The nominees for the 26th annual Stellar Awards were announced on Saturday in Nashville, TN during a live telecast on gmc, hosted by Donnie McClurkin and featuring performances by Jessica Reedy, VaShawn Mitchell, Lucinda Moore, Joe Pace and more.

The show takes place on Saturday, January 15, 2011 in Nashville, TN. It will be hosted by Donnie McClurkin, alone, serving as the first time that the show has been hosted by only one person. Also, in honor of Albertina Walker, the “Female Vocalist of the Year” category will be forever named the “Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year” award.

The following are the recipients of the special awards:

Donald Lawrence will receive the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award
Kirk Franklin will receive the Thomas Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award
Vanessa Bell Armstrong will receive the Dr. Bobby Jones Legend Award

And the nominees are…

Artist of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Fred Hammond
James Fortune & FIYA
Marvin Sapp

Song of the Year
“Close to You” | BeBe Winans
“They That Wait” | Fred Hammond, Calvin Rodgers, Phillip Feaster, Ericka Warren, Michael Bethany and Dynna Wells
“Encore” | James Fortune, C. Fortune and T. Vaughn
“Best In Me” | Marvin Sapp

Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir

New Artist of the Year
Forever Jones
Kristina Halloway
Travis Greene
Victory Cathedral Choir

CD of the Year
Fred Hammond | Love Unstoppable
J. Moss | Just James
James Fortune & FIYA | Encore
Marvin Sapp | Here I Am

Producer of the Year
Aaron Lindsey for Here I Am
Donald Lawrence for The Experience
Fred Hammond for Love Unstoppable
James Fortune, Terrance Vaughn and Ayron Lewis for Encore

Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lucinda Moore
Tamela Mann

Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
Marvin Sapp

Group/Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune & FIYA
The Anointed Pace Sisters

Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
James Fortune

Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year
Alvin Darling
Darrell Hines
Marvin Sapp
Marvin Winans

Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lisa Page Brooks
Tamela Mann

Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year
Fredericka Faison
Lucinda Moore
Shirley Caesar
Vanessa Bell Armstrong

Traditional CD of the Year
James Hall & Voices of Citadel | Won’t It Be Wonderful
Marvin Sapp | Here I Am
Shirley Caesar | A City Called Heaven
Vanessa Bell Armstrong | The Experience

Contemporary CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans | Still
Fred Hammond | Love Unstoppable
J.Moss | Just James
James Fortune and FIYA | Encore

Contemporary Choir of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International
Myron Butler & Levi
Youth for Christ
Youthful Praise featuring J.J. Hairston

Traditional Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir

Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune and FIYA
Trin-i-tee 5:7

Traditional Group/Duo of the Year
James Greer & Company
The Anointed Pace Sisters
The Christian Angels
The Mighty Clouds of Joy

Quartet of the Year
Reverend F.C. Barnes & Company
The Christian Angels
The Golden Wings Quartet
The Mighty Clouds of Joy

Rap, Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year
DJ Official | Entermission
Everyday Process | Outtadisworld
Sho Baraka | Lions and Liars
Trip Lee | Between Two Worlds

Music Video of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans | “Close to You”
Kirk Whalum | “Make Me a Believer”
Shirley Caesar | “Playground In Heaven”
The Anointed Pace Sisters | “If I Be Lifted Up”

Urban Inspirational Performance of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans | “Still”
Forever Jones | “Get Ready”
James Fortune & FIYA | “Encore”
Marvin Sapp | “Here I Am”

Recorded Music Packaging of the Year
Cameron Hilson and Mark Neubauer for Get Ready
Denise Trotman for Here I Am
Derek Blanks and Ken Barboza for Still
Jeff Gilligan for Love Unstoppable

Praise and Worship CD of the Year
Darwin Hobbs | Darwin Hobbs Live: Champion
James Fortune & FIYA | Encore
Phil Tarver | Place of Worship
The Anointed Pace Sisters | Access Granted

Children’s Project of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International | Soldier Story
Kingdom Kids Worldwide | Kingdom Kids Worldwide Volume 1
The Velasquez Family Singers | While We Still Have Time
Youth for Christ | Thanks In Advance

Special Event CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans | Still
Kirk Franklin | Are You Listening
Various Artists | CoCo Brother Live Presents Stand 2010
Various Artists | WOW Gospel 2010

What do you guys think of the nominees???

Word has it that Integrity Music’s hit gospel compilation project, Gotta Have Gospel, will be returning to stores with its 8th edition on October 5th.

