I’ve been waiting for the follow-up to Dayna Caddell’s “What He’s Done” for a minute, but I’m thrilled that the wait is over. Dayna has got a new single, titled “Crazy,” and it is… well, “insanely” good to me.
From the beat to the vocal performance to the lyrics, it’s just one of those jams that you’ll want to blast in your car, at your house… everywhere.
It’s available on iTunes on April 24th, but I’ve added it to the Pundit Player, so click here to listen!
What do you think???
On Friday, January 13, 2012, BMI held its annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music awards luncheon at Nashville’s Rocketown. The invite-only industry gathering has become the hottest ticket in town.
This year, BMI saluted the music and ministry of Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Kirk Franklin.
A virtual who’s-who was in attendance… Kim Burrell, Israel Houghton, Fred Hammond, Isaac Carree, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Jason Nelson, Jonathan Nelson, Jessica Reedy, Virtue, Asaph Ward, Ricky Dillard, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, BeBe Winans, DJ Rogers, David & Tamela Mann, Dayna Caddell, Brian Courtney Wilson, Dorinda Clark Cole, Marvin Sapp… my fingers are tired, but just think of EVERYONE in gospel music. 
Check out these photos from the event!
Just a quick heads-up, folks– Dayna Caddell is giving away a FREE download of her single, “What He’s Done,” at gmc’s official website.
In addition to being a great vocalist, Dayna Caddell is an awesome songwriter (she penned “Every Prayer,” recorded by Israel Houghton and featuring Mary Mary on Israel’s The Power Of One album).
I streamed “What He’s Done” on the PunditPlayer a while back and you folks looooved it. Here’s your chance to grab your own copy. Click here to download.
And for a little more information on Dayna, peep her promo video by clicking here.
Whatd’ya think???
***BREAKING NEWS***
The 52nd annual GRAMMY Awards are being held tonight, but the winners in the gospel categories were JUST ANNOUNCED at the pre-show.
My predictions were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I was 5 for 7 in the gospel categories!!!
The winners in the gospel-related categories are highlighted in GREEN below (if I was wrong in my prediction, my earlier predictions are still there in yellow).
The winners are…
Best Gospel Performance
“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli
Track from: Free To Be Me
“Jesus Is Love” by Heather Headley feat. Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One
“I Believe” by Jonny Lang w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day
“Wait On The Lord” by Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One
“Born Again” by Third Day
Track from: Revelation
Best Gospel Song
“Born Again” - Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)
“City On Our Knees” – Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jaime Moore, songwriters (TobyMac)
“Every Prayer” – Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary)
“God In Me” – Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)
“The Motions” – Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West)
Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
The Big Picture - Da’ T.R.U.T.H.
Crash - Decyfer Down
Innocence & Instinct - Red
Live Revelations - Third Day
The Dash – John Wells-The Tonic
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Speaking Louder Than Before - Jeremy Camp
The Power Of One - Israel Houghton
The Long Fall Back To Earth - Jars Of Clay
Love Is On The Move - Leeland
Freedom - Mandisa
Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb
Dream On - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
The Rock - Tracy Lawrence
In God’s Time - Barry Scott & Second Wind
Everyday - Triumphant Quest
Best Traditional Gospel Album
God Don’t Never Change - Ashley Cleveland
The Law Of Confession, Pt. 1 - Donald Lawrence & Co.
Oh Happy Day - Various Artists
The Journey Continues - The Williams Brothers
How I Got Over - Vickie Winans
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
Audience Of One - Heather Headley
Renewed - Sheri Jones-Moffett
Just James - J Moss
Smokie Norful LIVE - Smokie Norful
Bold Right Life - Kierra Sheard
Congrats to all of ya!
Aaaaand, just FYI– in a poll asking who YOU wanted to win for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album, you guys picked Kierra Sheard. The full break-down:
Kierra Sheard – 41% (90 votes)
J Moss – 23% (51 votes)
Smokie Norful – 20% (44 votes)
Sheri Jones-Moffett – 10% (21 votes)
Heather Headley – 7% (15 votes)
Gospel Artists Nominated In Non-Gospel Categories:
I was 3 for 3 in these predictions!!!
Tonex was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for his single “Blend” (Unspoken), but as I predicted, it went to India.Arie.
Ann Nesby’s “Sow Love” (The Lula Lee Project) was nominated in Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. As I predicted, it went to Beyonce for “At Last.”
Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters were nominated in the Best R&B Performance By Group/Duo with Vocals category for their performance of “Higher Ground” (Oh Happy Day), as were Ann Nesby & Calvin Richardson, but as I predicted, it went to Jamie Foxx and T-Pain for “Blame It.”
That’s the full deal, folks! What do you think of the winners list???
Okay, buddies, it’s that time of year again. The GRAMMY Awards telecast is this Sunday, January 31st at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.
With that, it’s time for my predictions. These were REALLY tough and I changed ‘em numerous times over the course of the past two weeks. I’m finally at peace about them (for today), so I’m posting them before I change my mind again. LOL
Before I give ‘em, I wanna make two disclaimers–
(1) My predictions do NOT necessarily reflect my preferences, nor do they reflect who I ACTUALLY voted for on the GRAMMY ballot this year. They’re predictions… and nothing more.
(2) The winner is often based on popularity. Plain and simple. Now, NARAS (the voting body) has gotten much better about this, even making all of the nominated music available for online listening so that we can make educated votes, but it’s still an uphill climb. My predictions are based on how I believe the majority voted and that requires consideration of who’s most popular within the entire music biz.
Without further delay, here goes…
Best Gospel Performance
“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli
Track from: Free To Be Me
“Jesus Is Love” by Heather Headley feat. Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One
“I Believe” by Jonny Lang w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day
“Wait On The Lord” by Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One
“Born Again” by Third Day
Track from: Revelation
This is a tough one, fresh out of the gate. I’m thinking it’s gonna go to Heather Headley and Smokie Norful for a couple of reasons– folks adore “Jesus Is Love” and the song has carried mainstream significance for decades. Similarly, Heather Headley carries mainstream voting power with her, despite the fact that it was a gospel project. And, all that aside, their duet was quite good.
Best Gospel Song
“Born Again” - Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)
“City On Our Knees” – Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jaime Moore, songwriters (TobyMac)
“Every Prayer” – Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary)
“God In Me” – Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)
“The Motions” – Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West)
I’m betting on The Marys for this one. The success and popularity of “God In Me” was like a runaway train– it was played everywhere, performed everywhere, talked about everywhere… and with good reason. I expect this GRAMMY to be the culmination of over a year’s worth of rather deserved acclaim.
Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
The Big Picture - Da’ T.R.U.T.H.
Crash - Decyfer Down
Innocence & Instinct - Red
Live Revelations - Third Day
The Dash – John Wells-The Tonic
As much as I enjoy Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s project, I don’t think he’ll nab this one. I’m actually torn on this, between Third Day and Decyfer Down… ultimately, I chose Third Day cuz they’re more of a household name.
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Speaking Louder Than Before - Jeremy Camp
The Power Of One - Israel Houghton
The Long Fall Back To Earth - Jars Of Clay
Love Is On The Move - Leeland
Freedom - Mandisa
Another REALLY hard one for me… Jars Of Clay, Jeremy Camp and Israel are established artists with great music and big followings. Mandisa and Leeland are newer, but just as popular in many circles, and also making some great music. I have NO PEACE about this, but I’m predicting Mandisa. She has a good project and her widespread exposure (added to her lingering American Idol popularity) may tip the scales in her favor here.
Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb
Dream On - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
The Rock - Tracy Lawrence
In God’s Time - Barry Scott & Second Wind
Everyday - Triumphant Quest
I never have ANY clue when it comes to this category, cuz it’s just not my thing. That said, I do know that Jason Crabb is one to watch right now, and I believe it’s because of this project. That said, my money’s on Jason Crabb.
Best Traditional Gospel Album
God Don’t Never Change - Ashley Cleveland
The Law Of Confession, Pt. 1 - Donald Lawrence & Co.
Oh Happy Day - Various Artists
The Journey Continues - The Williams Brothers
How I Got Over - Vickie Winans
This is another tough call. Donald Lawrence is simply incredible and he definitely deserves an award, in my opinion, but I fear that voters may not have agreed with his placement in the “traditional gospel” category… on that grounds, is it the best traditional project? Maybe not… I predict the Oh Happy Day compilation. It successfully brought together heavyweights in gospel and mainstream music to commemorate one of the most popular gospel songs in history. It’s hard to ignore that.
