully all of them will get a chance to be able to do their own projects from this – especially in my camp.
And I’m looking to expand this into different voices and different topics.
Troy: Ok.
Fred: My daughter, BreeAnn, is a great vocalist, but I don’t think I should put her out there in the way where she has to go to churches and stand up, and do this and do that. But she can go to youth groups and sing to other 18- and 22-year-olds about what it feels like to be in love and lose love.
They don’t necessarily have to hear it from all from Rihanna, you know what I’m sayin’?
Troy: Yeah!
Fred: But they can hear it from a woman with “this” instead of that perspective.
Troy: Wow.
Fred: So I want to have new voices. Then I have another guy who’s been out there, another brother. He has a great album. His name is Steve Huff.
Troy: Oh, yeah man! Steve, definitely.
Fred: That’s my dude. We just hooked up and I’m putting him out. He’s got a great album and I believe in it. He’s super urban. – I mean he’s got like 10, 12 songs of “God in Me,” and they’re all killin’! I mean they’re all killin’.
And then there’s another younger guy I got named Silas. He has another sound with another voice, and he’s talking about life. It sounds like a mixture of Hootie and the Blowfish meets…somebody else.
Troy: (Chuckles)
Fred: Honestly, it’s just different sounding music, and it may not all get radio, but there’s a way to get it out. People are getting 50 million hits on YouTube, and you’ve got Pandora radio and Fred radio…
Troy: Yeah, the game is definitely changing.
Fred: Right, the game is changing, and I love gospel radio but I understand that they just don’t have all the room to put everybody out there, so…
Troy: That’s true.
Fred: I’m gonna put out different forms of music.
Troy: Ok.
Fred: I have a jazz CD I’m putting out, but I’m not gonna do “Lord, Help Me to Hold Out” over a piano solo. No, I’m doing a straight-up smooth jazz album. It’s a musician album. I got a group and it’s a jazz CD, just with a Christian guy who happens to be playing jazz.
We’re going to talk about some regular stuff AND still have God and the gospel going in, because believe it or not, God cares about all of that.
Troy: He does.
Fred: He said “cast all your cares,” not your “gospel” cares or your “Christian cares,” but he said every care that you have cast on me, because I care for you.
Troy: After almost 30 years in the business producing, arranging – playing – are you ready to focus on something other than music, or is it still “all about the music?”
Fred: Music is the base, but man, I’m writing books. I figure the world has enough self-help books, so my books are fictional. They’re stories that I’ve met and seen in my lifetime – people dealing with childhood issues, murder. These are things that I’ve seen. Several of my friends have been killed, executed.
Troy: Man! (gasps)
Fred: That’s the kind of life I’ve dealt with, you know. I’ve been in the church and in the streets, so I’m gonna tell the story. But, I’m going to tell you where God shows up, how God heals that moment!
Troy: Right!
Fred: And it doesn’t have to sell a billion books. But it’s going to be unique.
Troy: I’m excited.
Fred: It’s a start, you know? One day, Commissioned had a record called “I’m Going On,” and people were excited. But, we also heard the other side: “it’s not as good as the Winans,” and “you guys aren’t big time…” I heard all of that.
But you still put something out, and you do another one and another one, until you look up and you’ve sold millions of records and you’re doing an interview talking about your first label. (Laughs)
Troy: (Laughs) That’s how it happens.
Fred: That’s it.
Troy: I want to say congratulations again. I hear the vision and I see that you are really taking the reigns, creating opportunities, not only for yourself, but for other people as well. I enjoyed the talk, man, and I hope you did as well.
Fred: Yes sir. Yeah, I appreciate you, man. Keep doing what you’re doing and anything you need to ask, just hit me up. We gotta work together.
Troy: Definitely.
Fred: Very good, man. Thanks.
Troy: You’re welcome. Take it easy.
* * *
Niiiiiiiiice!
Glad to hear, officially, what all the fuss is about over Fred and Universal Music. And, I’m glad to know more about the direction he’s heading, musically– some of those projects (especially that jazz one)… I want them NOW!
So, what did you guys think of Troy’s interview with Fred Hammond?
