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!

The finale of the choir competition that has swept the nation, Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet The Sound, will take place on November 7th at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI.  If you’re in the area, you should really consider attending– tix are only $7 for floor seats, $5 for upper-tier seats.  That’s wild!

Eleven choirs will compete for up to $25,000 in cash and prizes, and the title of “The Best Church Choir In America.”  Like the regional concerts, the finale will be hosted by Donald Lawrence and Lisa Kimmey-Winans, and feature a performance by Marvin Sapp.

You can watch the finalist choirs from EACH city here: http://www.howsweetthesound.com/media/video.  Make sure you check out the Memphis video– that’s the concert I attended and it was HOTTT!

Anyone planning to attend the finale???

On Monday, my wife and I accompanied a friend on a roadtrip to Memphis for the Verizon Wireless How Sweet The Sound choir competition.  The event was at the FedEx Forum and it was pretty packed.

The evening began with a performance of “Let The Word Do The Work” by Donald Lawrence, who co-hosted the evening with Lisa Kimmey-Winans.  I never get tired of that song, nor any others on The Law Of Confession: Part 1… I’m like a junkie. But whatever!

After his performance, Donald introduced the judges– Kurt Carr, Michael Davis (Memphis’ Hallelujah 97.5FM) and Marvin Sapp– before moving swiftly into the small choir competition.  The Good Hope Sanctuary Choir, of Memphis’ Good Hope Church, won in that category for their awesome performance of “When The Saints Go To Worship.”  They really looked and sounded great!

Before intermission, Kurt Carr and a few of his singers sang “Peace And Favor Rest Upon Us” and dazzled the crowd.  The second segment of the show began with Marvin Sapp ministering with “Never Would Have Made It,” a song that is proving to NEVER grow old.  Those saints were jumping up and down, screaming for him like a teenage girl at a Michael Jackson concert.  It was incredible!

The second segment featured the large choirs and the Greater Community Temple Voices, of Greater Community Temple COGIC, won that set with their jaw-dropping performance of the O’landa Draper CLASSIC “My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord.”  That church was O’landa’s home church before his sudden passing in 1998… they did him PROUD and were just on another LEVEL.

They were also the big winner of the ENTIRE night and will represent Memphis at the national HSTS competition.  I am kinda predicting that they’ll actually win the whole competition this year– just a phenomenal job.

The night ended with a grand finale of “The Blessing Of Abraham,” led by Donald Lawrence featuring the choirs and a BUNCH of singing fans in the audience.  To be honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy the event as much as I did.  I dunno how good other cities are, but good singin’ is in the water in Memphis.  And choirs are just… not a game.  Plus, the production of it was superb (kudos Verizon Wireless!).  I had a really great time.

Special shout-out to Monica Coates, Sheri Jones-Moffett & Dion Moffett, Donna Creer, and Donald Lawrence.  It was great to see you guys!

I hadn’t planned on pulling out my camera, but… I didn’t wanna leave y’all hanging.

Heads up, folks!  Vanessa Bell Armstrong will be performing her hit single, “Good News,” on TBN’s popular program, Praise The Lord TONIGHT at 10pm ET.

I’ma have to set my DVR for it because I’m going to Memphis for the How Sweet The Sound concert.  Whoo hoo!

I’m posting my full review of Vanessa’s album later this afternoon, so keep it locked right here.  Cool?