The hottest choir competition in the nation, Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound, is just about ready to begin its nationwide tour dates, hosted by Donald Lawrence and featuring performances from some of the sangin’-est choirs in the country and some of the top gospel artists in the game.

I attended one of the sold-out events last year and it was INCREDIBLE. I strongly urge you to attend one in your area, if you’re at all able to do so.  Tickets for the events go on sale on July 10th.

Details on dates, cities and performers are as follows:

Houston, TX
September 9, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Byron Cage

Jacksonville, FL
September 11, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, James Fortune

Memphis, TN
September 14, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Dorinda Clark Cole

Philadelphia, PA
September 17, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Lonnie Hunter

Washington, DC
September 18, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Richard Smallwood, Maurette Brown Clark

Newark, NJ
September 22, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Kurt Carr

Cleveland, OH
September 24, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, James Fortune

Detroit, MI
September 25, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Kurt Carr

Chicago, IL
September 27, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Dorinda Clark Cole

Charlotte, NC
September 30, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, John P. Kee

Atlanta, GA
October 2, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Israel Houghton, Tamela Mann

St. Louis, MO
October 5, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Dwight Stone

Oakland, CA
October 9, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Byron Cage

Los Angeles, CA
October 11, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans

Visit http://www.howsweetthesound.com for more updates and info.

Who’s attending???

This is a great opportunity for all of you gospel heads with some visual artistic ability!

Word has it that Verizon Wireless, as part of its nationwide choir competition, How Sweet The Sound, is searching for local muralists in each of the cities that the tour will visit this year.  The company is commissioning artists to “create a mural that best represents their city and the tenets of the How Sweet the Sound gospel experience.”

If selected, your mural will be showcased along a wallscape in the community, will be unveiled at an event in your city, will be part of a traveling art exhibit through each of the  tour stops, and more.

The entry period is June 2 – June 27, with the winners to be announced on July 1.  Click here for full details!

Talk to me– anyone here gonna submit a mural???

Marvin Sapp is one of the most sought-after artists in gospel right now.  But it wasn’t until the release of his seventh solo project, Thirsty, that Marvin Sapp reached heights of commercial success that many gospel artists will never see.

One thing that I like most about this man of God– success hasn’t changed him.  I first got to know him about 7 years ago and he’s the same laid-back and humble dude today as he was back then.

Now, with today’s release of his newest album, Here I Am, Marvin Sapp offers us more great music with his powerful ministry.  If you saw my review of the project yesterday, you know how much I enjoy it.  It’s got some great new material, with great production and vocals… definitely a favorite of mine right now.

I caught up with Pastor Sapp to talk shop about his new project.  We also chatted about the public criticism of how he handled himself on The Mo’Nique Show on BET… (I LOVE what he had to say about that!).  Plus, he shares some of the things that he’s got lined up for 2010.

Here’s Marvin Sapp…

*     *     *

EJ:  Pastor!  How are you?

MS:  I’m good, man.  How about yourself?

EJ:  I’m doing well, thanks.  And thank you so much for taking some time to chat with me– I know you’ve got a lot going on.

MS:  This is easy.

EJ:  Aww thanks.  I’m thrilled that you thought of lil’ old me.

MS:  *laughing*

EJ:  Well, I’m gonna get right to it.  You’ve got a new album, Here I Am, and I’ve gotta tell you– I love it.

MS:  Man, thank you so much.

EJ:  I really do.  With live recordings, artists always run the risk of not having the music translate well once it’s on an album, but most of your albums have been recorded live, right?

MS:  Yeah, I would say at least 60% of ‘em.

EJ:  Yeah, so you’re pretty much a pro at this by now… how do you capture that experience so well, so that it translates?

MS:  Well, I think I try to keep the experience.  What a lot of people do is they go into the studio and, when they do all their fixes, they try to fix everything and make it perfect.  I try to leave mistakes in there, you know, some little things… some little nuances to ensure that “live” feel.  And to keep it real.  So, that’s been our kind of signature, and it works for us.

EJ:  Good stuff.  I’ve heard some people say “he’s coming out with something again?  So soon?”  But they fail to realize that your last project, Thirsty, was actually released in 2007.

