Israel Houghton returns to the scene today with his newest album, Love God. Love People. The project has been highly publicized, primarily because it was created in London’s famed Abbey Road Studios, the birthplace of much of the Beatles’ historic music.

Produced by Houghton, with Aaron Lindsey and Tommy Sims, the magic and wonder of the recording space can definitely be heard in this musical body of work.  One might criticize it, though, as it likely showcases more musicality than the average consumer can appreciate or follow.  Still, while Abbey Road may not carry as much significance for the gospel community as it does for Israel personally, there’s something quite cool about knowing that this project is unlike others in our genre.

The album opens with the title track, full of funk and a banging beat, before transitioning to another stand-out, “Yahweh.”  This tune is energetic and full of vocal/instrumental nuances that make you wanna listen multiple times in a row, just to ensure that you’ve heard it all.  Up next, is “Love Rev,” with a fun 60′s Motown/British invasion chorus (with a bit of a doo-wop vibe) that you’d expect to have been created at Abbey Road.

Other standout tracks are “That’s Why I Love You,” a mellow, jazzy groove that makes you wanna snap your fingers and fall in love with God all over again, and “You Hold My World,” a heart-wrenchingly performed ode to God’s faithfulness (the song’s build is captivating).

Israel’s also got some solid, but understated guest performances from his industry peers–  the upbeat and dance-ready “Mercies,” features Kirk Franklin.  With its Earth Wind & Fire kind of vibe, it’s just screaming for a skate party. The collabo is so seamless and natural that the song could easily have fit on an album by Kirk, too.  Then there’s “Surprises,” with Fred Hammond giving a vocal that is higher and lighter than we’ve come to expect from him, along with a bass-heavy vamp that showcases Hammond’s musicianship in a way that we don’t always get to hear.

Perhaps one of the most powerful songs on the entire project is the one that ends it– ”Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher).”  In various sections of the song, the tune is as pure and innocent as the children’s choir singing behind it, before becoming as intricate as the background vocals supplied by a cappella wonder-group Take 6.  It’s the type of song that should/will be sung at an outdoor crusade by about 40,000 people at once.  At over 8 minutes in length, “Hosanna” is over-the-top grand. And rightly so– it’s a cry of praise to an over-the-top grand God.

In sum, Love God. Love People. is certainly more experimental than any other project he’s done. If Houghton’s Real album bothered fans of the praise & worship New Breed sound, this one is gonna drive them crazy.  There’s hardly anything that most churches will be adding to their Sunday morning repertoires, but Israel has never claimed to be a limited to what we define as “worship music.”  In my estimation, he’s always explored the more creative side of himself in a way that is uninhibited and undefined.

The masterful production and simply “good music” found on this project is reason enough for any true music lover to grab it.  The fact that we can have it, and know that it’s about an infinitely creative God (who expresses His creativity in innumerable ways)… that’s a bonus.  Worth a purchase.

Click here to listen and/or download it now!

Hey folks– just touching base to remind you that we’re still praying for Israel Houghton this week, as part of GospelPundit.com’s weekly series, The Prayer List.

Click here to read the first prayer write-up, and to see the prayers that people have already posted.

Then post yours!

We’re keeping our weekly series, The Prayer List, moving with our latest addition– Israel Houghton.

We ALL know Israel’s music and ministry, and we have been beneficiaries of all that the Lord has done in, with and through him.  As such, let’s reciprocate that blessing and lift him up in prayer.

Lord, I am grateful for the music ministry of Israel Houghton.  Thank You for who You created him to be, all of the gifts You’ve invested in him and all of the opportunities You’ve created for him, for Your glory.

Father, I pray that You will continue to prepare Israel right now.  Prepare him for the things that are about to come in his life– both good and bad.  Prepare him, spiritually– so that he can be nourished by Your Word (which will be his anchor) and that it will be a firm foundation for him when tests come.  Prepare him, Lord, for the areas that You’re planning to take him.  Help him, in the midst of busy schedules and fast-paced moves, to be at peace and to find rest in You.

Father, bless Israel’s family to be a great support system for him. Protect them so that, even as he travels and ministers, they are covered by You.

