I finally brought myself to watch the most recent episode recorded on my DVR, and I must admit that it was better this time around.  In my opinion, the guys brought it better than the ladies.

A quick recap…

NeVar Massey – “Bless The Lord” by Tye Tribbett:  I agreed with Mitchell Solarek– didn’t like the song selection AT ALL.  The song is my jam, but it’s not fit for a singing competition because it requires too much exhortation, not enough vocal demonstration.  You’re good, dude, so show us those chops!

Robert Mauti – “Change The World” by Eric Clapton:  I enjoyed his overall performance, despite the rough spots.  He added a bit too much “artificial soul.”  And, as a rule, can we all agree that if a song is wrought with the ad lib “baby,” it’s NOT fitting for a gospel singing competition?!  It’s my fave from Clapton, but I think they’re already singing that one on American Idol.

Tim Stylez – “Praise Him In Advance” by Marvin Sapp:  Tim is too churchy for his own good on this show.  They might’ve appreciated that last season, but we’re in a ”Wind Beneath My Wings” situation.  That said, he’s got a great heart and a nice voice.  He prolly shoulda gone for Sunday Best.

Tony LeBron – “The Power Of One” by Israel Houghton:  I know that he’s a favorite of the judges, but it’s a lot of broadway vibrato for me to handle sometimes.  He’s got a pure voice, a peaceful voice… and the fact that he’s bilingual and uses Spanish verses or bridges to spice it up is great.  He strikes me as a balladeer, but I wanna see him work a fast song.

Travis Lindseth - “You Are Everything” by Matthew West:  This actually started as one of the most authentic and moving performances of the evening.  But as the song grew, it became clear that he didn’t exactly know how to work the stage and it got a bit uncomfortable.  Vocally, he’s got a great tone, but not the best control.  That said, I kinda wanna hear him in 2 years.

In the end, the judges kept Tony and Robert, the ladies used their wildcard to keep NeVar.  I was kinda rooting for Tim cuz he’s such a pleasant kat… hopefully, this won’t deter him.

I wanna point out an unfortunate reality that explains why I think I’m perpetually disappointed at some point during each show…

Each contestant has RAW talent, some more than others, but none of them demonstrate experience in honing that talent.  Compare the finalists on American Idol or Sunday Best– they weren’t professionals, but they were POLISHED in a way that we don’t see on this season of Gospel Dream.  It’s frustrating that the caliber of singers isn’t high– the best vocalists on Gospel Dream would struggle in a competition against the Sunday Best hopefuls who were turned away in episode one.

That said, I’m interested to tune-in on Wednesday, when the remaining 6 semi-finalists go head-to-head.

What did you guys think?

I almost can’t take it anymore.

I’m committed to watching it so that we can have a little discussion here about it, but really… I just don’t care which of these contestants win yet.  And that’s REALLY bad because the only draw to a televised talent competition is that the viewers are rooting for someone, ANYONE.  I wanna be a fan of somebody, but I’m just not.  That’s not necessarily the contestants’ fault (or maybe it is)…

If you watched last week, you saw the female contestants square off, with Natalie Grant as their guest vocal coach.  Each of the girls performed, a couple appeared to actually minister, but at the end, I didn’t cross my fingers or say a prayer for any of ‘em in particular.

Anyway, the judges selected two ladies to remain on the show– Jasmine Jackson and Amber Davies.  And in a special wildcard pick from the male contestants, Erin Lyder was selected to stick around, too.

The guys are up next this week, Wednesday at 9pm CST on Gospel Music Channel.

Ok, so tell me who you guys are rooting for?  Do you have a favorite yet?  Am I just completely off on this?

Talk to me!

The music video for Melinda Watts’ hit single, “So Good,” will premiere worldwide TOMORROW night on Gospel Music Channel, immediately before the new episode of Gospel Dream at 10pm ET/9pm CST.

I hear it’s gonna be GREAT (and I’ve kinda seen some footage that confirms it).  Gospel Music Channel reports that, following the premiere, it’ll be added to the channel’s regular rotation.  And that’s awesome.

Last Wednesday’s episode of Gospel Dream was really rough for me to watch.  Like… I zoned out a few times and when I got up to get a glass of water or something, I told my wife she did NOT have to pause the DVR on my account… I’d manage.

If you caught the episode, you know it was a Gospel Dream Boot Camp of sorts.  This concept is new to Gospel Dream, as it places it more in the realm of a Making The Band type of reality show instead of a bare-bones, perform-on-stage-every-week American Idol competition.

We saw image consulting, media preparation, voice lessons… all of which are necessary for the successful recording artist.  But I honestly don’t think Gospel Music Channel has fine-tuned things enough to masterfully weave in the “competition” part with the “reality show” part.  And I’m not saying that they can’t work on it.

But the problem now is– we’re going into the 3rd episode and I still remember only two finalists’ names.  Plus, I’m rather indifferent to who stays or who goes home.  I’ve not even had the OPPORTUNITY to fall in love with anyone’s voice yet.

Of the people I DID notice:

1. That dude, Travis, has too much attitude for me.  A Christian artist should be bold and confident in the things the Lord has called Him to be… but with a huge tablespoon of humility.  Maybe it’s just the editing, but we never see him with a smile or being pleasant.  I dunno who you’re mad at, but we ain’t done nothing TO you.

2. I think Tim Stylez is cool.

Regarding the judges:

Of course, Michelle Williams cheered me up when she asked one contestant why she wasn’t wearing heels, stating with seriousness: ”you cannot sacrifice fierceness to be comfortable.” HAAHAAHAA!