MS:  3 years ago!  Ain’t that hard to believe?

EJ:  Yeah, I think you were just about due.  Question– do you get annoyed when people call the song “Never COULD Have Made It?”  That irks me!

MS: *laughing*  Nah, I don’t.  It’s funny, man!  People call it “Never Could Have Made It,” “Never Should Have Made It”… I heard someone call it “Never Wanna Make It,” or something… the fact that it’s on their minds is the biggest compliment.  It really is.

EJ:  Fair enough.  So what was your goal with this album, musically?  Especially given that you worked with Aaron Lindsey again, were you trying to recreate some of the magic of the last album?

MS:  You got it, man.  We went to the same venue, used the same musicians, the same background singers… we added some different things to it, but our focus was to try to create the same anointing.  And myself, Aaron Lindsey and Myron Butler, we work so well together.  We just come together and we create magic.  You know?  It wasn’t broke, so there was no need to fix it.

EJ:  I hear that.  With your live recording in November, you may have been the first gospel artist to stream your live recording over the internet, is that right?

MS:  Yep!  First gospel artist ever to stream and allow people to get a bird’s-eye view of what we were doing.  I mean, it was great.  It was different… we’re really trying to capitalize on this multimedia piece and this 21st century move.  It’s working for us.

EJ:  It really is.  But did you ever worry about people having too much access– not necessarily like they were gonna steal music, but that they would have opinions about it so early in your process?

MS:  Nah, not really.  And I think the reason I wasn’t worried is because we were just giving little snippets, not so much that they could formulate concepts about the entire thing.  But even with that, no negatives… we got no negative responses out of the 5,000 plus people.  Everybody said they enjoyed it.

EJ:  Nice.  Well, the new single “The Best In Me,” has been moving like wildfire.  And I remember, at the recording, a lot of us thought, commercially, “that’ll be the one and it’s gonna be big.”  Did you know that song would be so popular?

MS:  Nope. *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing* Not at all?

MS:  Not at ALL.  Man, you can’t gauge this stuff.  “Never Would Have Made It” was a phenomenon.  It just shot out the box.  “The Best In Me,” same thing.

I’m looking at it and I say “thank you, God, because again, you showed us how You take the foolish things to confound the wise and how, if you keep it simple, it’ll work.”

EJ:  Absolutely.  It doesn’t always take much.  Now, Here I Am is your 8th solo project?

MS:  8th solo album, yep.

EJ:  Wow.  Most gospel artists don’t even get to number eight, let alone have some of the success you’ve had.  How have you grown as an artist?

MS:  I think I’ve just matured.  I mean, I’m 43 now.  Since I started at 22, I’ve become a different guy.  I’ve kinda found my niche.  I know what my listening audience enjoys hearing me do and I’m smart enough to give them what they like.  I’m not trying to figure out, trying to broaden myself and all that kinda stuff…

At this point, I’ve got 900,000 people that love to hear me sing the kind of music that’s like Thirsty.  So, this new album was gonna be Thirsty on steroids.

EJ:  Ha!

MS:  You know?  We tried to accomplish another level of what we did before.

EJ:  Sure.  And how do you define your music?  What is your lane?

MS:  Man, I’m churchy but funky.

EJ: *laughing*

MS:  That’s just me.  I’m churchy because I try to make sure that my lyrics are Christ-centered and Biblically sound, but I’m funky, you know?  We like to add some flavor to it.  And it works for us.

I don’t know if I can fit into any particular genre– I don’t know if I’m traditional, I don’t know if I’m contemporary, I just know I’m “church.”

EJ:  Well put.  Like I said, I’ve been lovin’ this album since they sent it to me and I can’t stop listening to it.  I trust that they’ll go out and buy it this week.

MS:  Man, I hope so.  You know, I ain’t never been into records, but it would just be awesome to see a gospel record take the #1 spot on hip-hop and R&B.

EJ:  Yeah, it would.

MS:  It hasn’t really happened like that since the Kirk Franklin “Stomp” record, and that was years ago.

EJ:  Well, you’d be the one right now to do it.

MS:  We’ll see.  We’ll know next week.

EJ:  Absolutely.  Listen, I wanna give you an opportunity to respond to something that recently buzzed around the web for a minute– your appearance on The Mo’Nique Show.