God, chisel away at Israel’s heart, so that the music that he sings and the message that he shares would be Spirit-led and God-glorifying, for the edification of Your Body.  Continue to drench him melodies that You give, lyrics that You pen and ideas that You have designed.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Okay, folks– join me in prayer for our brother, Israel Houghton, by posting your prayers HERE, in the comment section!

Word has it that Israel Houghton is set to release his new album on August 31st, titled Love God. Love People.

The 12-track project features guest vocals from Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and Take 6.  He’s also co-written a few tracks with wife Meleasa, Tommy Sims, Aaron Lindsey and Michael Gungor.  The album was recorded at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios (hence the visual homage to the Beatles’ Abbey Road album).

According to Israel, “Love God. Love People. is a return to a simple, foundational Gospel command: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.”

The full track listing for the project is as follows:

1. Love God Love People
2. Yahweh (The Lifter)
3. Love Rev
4. That’s Why I Love You
5. Others
6. You Hold My World
7. You Won’t Let Me Go
8. Our God
9. Mercies (feat. Kirk Franklin)
10. Surprises (feat. Fred Hammond)
11. Name of Love
12. Hosanna (Be Lifted Higher) (feat. Take 6)

Sounds niiiiiice!  Okay, talk to me– who’s pickin’ it up?!

Word has it that Integrity Music has launched a new program, Tweet 4 Track, in which Twitter users can get free downloads simply for sending Twitter messages about Integrity artists.

Artists in the program include Israel Houghton, Paul Baloche, Carlos Whitaker, Kari Jobe and more.

Well, that’s kinda easy!  Learn more about the program at http://www.tweet4track.com.

Anyone planning to Tweet 4 Track???

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???

Word has it that Israel Houghton’s new album (release date TBA) will feature a guest spot from Kirk Franklin– the two are in-studio now.

That should be pretty hot, in my opinion. Both have given tremendous contributions to the way we “do music” in gospel– can’t wait to hear what comes from the collabo.

How about you???

This week, I wanted to give you a Sunday Best double-recap of sorts… I have a little somethin’ to say about the show, and will do so later, but first, Troy Lilly is back with another great recap of last night’s episode…

*     *     *

We’re now very close to crowning a winner for season three of BET’s Sunday Best, and last night there was more impressive singing and even a little dancing.  But not without a couple surprises.  More on that later, though.

If you’ve been watching this season you know how the show works– Kirk Franklin introduces the guest musical artist for the week, they perform, and then the contestants hit the stage, right?  Well not when the guest artist is Israel Houghton.  The man behind the success of Israel and New Breed ushered the audience into worship with his version of “Moving Forward.”  For a moment it looked like we wouldn’t be able to move forward but, after a short reprise, we returned to the regularly scheduled programming, for a while.

The two-part show was graced with another great performance by Brian Courtney Wilson, who stopped by to sing “All I Need” from his breakthrough debut album Just Love.  As Kirk said, if you haven’t heard of him you’ll certainly be blessed by his music.

For last night’s episode the theme was “crossover,” blending traditional gospel songs with secular songs that feature inspirational messages.  Each of the three contestants were to sing a “secular” song during the first half and a “gospel” song in the second half.  I was quite curious to see how this week’s theme would play out as I believed it would further distinguish each singer’s versatility – or lack thereof.  But hey, what do I know?

Tina Campbell, Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin held it down as judges once more.  Kirk also mentioned there would be “hard judging.” I’m not so sure that’s what we got. But this is how it went down:

Durward Davis – “Change the World” and “I Need You Now”
Earlier this year, EJ explained in a post on Sunday Best rules that contestants have little say in what songs they sing.  Durward was given an Eric Clapton song from a movie soundtrack to sing first.  I am certain he would have chosen a different song.  That being said, he made the most of an unusual song choice.  For the limited amount of time he had, Durward really brought “Change the World” to a climax and embraced the melody.  He was clearly uneasy after the performance, though he maintained a smile while singing.  For round two, he took on Smokie Norful’s gospel ballad which is no easy task, but he nailed that, too (in my opinion).  Even after his voice was about to give out, he kept giving his all until the very end.

