I’ve been traveling this weekend, so I enlisted the help of one of GospelPundit.com’s newest guest contributors for this week’s recap– Troy Lilly.  You remember Troy’s great work from his recap of Jason Nelson’s live recording a few weeks ago.  Well, he’s back with his perspective on last night’s episode of Sunday Best on BET.  I think it’s both thoughtful and thorough– I feel like I watched it already!  Check it out…

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This week ‘s episode of Sunday Best was extra special for two reasons – a wildcard contestant who was sent home last week got a second chance to shine. And the incomparable Kim Burrell dropped in as a guest judge alongside Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams!

So, I was expecting a pretty memorable show.

But when J Moss hit the stage to open the show singing “We Must Praise,” the first single from his 2004 debut album, it seemed Sunday Best had pulled another “throwback” performance out of the hat. Fret not, though, because he quickly snapped back to 2010 with a powerful performance of his latest hit, “Rebuild.” The lyrics in the song are already powerful, but he really sang them – dare I say he was squalling at the end.

The bar was clearly raised for the 10 remaining contestants and there was added pressure since each singer got to choose their song, too. By the end of the night the true artists would stand apart from the rest of the pack.

Brian Smith – “I Won’t Complain”
Dubbed by the Sunday Best judges as Mr. Bowtie, Brian kicked things off with a mid-tempo rendition of the song. The arrangement was refreshing and allowed him to find his sweet spot vocally and command the stage a bit more. Judges agreed and enjoyed his performance and his nice “spirit.”

Orlando Wright – “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus”
There were signs of trouble with Orlando’s voice in the rehearsal footage. In my opinion, not much changed in his actual performance. He struggled to plant his voice in the melody and sufficed to improvise with plenty of questionable phrasing choices. The judges’ critiques were mostly succinct and vague. ? Hmm…

AND NOW FOR THE WILDCARD contestant…

Martha Buries – “Change”
Martha deserves to be back and she proved it by giving Tramaine Hawkins a run for her money on this traditional rendition of “Change.” In fact, her jazzy chops reminded me a lot of contestant Jessica Reedy from last season. I want to see her move ahead and Yolanda noted, “I knew God wasn’t through with you!” Definitely not.

Franklin Davis IV – “Savior More Than Life to Me”
No one was more disappointed in Franklin’s performance than he was. For all the flair he brings to the stage he wasn’t very sure this time around. Maybe he got nervous singing Kirk’s song in front of him, but then again, he picked it. He’s got the range but didn’t believe what he was singing. Before the judges said a word he was hanging his head.

Dathan Thigpen – “Speak to My Heart”
For Dathan, his song choice – a Donnie McClurkin classic – was a perfect choice. He literally tore it up, especially when he jumped from the bridge to the vamp. That big jump was make or break and Donnie applauded him for pulling it off. Yolanda called him “phenomenal” and Kim said he “exceptionally sang.”

Tawanna Tarvin – “Now Behold The Lamb”
Was Kirk song #2 the charm? Well let’s say it started very strong…maybe a little too strong. Tawanna has quite a range, and she started the song in the rafters and never came down. Her upper register was hurting a bit by the end. But there’s still no doubt she can rip a song apart, she just has to take her time doing it.

Durward Davis – “That’s When You Blessed Me”
Durward took on a big L.A. Mass Choir song, and with amazing background vocalists, he pulled that thing off up in Sunday Best time – and he was so sincere. Tears were welled in his eyes the entire time. Kudos to him for “doing just what he said,” as Kim put it.

LeAndria Johnson – “He Was There All the Time”
Singing a “testimony” song, LeAndria was true to form, which is to say flawless. From beginning to end she delivered. At this point, she’s the one contestant I would say is ready to launch. Stage presence, vocal control and dynamism and anointing. She’s the full package.

David Wilford – “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
David is a very cool dude. And that’s exactly what came across in his performance. To be honest, he kind of had a duet with the saxophone and the arrangement was very mellow, almost soothing. David crooned without missing a note. Somehow I feel he failed to grab the attention of the audience or the judges. It was certainly a safe performance. Sadly, it may have been a forgettable one as well.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird – “I Need Thee”
The judges told her she needed to own the stage and Tiffany ran with their advice. She tackled the traditional hymn with fervor, showing she could be soft and still pack a nice growl, too. I hope she continues to mature and grow comfortable with her gift.