MS:  *laughing*

EJ:  Now, some folks criticized you for not… well, I dunno what they really wanted… but they didn’t like the way that you handled Mo’Nique’s use of profanity with you.  Maybe they wanted you to rebuke her or kick her in the head and walk off stage, I don’t know.

MS:  *laughs*

EJ:  But what was that experience like and do you wish you had responded differently?

MS:  Well, let me be honest– when I look at the show, there are a whole lot of things that I think I could’ve done differently.  However, number one, everyone needs to realize it was a late-night show.  Number two, I think everybody must realize that it was her show.  And number three, if I would’ve rebuked her or checked her, they probably would’ve never seen the show to have anything to write about.

EJ:  Hmm.  Yeah.

MS:  Now, I understand where I was going and who I was dealing with.  And people assume that there was not conversation behind closed doors as it pertains to her spiritual walk and her spiritual life.

EJ:  Absolutely.

MS:  Umm… I know Mo’Nique.  I know Mo’Nique, not just in front of people, but I have had the opportunity to have conversation with her behind closed doors about her spiritual walk and her desires and her struggles… things of that nature.

Because of that, I can tell her “you just be YOU.”  There are some areas of her life that she’s ready to change and there are some areas of her life that she isn’t ready to change.  And as a man of God, it is my responsibility to just make sure that I live the life in front of her that models Christ.

EJ:  For sure.

MS:  Sometimes, some of the best messages that you would ever preach aren’t Scripture as much as it is your life– you’ve gotta have a life that shows.

But what I want to tell the Body of Christ is that you may feel that the way I dealt with her was absolutely wrong.  And I can say to them “that’s your opinion and there are some things I could’ve done differently.”

However, let me remind them of Galatians 6, verse 1, where it declares that if you find someone overtaken with a fault, y’all that are spiritual are supposed to restore such a one in a spirit of meekness considering yourselves.

EJ:  Right.

MS:  And the reason that I say that is because for every individual that blasted me because I sat there and allowed her to cuss and be herself, if you felt that I was wrong, you were JUST as wrong as she was for blasting me and not saying “we need to restore this brother in a spirit of meekness, considering ourselves.”

EJ:  That’s so true.  And I think that, a lot of times, people are so quick to judge situations that they’ll never even have to encounter.

MS:  And it’s 5 minutes.  It was 5 minutes sitting on a couch.  I can’t go into somebody else’s house and tell them how to act in their own home.  And I stand on the point that there are a lot of things that I could’ve done differently.  There are things that I could’ve said, things that I could’ve done.  And I have admitted that.

However, the Body of Christ needs to understsand that if we’re going to win the lost, sometimes our message has to be our lifestyle and not what we say.

Half of the people that talked about me like a dog would never have this platform.

EJ:  Exactly.

MS:  And half of the people that talked about me like a dog will never get the opportunity to sit at a table with Mo’Nique and witness and share Christ with her.  Because she wouldn’t even entertain their company.  She couldn’t even receive them.

And she told me, before I got on the show, “I’m never going to invite a preacher here, Marvin.  The only reason why I’m bringing you, as a preacher, is because I like your spirit and because I know you.  I know that you’re going to keep it real with me.  We’ve talked about spiritual things before, so I know where you stand and you know where I am.”

EJ:  Wow.

MS:  So, with that in mind, you’ve gotta keep it like that.  We’re losing a generation of people because we’ve got so many people judging the Body.

I didn’t cuss.  I didn’t swear… *laughing*  I didn’t do nothing but say “the Blood of Jesus” and “be yourself.”  Because it’s between you and God, ultimately.

EJ:  Right.  And He’s not surprised…

MS:  You know He’s not.  And then what’s really funny– I told somebody recently “y’all act like you ain’t never heard anybody cuss before.”  My mother could out-cuss Mo’Nique. *laughs*

EJ: *laughing*

MS:  *laughing* On any given day!  But people have a lot of opinions.  In a nutshell, there are a ton of things I could’ve done.  If I had checked her, they wouldn’t have anything to write about because they would’ve never seen the show.  And I never would’ve gotten the opportunity to do what I was assigned to do, and that was to sing “Praise Him In Advance.”