But then I was let down again when J Moss told one girl “everything about you is C+.”  Mitchell Solarek apparently didn’t like it either, cuz it led to a bit of an on-camera disagreement.  I’m sure that J was referring to her grade as an aspiring ARTIST, but no matter how fierce the competition, I just take issue with one Christian (J Moss) telling another Christian (ol’ girl) that EVERYTHING about her is C+.  Really?  Again, maybe it’s the edits, but we gotta be careful about the WAY we say things…

So that’s that.  And after ALL that, you know I’ll still be watching tomorrow night at 10pm ET/9pm CST, when the female contestants face off and artist Natalie Grant surprises them as a guest coach.  If you missed the Boot Camp episode, they’re re-airing it before the new one.

Okay, who else saw it and what did you think?

Ummm… I’ma have to see about this one, y’all.

Who else watched the season premiere of Gospel Dream on Gospel Music Channel on Wednesday night???

The first episode featured the judges– J Moss, Michelle Williams and Mitchell Solarek– whittling down 36 finalists to 10.

I was a bit annoyed from jump because co-host Mike Kasem began the showing by saying “THIS… is Gospel Dream” with the same inflection and pause as Ryan Seacrest’s notorious intro to each American Idol episode.  So, yeah, that’s embarrassing… why do we have to DO that?!

Plus, I only saw a coupla singers that really stood out immediately– Amber Davies, Tony LeBron… yeah.  That said, I’m eager to see more from each of the 10 finalists– auditions don’t always show their full ability, nor did we see the auditions of each of the finalists.

Now, I will say that I am THOROUGHLY enjoying the dynamic among the judges– Michelle Williams does a really great job (cuz she’s HILARIOUS), it’s good to see J doing his thing, and Mitchell balances the two of them out.

Favorite part of the show: the judges were deliberating on who the 10 finalists would be.  Mitchell made the point that one finalist had a great voice, but doesn’t really give you that ARTIST factor.  J Moss said “she’s a barette and a rubberband away from being a star… and some foundation.”

Bwahahahahahahaaaa!  I lost it!!!  Great stuff, folks…

Sooooooo, despite my murmuring, you know I’ma watch the next episode. It airs this coming Wednesday at 10pm ET (why so late, by the way?!), and is being called a boot camp of sorts.  There’s talk that it’ll feature last season’s winner, Melinda Watts.

Who else caught it?  What did you think?  Lemme know!

Hey folks, don’t forget to watch the premiere of Gospel Music Channel’s hit talent competition, Gospel Dream, tomorrow night at 10pm ET/9pm CST.

The program, now in its 4th season, will be hosted by Kimberley Locke (American Idol) and Mike Kasem (MTV’s Top 20 Video Countdown), with judging by J Moss, Michelle Williams and manager extraordinaire Mitchell Solarek.

The overarching theme for this season is “The Greatest Inspirational Songs Of All Time.”  Guess this means HOLY GHOST FIRE isn’t a part of the judging criteria this time around?

Who’s watching???  Who’s gonna find something else to do with their time???  And lemme know WHY, either way.

As for me and my house, we’re watchin’.

Holla at me!

EXCLUSIVE WEB PREMIERE

“SO GOOD“

the first single from

MELINDA WATTS

(2008 Gospel Dream Winner)

\

from her highly-anticipated debut album

People Get Ready

in stores JULY 28th!

The single is produced by Freddy Washington, Jr. (from Philly) and will be available on iTunes on June 9th!!!

TO LISTEN, click the logo above!  [Note: You must enable pop-ups and have Flash installed to listen to the audio. You're also gonna wanna bump your speakers and get some room to dance. ]

And make sure you leave a comment on this post to let Melinda know how much you enjoy her single!!!

Word has it that Gospel Music Channel is taping episodes of its hit gospel talent search, Gospel Dream, as we speak!

I hear there are several changes from last season, including the line-up of judges.  Apparently, they’ve got Michelle Williams (of Destiny’s Child and beyond) as one of the judges!

More updates to come as I hear about ‘em…

You’re gonna see a lot of stuff about Melinda Watts on GospelPundit.com in the coming months cuz I think she’s kinda like… one of the greatest NEW voices in gospel music in a looooooong time.

If you’ve never heard of her, I forgive you (for now).  She won this past year’s Gospel Dream talent competition on Gospel Music Channel– her vocal ability and sincerity won over the judges AND the audience.  She’s a worshipper with a heart to serve God, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Her full album is due in July. In the meantime, though, here’s some Goodies for ya that my wife found a couple of weeks ago.  It’s a passionate, impromptu rendition of “Tis So Sweet” live on the radio.

AND if you’re on Facebook, make sure you CLICK HERE to join her fan page to stay up on what she’s got going on.

What do y’all think???

We’re CONSTANTLY watching TV programs, gospel and otherwise, that showcase new and emerging talent– people from across the nation who sing well and wanna give it a go as a recording artist.

But lemme take a quick moment to say this, and y’all can weigh in accordingly:  the fact that you can sing well does NOT necessarily mean that you are supposed to be singing full-time as a recording artist.

Your nice tone doesn’t make you “called” to be a singer any more than I, who can type a truckload of words in a minute, am “called” to be a stenographer.  Ability does NOT equal a calling.  It’s not a “given,” not necessarily.

And for Christians, it’s a bit unsettling.  It’s almost as if someone says “I am able to sing… how can I use that gift in the BIGGEST way?  Oh, yes… I’ll be a national recording artist.”  But perhaps the question, for each gift, should be ”how can I BEST USE this gift for the Kingdom?”  It’s a similar question, but it may yield different answers.

And maybe that’ll encourage us as we see folks who CAN sing being sent home week after week on Sunday Best, Gospel Dream, or even American Idol.  Maybe the judges are crazy, maybe it’s not your time right now, or maybe… it never WILL be.

Agree?  Disagree?  Thoughts???