Elder Goldwire McLendon – “Yes, Jesus Loves Me”
When I watch Elder McLendon all I can think is “oil”. There is oil all over him. Even before he opened his mouth to sing, he ushered in the Presence of God. We already know he can sing in the purest sense of the word, so what’s more intriguing is the way his singing changes the atmosphere. The audience (and judges) couldn’t contain the power that followed Elder McLendon’s performance. He literally shouted off the stage.

But in the end, only 7 contestants remained.
The Top 7:
Brian Smith
LeAndria Johnson
Elder Goldwire McLendon
Martha Buries (Wildcard)
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
Dathan Thigpen
Durward Davis

For once I agree totally with the cuts from the lineup. The remaining contestants have a certain degree of artistry. They are no longer just singing songs, but they have a unique style and approach to singing that is distinguishable. A few can still benefit from the professional mentoring. For the most part, though, they’ve got “it.”

By the way, this episode got me thinking: I would love for Kim Burrell to open the show at least once before the season is over.

Now what did you really think?

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Well, shooooooooot… I guess I’ll start by saying I think that’s a dope recap!

Then, I’ll add that I am quite pleased with the top 7– these would probably have been my choices, too, even from the week before.  I would have loved to see David Wilford progress through the competition a bit more, but I’ll have to see the performance footage from last night.

So, like Troy asked, what did you really think?

Last night’s episode of BET’s Sunday Best chopped 20 finalists down to 10 and we’re one week closer to crowning a winner.  Here’s how it all went down…

Kurt Carr was the guest artist, opening the show with “In The Sanctuary.”  There was a funky edit during the modulations, in which a phrase started in one key and ended in another, but aside from that, it was cool enough.  I would’ve liked to hear something a tad more recent from him (like “Peace And Favor Rest On Us”), but “In The Sanctuary” was a black church anthem at one point, so thought it’s 10 years and two albums old, it still works, I guess.

The competition this week was as tough as last week.  The judges– Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams and Tina Campbell, were straight-up and on-point, in my opinion.  They were kind to all, but absolutely honest in their critiques.  Let’s go one-by-one:

Mesie Augustine – “How Great Is Our God”
I wasn’t a fan of the arrangement and her nerves got the best of her on the vocals, but I really like her spirit.  I kinda knew the judges were gonna call her on the nervousness– it made an otherwise capable young lady subject to her anxiety, rather than being able to own her voice and do what she wanted with it.

Orlando Wright - “The Presence Of The Lord”
I just don’t know.  I like him and his voice, but I don’t know if I’d want an album from him.  I don’t know if he’s got an innate “artist” quality to him.  That said, he’s a likeable guy who clearly believed what he was singing– I think he has an audience, I just don’t know if it’s on a national platform.  I see him more regional, but time will tell.

Brittney Dear - “Here I Am To Worship”
Nerves again.  Oh my goooooodness, it made me nervous FOR her. I really wanted her to be okay, but the vocal performance really suffered as a result of her emotions.  Her tone and vocal quality was completely different from what we saw in her audition– I think Tina said it best– that her nerves consumed her.

David Wilford – “I Will Bless The Lord”
Loved this performance– it was full of energy, demonstrated his range and agility a bit… and he’s comfortable on the stage, which always puts others at ease.  For my taste, he could demonstrate a bit more control and focus on some of his riffs, but I enjoy him, for sure.  I wanna see more.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird – “Walk With Me”
Loved her at the audition and loved her on stage.  That performance was HOT.  Like her audition, she came and delivered without a problem.  She owns her voice, and the stage on which she uses it, and that makes you WANT to hear more.  She never gives too much or too little, it seems… I really love what she brings to the stage.

Dathan Thigpen - “Open The Eyes Of My Heart”
This performance was really great, too– his voice matched the acoustic vibe of the song.  It was just an awesome performance and there’s really very little to say about it– it was just RIGHT, y’know?  I felt like we were simply invited to his own worship moment on stage.  He did what he would probably be doing if he were by himself, and not being taped for TV.  It translated well.

Martha Buries - “Our God Is Awesome God”
She gave a solid performance– it was a jazzy and tasteful rendition of a song that generally puts me to sleep (not because of the message, but because of how slowwwwwwly some people sing it in worship).  In any event, she kept my attention.  And I would like to hear more of what she does. 