And many, many people received a blessing from that.  That was my focus and my goal, and I accomplished it.

EJ:  Cool.  Now, I know that you’re judging How Sweet The Sound again this year.  I can’t even believe the types of sold-out crowds they’re getting.  That’s been a great experience for you?

MS:  It has been the most phenomenal experience that I’ve had since I’ve been in the industry.  And let me tell you why– Verizon Wireless has spent MILLIONS of dollars, not on a national secular artist who already has billions in record sales, not on a national gospel artist who is making millions in record sales… but they have spent MILLIONS of dollars and invested it into the local, urban church.  That’s what blesses me about Verizon Wireless.

EJ:  Wowww.

MS:  They get it.  They get that the local church is STILL the backbone of the community.  And they’re willing to spend money to celebrate the power that the local urban church has.  I think that’s what blesses me more than anything about Verizon.  And that’s why I’m glad that this is the 3rd year that I’m a part of what they do– they get it.

EJ:  Hmm.  You make me wanna switch from T-Mobile… on that note.

MS:  *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing*  You know?  Like, what Y’ALL doin’?!

MS:  They get it, man.  And people are switching because of that.  I don’t know secular artists who had the set– that set that they built…

EJ:  It’s beautiful.

MS:  It’s gorgeous!  And it’s all for the inner city church.  And if you make it to be a part of the local show, the blessing is that, no matter what, you win.  You leave with money.  EVERY choir leaves with a minimum of $3,000.

EJ:  WOW.

MS:  So, you might not win the $15,000, but you’re not leaving there empty-handed.  They get it!  So, I appreciate what they do.

EJ:  Awesome.  Well, what else have you got lined up for 2010?

MS:  Well, I’ve got 3 books that I’m trying to get published.

EJ:  THREE?!

MS:  Three, actually. *laughing*  I wrote one called “Stepping Out On The Promise,” then I wrote another book called “Diary Of A Psalmist,” then I have “Never Would Have Made It: The Reflections Book” that has a workbook that comes with it.

And, they’re all at a publisher’s now.  Hopefully, we’ll get approval and get at least “”Never Would Have Made It: The Reflections Book” out before the year is up.

And, we’re in the process of adding 18,000 square feet– a performing arts center with classrooms for 200 people– onto our [church's] 7-acre campus, connecting it to our Family Life Center.  I just met with an architectural firm a couple of months ago, trying to get the plans to put senior housing on our property as well…and, man, I’m just trying to be a good husband and father and create streams so that I won’t have to rely on music forever.

EJ:  That’s awesome.  Awesome.  And thank you for saying that… I trust you’ll mentor the guys coming up, too, so that they don’t think that once you get your album…

MS:  Man, half of these gospel artists don’t even have health care.  So, it’s mind-blowing to me that we think that the key to our success is just focusing on one stream of revenue, thinking that it’s going to be the stream that takes us over, forever.

We need to understand that music is seasonal.  I’m hot now, but it ain’t gonna always gonna be this way.  And I ain’t no idiot… I know that.  So, that’s why I’m trying to remain humble in the process so that, when someone else comes along, I won’t walk around here like “they don’t deserve it.”  It’s just their time.

EJ:  That’s great stuff, man.  Well, you already know that I’m a big supporter.  I’m so proud of you and all that God is doing through you.  And I know you’re gonna have a great release week and a great run, a great 2010, all that…

MS:  Thanks, man.  I appreciate that.

EJ:  And you take of yourself, running around and doing all that out there.

MS:  Man, I got you.  I’m about to go sleep right now, in the car, cuz we’re stuck in traffic, so it’s gonna be a minute. *laughs*

I’ll talk to you later, man.

EJ:  *laughing* Ok, take care.

MS:  Okay, bye bye.

*     *     *

And that’s my chat with Marvin Sapp.  As I’m sure you can tell, he’s one of the most down-to-earth artists in the game.  I’ve got lots of love for him.

Again, both the CD and DVD are in stores TODAY.  Click here to check out my review.  Click here to order your copy NOW!

And lemme know what you think of the interview!

Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet The Sound is a great gospel phenomenon that I’m rather enjoying as it unfolds… a nationwide choir competition with performances by great church choirs and some of the biggest names in gospel, all being held in sold-out arenas at lowwwww ticket prices.

And, this year, they’re adding even MORE cities.  The three new additions are Cleveland, OH, Charlotte, NC and Jacksonville, FL.

Registration opened a while ago, so don’t delay– get your church choir registered now for a chance to win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes at the finale.

If nothing else, make sure you attend a regional event in your city… I attended in Memphis last year and it was incredible.

Anybody else enjoy How Sweet The Sound???

Immediately following the taping of the 25th Annual Stellar Awards, social networking sites were flooded with praises, lauding THIS show as the best Stellar Awards EVER.  And I agree.

I’ve attended numerous times and I’ve watched the show since I was kid growing up in Chicago– the performances on this show were innovative and you’ll be hard-pressed to find more memorable and captivating performances right now.

!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!

During the taping, I sent tweets via Twitter about who was on stage, but intentionally left off the songs that were being performed.  Here, I’m recapping the ENTIRE taping, so if you wanna leave anything to your imagination, don’t read any further.

If you wanna know the juicy details, do proceed…

As you probably know, the show was hosted by Donnie McClurkin, Vickie Winans and Kirk Franklin.  They did a great job, especially Vickie, who served as comic relief for much of the night.  There was no hype man between set changes this year, so we could’ve gotten really restless but for Vickie’s jokes about herself.

For the first time, the Stellar Awards featured a live house band, which was led by producer Percy Bady.  This made a WORLD of difference because the sound was tighter than ever, the performances came to life, and we weren’t bound by the restrictions of each artist’s performance track.  EXCELLENT decision.

If you follow my tweets, you know that I said that the theme for this year’s show would be COLLABORATIONS.  Almost all of the performances on the show are medleys between artists that have made significant contributions to gospel music over the past 25 years.  The others were performances from artists that left a great impression on the industry in the past year.

The show opened with a collabo between Ricky Dillard & New G and Hezekiah Walker & LFC.  If you love choirs, you’ll get a glimpse of Heaven within the first coupla minutes of the program!

Ricky Dillard & New G performed “Search Me” before transitioning into the classic vamp of “More Abundantly”… you know, the part where the sopranos, altos and tenors break down into parts, singing “JOYYYYY!”  During this time, the Love Fellowship Choir had joined them on stage, just in time for Bishop Hezekiah Walker to lead them in their hits “I Need You To Survive” and “Souled Out.”  It was electrifying.

The next performances came from the legendary Vanessa Bell Armstrong, performing her hit single “Good News.”  She looked incredible and sounded even better.

In a traditional female vocalist collaboration, we were super blessed to witness Lady Tramaine Hawkins sing “Changed” (it doesn’t matter how many years have passed– her voice DOES NOT CHANGE) before Dottie Peoples came on stage to sing “On Time God” like you wouldn’t believe.  As if that wasn’t enough, Pastor Shirley Caesar came to the stage to tell us about ol’ Shoutin’ John in “Hold My Mule”  Y’all remember that song?!  It was a classic performance.

The next collabo came from Richard Smallwood and Smokie Norful.  This was absolutely one of the best performances.  Fortunately, I had seen it during some rehearsals, because I could’ve missed the whole thing.  An usher at the Grand Ole Opry House used this time to SCREAM in my area, talkin’ about “are there any SEAT FILLERS over here?!”  Fortunately, my wife told her to “shhhhh!!!” and we still caught some of it.  Don’t mess with Janice Gaines, y’hear?

Picture it– Smallwood and Norful, both in tuxedos (with tails), each at a black grand piano, tickling the ivories like nobody’s business.  Richard Smallwood started by playing Smokie’s “I Need You Now,” then Smokie followed by playing Richard’s “Center Of My Joy.”  Smokie then played and sang “Dear God” (from his latest project) and Richard Smallwood capped the performance off with his classic anthem, “Total Praise.”

New Artist Of The Year Crystal Aikin came to the stage next with her hit single “I Desire More,” and left the entire room desiring more… I could’ve heard her on that vamp all day.  Her voice soars, effortlessly, and she’s got such control and sincerity… a true treasure.