LeAndria Johnson – “Heaven Help Us All” and “I Love the Lord”
I’m guessing a lot of folks are happy the judges don’t kick people off the show when they forget words, because if that were true LeAndria would’ve gone home tonight.  During “Heaven Help Us All – a song made famous by Stevie Wonder – the normally unflappable LeAndria stumbled through the lyrics of both verses.  But her voice remained intact (for the most part), and if I wasn’t such a huge Stevie fan I may not have realized she shuffled and omitted words. It surely never showed on her face.  LeAndria’s second performance was a victory lap – figuratively and literally. This time her words and vocals were in sync. The surprise wasn’t the judges’ reactions but hers.  After her stirring rendition of “I Love the Lord” she dropped her microphone and danced across the stage for about 30 seconds.  Yolanda and Donnie cut a step, too.

Elder Goldwire McLendon – “Falling in Love with Jesus” and “Oh, Happy Day”
Elder knew he had to rise to the competition a bit after a less-than-stellar performance last week.  I’m happy to report that that he didn’t forget the words last night!  However, I’m not sure how his first song qualified as secular since it’s a love song about Jesus.  I still have a big question mark in my mind here– “Change the World” vs. “Falling in Love with Jesus”?  Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get it.  Aside from my gripes with the song, Elder McLendon certainly conveyed his love for God when he sang.  His tone and approach mirrored what we’ve seen from him every week, and of course, the anointing was on him.  Wrapping up the performance portion of the night, he sang the Edwin Hawkins song that introduced gospel music to the mainstream.  Again, I was amazed at how tight and consistent Elder’s delivery was in relation to other weeks on the show.  He continued to wow judges.  Donnie was reduced to tears.

At the end of the night only LeAndria Johnson and Elder Goldwire McLendon advanced to become the final two.

While I wish both LeAndria and Elder Goldwire the best going into this season’s final round, I strongly disagree with Durward Davis being eliminated.  The best way I can defend my opinion is with the judges’ own words.  From the start of this competition the judges have repeatedly praised Durward’s ability to paint pictures and take people on a journey with his songs.  He especially rose to the challenge last night by tackling a vague secular song.  He might as well have sung “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper…he may have even been better off singing that.  I believe his performances are always complete while other performers give me 1:30 that feels exactly like 1:30 into a song.  I’m sad to see him go, but I’m confident he’ll be successful.  Again, I’m so thrilled for LeAndria and Elder Goldwire.

Furthermore, the judging has lacked tangible content to me. I’d love to hear more advice for improvement that is applicable for the folks who go home as well as the folks who stay.  Everyone is in a position to improve.  We all love gospel music and we want singers to be balanced – trained and anointed so the anointing doesn’t have to do ALL the work.

It’s very exciting to see this season drawing to a close.  So, between LeAndria and Elder McLendon, who’s it gonna be?

I KNOW you guys have a lot to say.  And we want to hear you!

Just a quick heads-up, folks– Dayna Caddell is giving away a FREE download of her single, “What He’s Done,” at gmc’s official website.

In addition to being a great vocalist, Dayna Caddell is an awesome songwriter (she penned “Every Prayer,” recorded by Israel Houghton and featuring Mary Mary on Israel’s The Power Of One album).

I streamed “What He’s Done” on the PunditPlayer a while back and you folks looooved it.  Here’s your chance to grab your own copy.  Click here to download.

And for a little more information on Dayna, peep her promo video by clicking here.

Whatd’ya think???

Heads-up, good folks… Popular radio personality and host of BET’s Lift Every Voice CoCo Brother is releasing a compilation album on Tyscot Records, entitled CoCo Brother Live presents Stand 2010.

The project features tracks from Israel Houghton, Joann Rosario Condrey, Tye Tribbett, James Fortune, BeBe Winans, Canton Jones, Smokie Norful and more!

The project hits stores on May 25th, but is available for pre-order starting NOW.  Click here to purchase!

Anybody gonna grab it? Sounds like it could be really great.