Brian Smith – “Precious Jesus”
Good ol’, Brian.  He’s just a nice guy, and that translates to his entire performance– he’s got a nice tone with a nice delivery, nice agility with a nice stage presence.  NICE!  I like it a lot.  In future weeks, he’ll probably have to show more stage confidence and ownership if he’s to compete with some of the people that came harder with it, but until then, he’s someone I wanna hear.  By the way– DOPE song choice.

Bethany Divine – “For Every Mountain”
I loved her vocal.  She played it safe quite a bit and I wish she had just gone for it, but I felt like she knows her voice.  She may know it better than most of the finalists we’ve seen.  And her tone, her vocal agility… she’s got one of those pre-approved voices for gospel.  She fits right in and I think we’ll be seeing more of her.  This is the one performance with which I disagreed with the judges a bit.

Vernell Payton - “Praise Is What I Do”
Vernell’s got a great tone and control, and he does all the things you’d expect, but there appeared to be a disconnect, and the judges did not delay in talking about it.  I dunno what it was– the performance just didn’t… go… from vocal performance to ministry moment.  I have no clue as to why.  All in all, I enjoyed his vocal performance enough, but I don’t know if he’s ready to give more than a great vocal when he’s on stage. 

At the end of the show, the top 20 were shaved down to the top 10 for next week.  And they are:

Durward Davis
Franklin Davis
Tawanna Tarvin
LeAndria Johnson
Orlando Wright
Brian Smith
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
David Wilford
Dathan Thigpen
Elder Goldwire McLendon

One wildcard will join ‘em next week, so we’ll have to see who they saved from elimination… I’m hopin’ for Bethany Divine or Jonte Thomas.  Aside from those omissions, I’m actually quite satisfied with their selection– I think they kept the finalists who demonstrated the most prior preparation and future potential.  It’s gonna be a good show.

And that was that!  What were your thoughts?  What did you think about the show?

Talk to me!

Yesterday, BET’s Sunday Best transitioned from auditions to competition in the anticipated first-week of vocal throwdowns.  This week, 10 of the 20 finalists were commissioned to sing songs recorded by judges Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams.

Before they got started, though, the show opened with a nice medley of “Are You Listening” (Kirk Franklin’s Haiti Relief song) and Donnie McClurkin’s “Ooh Child.”  The former featured vocal performances from McClurkin, Isaac Carree, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell and Tina Campbell. The performance also included the contestants singing BGVs.

The end of the show, albeit incredibly short, featured Y’Anna Crawley singing her new single, “Grandma’s Hands.”  She looked and sounded great, but I wish it hadn’t been cut short… even Y’Anna expressed some initial shock over it on her Twitter page.  Seems to me, they coulda cut out some of the choir oohin’ and aahin’ at the top of the show…

Oh, and I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t miss Erica Campbell at the judges’ table.  Yolanda’s doing a good job, but I miss the innate chemistry between Erica & Tina.

Okay, on to my competition commentaries:

Jonte Thomas – “Just A Prayer Away”
I loved the jazzy arrangement of this tune. It’s one of my faves from Yolanda, so I wouldn’t encourage anyone to touch it, but Jonte did it well. She’ll have to demonstrate more of her own unique style to stand against some of the other competitors, but she’s got the chops, for sure.

LeAndria Johnson – “In The Midst Of It All”
That woman is just dope and we all know it.  Not only did she demolish her vocal like a seasoned professional, she was believable and captivating because of her passion and delivery.  She’s a natural at this and she just flat-out SINGS.

Robert Hatcher - “What About The Children?”
He’s got a great, clear tone with an old-skool crooner richness to it. The performance was a little too ‘Barry Manilow‘ to me, but he’s got a great voice– I wanna hear more from him.  Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of his style come out on the next song he does.

Tawanna Tarvin – “I’ll Trust You”
In my opinion, it was a bad song choice.  And I don’t say that because she can’t do it, but because time restrictions made her draw the song to a climax before we knew it was coming.  Donnie finessed that song so that, by the time it reached its peak, we were drawn in and ready to go.  Tawanna’s arrangement (not her fault, in my opinion) did not allow for that build-up, so it felt kinda Broadway-ish.

Davon Fleming – “We Fall Down”
Dude is kinda fresh to me.  He needs to know when to blaze with the falsetto and when to leave it in the natural (so, he’ll also have to pay attention to the lower register so that he has control of his tricks down there, too), but I really like him.  And that says a lot because I don’t EVER want to hear anyone but Donnie McClurkin sing “We Fall Down” (I think few can do it well)– he’s got potential, for sure.