Another stand-out performance came from our favorite bro & sis– BeBe & CeCe Winans, singing their latest single “Grace.”  They looked like a million bucks and they sounded like they never took a 15-year break.  They’re just pros who don’t miss a beat.

Up next was another classic performance– Kirk Franklin performed with his singers– new and old– a medley of his greatest hits, including “Silver & Gold,” “Why We Sing,” and a bunch of others I’m forgetting.  The best part of the performance was probably when Tamela Mann and Dalon Collins joined them to sing “Now Behold The Lamb.”  That auditorium went UP and IN.  CLASSIC!

Up next was the popular single “I Trust You” from James Fortune & FIYA.  They gave a great performance and reminded everyone why he had such great success at radio– it’s a singable anthem that encourages souls… great stuff.

The next performance is one that you’d BETTER watch for on the broadcast.  Don’t take bathroom breaks even remotely close to this segment.  I’m talking about the all-male vocalist collaboration between Donnie McClurkin, Byron Cage and Marvin Sapp.  There are hardly words to describe it.  The song list was great–  ”Never Would Have Made It,” “The Presence Of The Lord Is Here,” “Faithful To Believe,” “Marvelous” (by Walter Hawkins), and “Stand.”

Each of the three guys took turns singing on “Never Would Have Made It” and “Stand.”  By the end of their set, the ENTIRE room was on its feet worshipping.  They came back in on “Stand” and the taping had to take a break.  I’ve NEVER heard Byron Cage sing the way he did, Donnie’s range was limitless and powerful (as always) and Marvin Sapp was simply incredible.

At this point, Kirk came out and shared some of what’s been on his heart.  One thing that stood out was a quick phrase he gave– “IN ADVANCE.”  He shared that, as we sleep, as we doubt, while we’re not knowing what is going to happen, GOD has thoughtfully already worked everything out for us, in advance.  Our response to THAT should be that we praise Him, in advance.  It was a very powerful moment– I know I’m not typing it well enough to convey that, but… you’re gonna have to trust me.

The fire was kept burning by the next performance, which came from Israel Houghton and Mary Mary.  Israel performed via satellite from London, while Erica & Tina Campbell looked and sounded great on stage as they sang the Grammy-nominated “Every Prayer.”  I loved the concept of it and the execution.  Great job.

The finale of the show came sooner than I had prepared for– I guess I wanted to go until midnight or something– but when it came, it was great.

Donald Lawrence & The Co. (and you guys KNOW I love me some Co.!) sang “Back II Eden” with the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir, winners of How Sweet The Sound (HSTS), behind them.  It was a great concept to include the choir because HSTS was such a great and popular part of the gospel industry this year.  And when Floyd Wilkinson came up to do his vamp… I’m sayin’… I could listen to that vamp 10 times in a row and never got tired of it.

What I think you WON’T see on camera is Vickie Winans clownin’… she won Female Vocalist Of The Year and the award was presented by Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood and Albertina Walker.  When she won, she was so overwhelmed and blown away that she went to the podium and said to Albertina (who sat with an oxygen tank next to her), “girl, gimme some of this [oxygen].”  I NEED them to not edit that out! LOL

Also, you probably won’t see Tina Campbell with her gorgeous new lil’ baby, TJ.  She walked to her seat with him at one point, and the whole audience awww’ed and oooo’ed cuz it was just priceless.

Even without those moments, you’re gonna get all the rest… and that’ll be one of the best set of televised gospel performances you’ve ever witnessed.

I commend Don Jackson, Central City Productions, Barbara Wilson, and the entire Stellar Awards production crew for an incredible show– definitely my favorite over the past decade, and probably EVER.  Elegant, professional, classic… it was more than just a celebration of 25 years of the Stellars… it was a celebration of gospel music.  Perfect!

Soooooooooooo… sound good to anyone else?  Anyone attend and wanna chime in?  Did I miss anything???

Online registration has begun for the 2010 go-’round of the INCREDIBLY successful nationwide choir competition, How Sweet The Sound, sponsored by Verizon Wireless. Enter now and your church choir could win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes!

Visit their official website at http://www.howsweetthesound.com/ for more info and to register your choir, now through May 17th.

