This Saturday, December 3rd, at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm ET, gmc will air the finale of the Verizon Wireless How Sweet the Sound choir competition, which took place last month.
The event, taped at the Staples Center, will feature co-hosts Donald Lawrence and CeCe Winans, judges Marvin Sapp, Israel Houghton and Shirley Caesar, Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton (singing a tune from their upcoming movie, Joyful Noise) and, of course, some of the nation’s best church choirs.
Tune-in!
Folks, I don’t know if you’re in the Los Angeles area, on your way there, or can get there this evening, but the Staples Center is THE PLACE to be tonight for the finale of Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound.
In addition to incredible performances from the best church choirs across the country, the audience will be treated to live performances from hosts Donald Lawrence and CeCe Winans, as well as Marvin Sapp and more.
Judges for the evening are Sapp, Shirley Caesar and Israel Houghton.
Plus, Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton will perform a song from their upcoming film, Joyful Noise.
Doors open at 6pm, the show starts at 7:30pm and there are still a few tickets left. Tickets are only $10 and $15, and you know you can’t REMEMBER when you paid so little for a gospel show. 
Visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com to get ‘em.
And be there!!!
I know that the Sunday Best finale was bumped to this Sunday, but you’re gonna have to set your DVRs for one of these shows… you don’t wanna miss this.
This Sunday, September 11th at 8pm ET, Donald Lawrence will be featured on TV One for a special gospel edition of “One on One” with Cathy Hughes. The two will be chatting about the popularity of gospel music and more.
The feature is part of the ramp-up of the Donald Lawrence-hosted Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound, which kicks off in Dallas, TX on September 15th (visit their official site for details).
Watch it!
It’s no secret that Donald Lawrence is one of my favorite artists in gospel music. There aren’t many artists who can honor the rich heritage and sound of gospel, while still adding their own element to it. He’s not of this era– he’s got few contemporaries– but he’s still relevant. That’s not an easy feat.
In case you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read my album review at gmc’s official website. That’s my official and formal deal on Donald Lawrence’s new album, YRM (Your Righteous Mind).
Here, I’ll allow myself to be a fan, just chattin’ about my favorite parts of the project… let’s go!
The a cappella intro to D. Lawrence’s remake of Commissioned’s “How Can We Sing (In A Strange Land)”… perfection. And it only gets better, as Keith Staten and Jason Nelson take turns on lead.
Listen to “Spiritual,” the latest single from this album, to hear how masterfully Donald incorporated the classic “fruits of the Spirit” segment from the Clark Sisters’ 1981 tune “Walk In the Spirit” (Twinkie was before her time, by the way). THIS type of stuff is where he shines.
If you attended any of the regional Verizon Wireless How Sweet the Sound events last year, you probably remember Marvin Sapp and CeCe Winans performing the Walter Hawkins classic “When the Battle Is Over” with Donald. On the album, singers Kim McFarland and Dante Hall (one of Donald’s newer full-time vocalists) tag team on it. It’s gospel like it’s s’posed to be.
There aren’t many duos like sisters Tobbi and Tommi. And they demonstrate it on their remake of Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire.” The bass line is true to the original, which is wise– this feels like a great, updated version of something we’re still jamming to anyway.
I adore the complex harmonies on the vamp of “The I AM Factor.” That, with the string arrangement… wow!
Aaaand Floyd Wilkinson’s performance of the Daryl Coley tune “II Chronicles,” is a more-than-fitting pairing. He executes it with precision and passion– definitely a fave.
Other stand-outs for me are “Second Wind” (featuring Anita Wilson) and “We Agree” (featuring Israel Houghton), the latter of which is a refreshing and unexpected pairing.
In a nutshell… buy it.
By the way, for street day (August 9, 2011), Amazon.com is selling it for $3.99!
Grab it here!
Tickets for the biggest choir competition in the nation are now on sale!
Here are the dates, cities and venues–
Thursday, 9.15.11 | Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center
Saturday, 9.17.11 | Atlanta, GA | Philips Arena
Monday, 9.19.11 | Charlotte, NC | Time Warner Cable Arena
Wednesday, 9.21.11 | Washington, DC | Verizon Center
Saturday, 9.24.11 | Detroit, MI | Joe Louis Arena
Monday, 9.26.11 | St. Louis, MO | Scottrade Center
Tuesday, 9.27.11 | Chicago, IL | United Center
Saturday, 10.1.11 | Los Angeles, CA | Staples Center
Tuesday, 10.4.11 | Oakland, CA | Oracle Arena
This really is a show you don’t wanna miss. I’ve attended annually for the past several years and there’s not a concert experience like it.
To buy tickets, visit http://www.howsweetthesound.com/contest/tour_schedule.
Hey folks, just a quick heads-up to let you know that choir registration for the biggest choir competition to sweep the nation, Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound, has been extended to this Saturday, April 30, 2011!