Quiana Pettigrew – “Great Is Your Mercy”
I think I wasn’t a fan of the arrangement. It had a bossa nova vibe to it, but it didn’t lend itself to showcasing her vocals well.  I’m sure she can do it, but the arrangement made it tough to work it.  The vocal was a bit unfocused and, though she can definitely sing, I don’t know that she knew what to do with the song.

Franklin Davis – “I Believe I Can Fly”
Again, wasn’t too thrilled with it, but I believe it was because of the urban/Caribbean arrangement that they put on the song.  It kinda distracted me from what he was doing, which is unfortunate because I can recall the odd musical arrangement better than I can recall his vocal performance.  That’s not good.

Funmi Oduyemi – “Open My Heart”
It was just not okay.  But it’s not her fault, exclusively.  We pulled a Nigerian singer to the States, expecting her to sing in a way that would appeal to the U.S. gospel industry and the musical palettes within it.  If it were an easy task, someone would have done it by now.  I think it’s a tall order and she just didn’t measure up on this one.  But she’s got a great spirit and demeanor– I really do want the best for her.  I just don’t think it’s in the U.S. gospel marketplace.

Durward Davis – “Victory Chant”
This was a hard song to sing in terms of showcasing one’s talent– it’s really a call-and-response praise & worship song, which wouldn’t be an obvious choice for a vocal competition.  That said, he did a VERY good job of delivering it… so much so that I wanted him to keep going!  I liked Durward’s performance a lot.  Definitely wanna see more.

Elder Goldwire McLendon – “The Battle Is The Lord’s”
Aaaaand I’m SOLD.  I don’t think I need to see this through– he’s my pick.  He’s who I want an album from.  Someone else can give one, too, but I want Elder McLendon’s ministry in the mix right now.  He’s got a Pop Winans kind of vibe to him that is endearing and familiar… I want him to be a part of the fabric of our industry.  I want him to impart into the younger generation.  I want him to… I enjoyed him.  Thoroughly.

And that’s THAT.  Okay, folks… lemme know what you thought of the show and lemme know what you think of my recap.  You think it’s baloney, don’t you?  No, wait… you wholeheartedly agree, don’t you?

Talk to me!

If you read my post yesterday, you know that I really wasn’t sure that I’d watch Sunday’s episode of Sunday Best.  I kinda felt like, with these audition cities, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.

But, after a lil’ convincing from you good people, my interest was piqued and I went ahead and watched.  And I have to agree with you– it may have been one of their best episodes to date.

I think the judges in New Orleans– Erica & Tina Campbell and Donnie McClurkin– were hilarious, as usual.  For me, it’s about comedic timing and delivery and few can time and deliver better than Tina.  Favorite lines from her were her reference to the “fast forward ministry” and “I’ma have to go with the ‘no’ on the ‘sing somethin’ else’.”

I can’t believe that New Orleans has better singers than every other city, so I’m gonna go ahead and say that the edits were dope.  We got to see some great talent this time around, but my favorites were LeAndria Johnson (“This Is The Day”), Tiffany Carlin-Laird (“I Know I’ve Been Changed”), and Jonte Thomas (“For Every Mountain”).

Your top 20 contestants for this season of Sunday Best are:

Lamesha “Mesie” Augustine | Indianapolis, IN
Martha Buries | Friendswood, TX
Tiffany Carlin-Laird | Baton Rouge, LA
Franklin Davis | New Orleans, LA
Durward Davis | Tulsa, OK
Brittney Dear | Madison, MS
Bethany Divine | Maumelle, AR
Davon Fleming | Baltimore, MD
Robert Hatcher | Cincinnati, OH
LeAndria Johnson | Ocoee, FL
Elder Goldwire McLendon | Philadelphia, PA
Funmi Oduyemi | Lagos, Nigeria
Vernell Payton | New Orleans, LA
Quiana Pettigrew | Cleveland, OH
Brian Smith | Chicago, IL
Tawanna Tarvin | Monroe, LA
Dathan Thigpen | Ridgeland, MS
Jonte Thomas | New Orleans, LA
David E. Wilford | Millsboro, DE
Orlando D. Wright | Cincinnati, OH

For the second season straight, industry peeps have just casually spilled the Sunday Best beans about the tapings– who’s been moving forward and who’s gone home.  They don’t intend to ruin things for me… they just wanna talk.

In any event, I’ll not be so cruel to you.  Tell me who your favorites are!