Anybody planning to enter this year?  Anybody entered in previous years?  What was your experience like?  Talk to me!

The list of artists who will perform at the 25th Annual Stellar Awards has been released:

Mary Mary
Byron Cage
Dottie Peoples
Hezekiah Walker
Shirley Caesar
Ricky Dillard & New G
Tramaine Hawkins
Richard Smallwood
Crystal Aikin
Smokie Norful
Vanessa Bell Armstrong
Edwin Hawkins
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Jonathan Slocumb
Israel Houghton
James Fortune
Walter Hawkins

For some reason, the list doesn’t mention Donald Lawrence, but it was announced elsewhere that he will be performing with the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir (winner of this year’s How Sweet The Sound competition).

Should be interesting performances– glad to see some new folks on the show, like James Fortune and Crystal Aikin, as well as some faves that don’t always perform, like Tramaine Hawkins and Hezekiah Walker.

At the fear of sounding redundant, I would love to see Kierra Sheard SOMEWHERE on SOMEBODY’S show… she’s nominated for several awards, including ARTIST OF THE YEAR, for cryin’ out loud.  She can’t get a performance slot?!

As an aside– it’s interesting that, despite the fact that so many indie artists proudly let us know that they “took the ballot by storm” this year, not one of them was given a performance opportunity…

What do you guys think of the line-up?

Just a quick heads-up:

Gospel Music Channel will air the recent finale of the Verizon Wireless nationwide choir competition, How Sweet The Sound this Sunday, November 22nd at 8pm ET.

In addition to show-stopping choir performances, the program (hosted by Donald Lawrence & Lisa Kimmey-Winans) features a performance by Marvin Sapp, who’s also a judge for the competition.

Good job, Gospel Music Channel! *clapping*  We like this.

Who’s tuning in?

Earlier today, I made a quick comment about the fact that Verizon Wireless was able to experience sold-out tickets sales in several of its markets for the How Sweet The Sound choir competition.  And I alluded to the fact that not many of our top-level recording artists are even able to experience sales like that.

So, my question:  where are the concert-goers?

Let’s deal first with the obvious– Verizon sold its tickets for $5 and $7, making it a bit easier to sell-out venues.  A family of four can attend the show for $20, which is less than the cost of just ONE ticket for most major gospel concerts.

Still, I think there’s more missing from major concerts than just reasonable ticket prices… I’d say it has a lot to do with innovation and production quality, or the lack thereof.

You kinda know what you’re gonna get at a gospel concert– it’ll be hosted by the local gospel radio personality, the backline and set will be simple (instruments and maybe some blue lights), the artists will come on stage, one by one, and the last artist will remind us that what we’re really here for is to save souls, at which point we’ll have an altar call before the concert ends.  For 50 bucks a person.

I don’t intend to be cynical (especially since I could attend those concerts for days and NEVER get tired… I just love live shows), but I think many consumers want more.  Perhaps some multimedia presentations, a colorful and thematic stage decoration, creative staging and placement for background vocalists… something.

Ok, I’ve talked long enough.  Your turn.

What are the reasons that YOU don’t buy tickets?  Why have YOU decided to skip an event?

Talk to me.

The grand finale of Verizon Wireless’ wildly popular How Sweet The Sound nationwide choir competition took place on Saturday in Detroit, MI.  Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir was named the “Best Church Choir In America,” winning $30,000 in cash and prizes.  The choir also won the people’s choice vote.

I remember this choir from LAST year’s competition, too– they were so full of energy for God.  They won this year for their impressive performance of “Anthem of Praise” by Richard Smallwood & Vision.  They’ll also be performing with Donald Lawrence at this year’s Stellar Awards.  Kudos!

Here’s a little clip of their regional performance that got them to the finale this year:

The competition’s runner-up was the Remnant Concert Choir (Washington, DC).  Congrats to you guys, too!

Verizon Wireless has already announced that they’ll be back again in 2010.  Makes sense, too, because they were selling out huge venues with their incredibly low ticket prices ($5 and $7 seats), a feat that even our top-level gospel artists can’t seem to do lately… that’s for another post.

Did anyone here go to the finale in Detroit?  Did anyone go to a regional event?

Weigh in and lemme know what you think!