The major label debut from Jason Nelson, titled Shifting the Atmosphere, hits stores today!

Here are 5 good reasons to buy it…

1. The project takes you on a journey– a worship experience– with musical ventures into every area that one might want to explore in view of our perfect Savior.

2. Can’t nobody sing like Jason Nelson. See? He sings so well, I don’t wanna use proper grammar about it. His voice is remarkable– a throwback to the folks who could really sing, but still current enough to be relevant in today’s music landscape. Definitely one of my favorite male vocalists, right up around Marvin Winans…

3. Everyone else isn’t wrong. Within hours of its release, he was already #1 in Christian & Gospel on iTunes. He’s got ringing endorsements from Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Donald Lawrence, John P Kee, Isaac Carree, and COUNTLESS others. And it’s not just because of his pleasing personality (though, he’s one of the most genuinely nice and humble guys in the game)… it’s because of his powerful ministry.

4. One word– “Dominion.” This song is going to be HUGE. Like… epic and huge. Like… the heartcry of believers across the nation. The whole thing is incredible, but the resonating “it’s over…” at the very end of the song is both bondage-breaking and yoke-destroying. Get you some.

5. Next generation promise. I mention this quite a bit, but Jason Nelson is one of those artists that will be foundational in the next generation of gospel music. He’s in it for the long haul; not just because of his gift, but because of his heart. We need him here. And to keep him here, we’ve gotta support it.

You can take a listen to the album and buy it right here, right now at Amazon. Let’s go!

This week, the debut album from Tim Bowman Jr., titled Beautiful, enters the gospel marketplace at the #8 spot on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart. Congrats to ya, man!

Marvin Sapp still reigns at #1, followed by Trip Lee’s The Good Life at #2 and WOW Gospel 2012 at #3.

Check out the rest of the top 10:

1 | Marvin Sapp – I Win
2 | Trip Lee – The Good Life
3 | WOW Gospel 2012
5 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
4 | JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise – After This
6 | William McDowell – Arise
7 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
8 | Tim Bowman Jr. – Beautiful
9 | Smokie Norful – Once In A Lifetime
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

Still looking for sales to RISE for Anita Wilson and forever JONES. Do not overlook those projects– they’re solid and worth your $9.99. Promise.

Marvin Sapp’s I Win returns to the top spot on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week, after Trip Lee’s latest, The Good Life, debuted at #1 last week. Trip’s project remains in the #2 position, followed by the 2012 release of WOW Gospel at #3.

The full Top 10 at Billboard looks like…

1 | Marvin Sapp – I Win
2 | Trip Lee – The Good Life
3 | WOW Gospel 2012
4 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
5 | JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise – After This
6 | William McDowell – Arise
7 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
8 | Smokie Norful – Once In A Lifetime
9 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
10 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart

Not sure how things will shake up next week. I’m still wanting sales for albums from Anita Wilson and forever JONES to come up. They’re good projects worth a listen, and a purchase.

…it’s good.

I’m talkin’ jaw-dropping vocals (of course), plus pretty good songwriting and guest appearances that make you say “WHAT?!”

Zacardi’s voice has quickly become one of the most recognizable in the industry, stemming from his step-out appearances with James Fortune & FIYA. Now, he delivers his debut project and enlists the help of legends Fred Hammond and John P. Kee, plus Lalah Hathaway, Kierra Sheard, Isaac Carree and more.

I’ll give you a full review soon.

The project, titled The Introduction, hits stores on May 22, 2012, but you can pre-order it Amazon.com right here, right now.

In true Reach Records fashion, Trip Lee has debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel AND Christian charts with his newest album, The Good Life! He also landed at #3 on the Rap Albums chart. Congrats!

I’m a bit bummed about the sales showing of forever JONES– they entered at #17 on the chart, but their project is REALLY good. Give it a listen and grab it, ok?

The rest of the Top 10 at Billboard looks like…

1 | Trip Lee – The Good Life
2 | Marvin Sapp – I Win
3 | JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise – After This
4 | WOW Gospel 2012
5 | Smokie Norful – Once In A Lifetime
6 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
7 | William McDowell – Arise
8 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
9 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
10 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear

Which albums above do you still need to get???

Don’t get caught slipping… BET’s Celebration of Gospel airs THIS SUNDAY at 8pm ET/PT.

The 12th annual performance showcase, hosted by Steve Harvey, will feature performances from Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, Le’Andria Johnson, Jessica Reedy, Isaac Carree, Mali Music, Faith Evans and MANY MANY more.

Don’t miss it. And check out this video of BET’s Torrence Glenn chatting it up with the artists as they arrive on the Celebration of Gospel BLUE carpet!

Gospel hip-hopper Swoope has debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week, with the release of his latest album, Wake Up. Congrats!

Stephen Hurd’s O, That Men Would Worship has debuted at #8 . The project highlights the power behind men of God in the Kingdom, and it calls them to be active in praise and worship. It’s a GREAT project. Listen to snippets and buy it right here.

The top 10 in Gospel…

1 | WOW Gospel 2012
2 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
3 | William McDowell – Arise
4 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
5 | Maranatha! Gospel – 2012 Top Gospel Songs
6 | Swoope – Wake Up
7 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
8 | Stephen Hurd – O, That Men Would Worship
9 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

Next week, I expect to see big numbers from Take 6 and JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, whose newest project, After This, hit stores this week.

There’s actually not too much new stuff to report in the area of Billboard chart positions this week– a couple of folks swapped spots, and we saw sales jumps from Lecrae and Isaac Carree, but with no major new debuts last week, all is settled… for now.

Here’s a glance at the Top 10 in Gospel:

1 | WOW Gospel 2012
2 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson
3 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
4 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
5 | William McDowell – Arise
6 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
7 | Lecrae – Rehab
8 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
9 | Various Artists – Joyful Noise Sountrack
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

Next week, expect to see strong entries from Andrea Helms and Israel Houghton!

Mark your calendars!

The 12th annual Celebration of Gospel, hosted by Steve Harvey, will air on BET on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT.

Folks already slated to perform/appear include:

Kirk Franklin
Yolanda Adams
Marvin Sapp
Shirley Caesar
Fred Hammond
Le’Andria Johnson
The Rance Allen Group
Earnest Pugh
Zacardi Cortez
Jessica Reedy
Ricky Dillard & New G 
Isaac Carree
Mali Music
Ledisi
Faith Evans
Kelly Price
Johnny Gill
Jennifer Holliday
James Fortune & FIYA
Moses Tyson, Jr.
Maurette Brown Clark
Dr. Bobby Jones
Wendy Raquel Robinson

The event will also feature tributes to Mahalia Jackson and Whitney Houston.

The two-hour special will be taped next Friday, March 16th, at 8 p.m. PT at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

FREE TICKETS are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Email betrsvp@bet.net to get ‘em!

The latest installment of the WOW Gospel compilation series debuts at #3 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week, followed directly by Worship, the newest project from Myron Butler.

James Fortune & FIYA retain the #1 spot on the charts with their purchase-worthy Identity.

Here’s the full Top 10…

1 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
2 | Various Artists – Joyful Noise Sountrack
3 | WOW Gospel 2012
4 | Myron Butler – Worship
5 | William McDowell – Arise
6 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
7 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
8 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
9 | Lecrae – Rehab
10 | Marvin Sapp – Playlist: The Very Best of…

Next week, expect Top 10 showings from Fred Hammond for his latest project, God, Love & Romance. Got it yet? Check out snippets and my review… and grab it!