Visit http://www.howsweetthesound.com to enter… your choir could be crowned the “best church choir in America,” and win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes!
Attention choirs, choir directors, musicians, deacon board, church mothers, and “truste
es”…
Don’t forget to sign up for Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound nationwide choir competition. Choir registration ends on April 15th!
BUT, that’s also when your taxes are due… why not just go ahead and register today?!
Visit http://www.howsweetthesound.com to enter… your choir could be crowned the “best church choir in America,” and win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Verizon Wireless has named the following cities as tour markets for its wildly popular How Sweet the Sound nationwide choir competition this year:
Atlanta, GA
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Detroit, MI
Los Angeles, CA
Oakland, CA
St. Louis, MO
Washington, DC
Dates and venues will be announced soon, but choir registrations began on January 15th!
There’s still time to enter your choir for the chance to win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes!
For more information on How Sweet the Sound, visit http://www.howsweetthesound.com.
Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church, pastored by Archbishop Alfred A. Owens and First Lady Susie Owens, has a gifted music ministry. Their Greater Mount Calvary Men of Valor Choir won the overall regional choir award for Washington, DC in last year’s How Sweet the Sound competition.
But on the church’s newly released debut CD, you’ll hear all their singers ministering as one body, the Greater Mount Calvary Recording Choir. Here’s a track-by-track review of Greater Mount Calvary LIVE As Told By The Music Ministry…as told by yours truly!
“Intro” – Bishop and Co-Pastor Owens give a 40 second introduction. And, now that I’ve heard it once, I’ll never need to be re-introduced again!
“He’s Worthy/Reprise” – Though this energetic song fits nicely as the opening number, something did throw me a bit. The tone of the sopranos differed from the other sections. But, I still found myself swaying and singing along.
“The Battle Belongs to God” – Get ready to break down that mug and shrug those shoulders! We’re having CHUUUCH! Great track, though the song could’ve been whittled down in the middle a bit.
“We Worship Your Name” – This is a beautiful song. The lyrics, “Forever and ever/Through the ages, You reign/Jehovah, our maker/We worship Your name,” pulled me into worship. Worshippers will love this…
“Daily I Shall Worship Thee/Reprise/Exhortation” – …and this! I especially loved hearing AUTHENTIC WORSHIP from the audience! There weren’t any fake clap/praise/worship tracks on this LIVE CD!
“War Cry” – You all know this one. “Oh, oh, oh, OOOOH!” I do wish “War Cry” faded out at the end instead of being cut off so abruptly.
“God is Worthy to be Praised” – With simply a piano (and a drummer towards the end), the soloist painted the picture of God’s goodness. The congregation couldn’t let it go…and neither could I.
“Christ Did It All/Praise Break” – The lead vocalist was WOW! This is a nice worship song with an AWESOME lead vocalist.
“He Could Have Let Me Drown” – Age Christopher Brinson’s “What if God” by a few years and you’ll get this song. A kick drum, light cymbals, and tight vocals make this a nice treat. Grab this for your Heritage services this February!
“Create in Me A Clean Heart” – Lyrically, this is straight from the scriptures. Musically, this is the most creative song on the CD. The syncopation and bongos are a nice touch.
“Nobody Like Him” – We’re back to our handclaps and shoulder shrugs! Good ol’church!
“Morning Praise” – The lead vocalist lovingly sings of Christ’s name being worthy of praise for 3 minutes. Then, the choir joins her for another 5 minutes or so. Lovely…but long.
“Jesus is Worthy” – This is the closest you’ll get to a youthful praise jam on this project. Simple and repetitive, you’ll catch on quickly. It’s definitely catchy.
Overall, I think this traditional choir CD is cohesive with some very POWERFUL worship moments. If you like your gospel music super churchy, this is definitely for you!
A list of performers and presenters for the 26th Annual Stellar Awards has been released!
Among the performers are Marvin Sapp, Beverly Crawford, Deitrick Haddon, the Nevels Sisters, VaShawn Mitchell, the Soul Seekers, the Williams Brothers, the Rance Allen Group, forever Jones, JJ Hairston and Joshua’s Troop. Also performing will be an all-star choir in tribute to Kirk Franklin, and the winners of the 2010 How Sweet the Sound competition in tribute to Donald Lawrence.
Award presenters and other participants will include J Moss, Dorinda Clark Cole, Hezekiah Walker, Andrae Crouch, Vickie Winans, Lisa Page Brooks, DeWayne Woods, Wess Morgan, Myron Butler, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dr. Bobby Jones and more.
The show will be taped this Saturday in Nashville, TN, at the Grand Ole Opry House, and will air on gmc on March 5 at 8pm ET. The program will also air in various national markets from January 22nd through March 13th. Check your local listings!