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
Audience Of One - Heather Headley
Renewed - Sheri Jones-Moffett
Just James - J Moss
Smokie Norful LIVE - Smokie Norful
Bold Right Life - Kierra Sheard
First of all, shout-out to EMI Gospel for having 4 of 5 the artists in this category. That said, I’m QUITE unsettled about this one. Ultimately, I predict that Heather Headley will grab it– she has a nice voice, an album that lots of folks enjoyed, and popularity in the mainstream. In my opinion, her album was not the best out of this group and I didn’t know that so many people would vote for it. But I’m inclined to believe that if she got enough votes to get a nomination, she just may have gotten enough to get the win.
Gospel Artists Nominated In Non-Gospel Categories:
Tonex was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for his single “Blend” (Unspoken), and he might win that, but I also see an India.Arie nod in the same category and she will probably nab the award.
Ann Nesby’s “Sow Love” (The Lula Lee Project) is nominated in Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (dunno why), but I’m fairly certain that Beyonce’s rendition of “At Last” will win in that category.
Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters are nominated in the Best R&B Performance By Group/Duo with Vocals category for their performance of “Higher Ground” (Oh Happy Day), as is Ann Nesby for a Bobby Womack collabo, but I kinda expect the win to go to Jamie Foxx and T-Pain for “Blame It”.
OKAY. Those are my predictions for the 2010 GRAMMY Awards. For the full list of nominees in all categories, visit the GRAMMY website here.
What do you think???
The nominees for the 52nd annual GRAMMY Awards were announced last night during the GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live on CBS. The awards telecast takes place on January 31, 2010 at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.
Like last year, I’m going to wait to give my predictions until a bit closer to the actual awards telecast. Last time, I got 4 out of 7 of ‘em right, which wasn’t too bad. I’m gunning to get ‘em all right this time.
Until then, however, the nominees in the gospel-related categories are:
Best Gospel Performance
“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli
Track from: Free To Be Me
“Jesus Is Love” by Heather Headley feat. Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One
“I Believe” by Jonny Lang w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day
“Wait On The Lord” by Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One
“Born Again” by Third Day
Track from: Revelation
Best Gospel Song
“Born Again” - Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)
“City On Our Knees” – Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jaime Moore, songwriters (TobyMac)
“Every Prayer” – Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary)
“God In Me” – Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)
“The Motions” – Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West)
Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
The Big Picture - Da’ T.R.U.T.H.
Crash - Decyfer Down
Innocence & Instinct - Red
Live Revelations - Third Day
The Dash – John Wells-The Tonic
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Speaking Louder Than Before - Jeremy Camp
The Power Of One - Israel Houghton
The Long Fall Back To Earth - Jars Of Clay
Love Is On The Move - Leeland
Freedom - Mandisa
Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb
Dream On - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
The Rock - Tracy Lawrence
In God’s Time - Barry Scott & Second Wind
Everyday - Triumphant Quest
Best Traditional Gospel Album
God Don’t Never Change - Ashley Cleveland
The Law Of Confession, Pt. 1 - Donald Lawrence & Co.
Oh Happy Day - Various Artists
The Journey Continues - The Williams Brothers
How I Got Over - Vickie Winans
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
Audience Of One - Heather Headley
Renewed - Sheri Jones-Moffett
Just James - J Moss
Smokie Norful LIVE - Smokie Norful
Bold Right Life - Kierra Sheard
Gospel Artists Nominated In Non-Gospel Categories:
Best Urban/Alternative Performance – Tonex – “Blend” (Unspoken)
Best R&B Performance By Group/Duo w/ Vocals — Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters – “Higher Ground” (Oh Happy Day)
* * *
Like I said, predictions coming later. But in general, I’m SUPER DUPER pleased with these nominations. I think they’re a fair and accurate representation of the songs, performances, albums and artists that did well in 2009.
I’m proud of all the nominees, but I’m particularly thrilled that Donnie McClurkin & Karen Clark Sheard were acknowledged for “Wait On The Lord,” and that “Every Prayer” (recorded by Israel Houghton & Mary Mary) got a nod. Glad about J Moss and Da’ T.R.U.T.H. cuz they put out some really great music this year, and I LOVE that Sheri Jones-Moffett got her much-deserved nomination.
As an aside, I got a bunch of Twitter responses last night from people ready to boycott something cuz Mary Mary wasn’t nominated for best gospel album– it’s cuz they were nominated in that category last year. It’s all good! 
For a complete list of nominees in all categories, click here.
Okay, folks… do you think of the nominees?
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???