The project features 24 tracks, with a bonus DVD of gospel performances and music videos.

The track listing?  Glad you asked–

Disc One
1.  I Give You Praise – Byron Cage
2. Expect The Great – Jonathan Nelson
3. All Of My Help – Hezekiah Walker & LFC
4. How I Got Over featuring Tim Bowman, Jr. – Vickie Winans
5. Nobody Like You Lord – Fred Hammond
6. Every Prayer featuring Mary Mary – Israel Houghton
7. I Will Lift – Trin-I-Tee 5:7
8. Your Name Alone – Stephen Hurd
9. Lord You Reign Forever – Crystal Aikin
10. Jesus – Kirk Franklin
11. Free – Rizen
12. I Gave It Up – J Moss

Disc Two
1. Trusting In You – Donnie McClurkin
2. Let The Word Do The Work featuring Brother Hahz – Donald Lawrence & Co.
3. I Praise You – Shari Addison
4. Get Up – Mary Mary
5. It All Belongs To You – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
6. The Master Plan – Tamela Mann
7. Bless The Lord (Son Of Man) – Tye Tribbett
8. Worship Medley: I Worship You Almighty God/There Is None Like You/There’s Something About That Name – Marvin Sapp
9. All I Need – Brian Courtney Wilson
10. Free – Darwin Hobbs
11. Your Will – Ken Reynolds
12. Trading My Sorrows – PAJAM

DVD Footage
1. La Buena Vida (Romans 8:31) – Ken Reynolds featuring Lucia Parker
2. I’ll Say Yes – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
3. Just Wanna Say – Israel Houghton
4. Worship Medley: I Worship You Almighty God/There Is None Like You/There’s Something About That Name – Marvin Sapp

Sounds good, yes?

Who’s thinking of grabbin’ this one???

Umm… Did anyone watch the Soul Train Gospel Experience on gmc a couple of weeks ago?

I DVR’ed it and just watched it over the weekend… I feel a little duped!

I thought it was gonna be a 60-minute compilation of the greatest gospel moments on Soul Train.  Turned out to be a 1996 episode of Soul Train that featured Kirk Franklin, but not until you endured a bunch of scantily clad girls grinding to 90′s R&B artist Mona Lisa lip-synchin’ on stage.

I’m sure it was a licensing issue–couldn’t get the footage of just Kirk without buying the whole episode, or maybe Don Cornelius wouldn’t allow slicing and editing of the episodes (in copyright law, we’d call that a “derivative work”) without getting a bigger financial cut of the pie… WHATEVER the reason, I wish I had known that upfront.

With more installments of Soul Train Gospel Experience coming, I’m gonna have to more carefully consider whether I’ll subject myself to 40 minutes of Shemar Moore dancing in leather pants (it was the 90′s, remember?) just to see 5 minutes of Karen Clark Sheard demolishing the vocals.

Sidebar: It was good to see J Moss hosting the gmc set.  Whoo hoo!

Anyone else watch it?  What did you think???

Word has it that Kierra Sheard is getting married, with news of her engagement spreading across the web on Saturday evening.  The blessed beau is Pastor Welton T. Smith IV, of Detroit, MI.

Even cousin J Moss sent a congratulatory message, sending a photo of her ring via Twitter (niiiiice!).

Mega congrats to Kierra & Welton.  Let’s pray for a beautiful, lasting and God-glorifying union!

Word has it that Relevé Entertainment is just about ready for the return of its annual entertainment conference, The Merge Summit, from August 26-28, 2010 in Los Angeles, CA.

The Merge Summit “integrates faith and entertainment, and provides a platform and education for men and women of faith to interface and partner with executives and talent in the entertainment industry.” The event provides info and networking opps in film, television and music.

Confirmed attendees include Kirk Franklin, Hezekiah Walker, J Moss, Brian Courtney Wilson, James DuBose, Suzanne de Passe, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Wendy Raquel Robinson, and countless executives from entertainment companies including BET, ABC Networks, William Morris, Lionsgate, Creative Artists Agency, and Columbia Records.

Holly Carter, President of Relevé Entertainment, manages the careers of Mary Mary, Deitrick Haddon, Kierra Sheard and more.

For additional information and registration for the event, please visit www.themergesummit.com.

Anyone attend last year’s Summit? Anyone planning to attend this year?

A couple of weeks ago, GospelPundit.com contributing writer Mia Paylor wrote her first editorial in her new series, Purchase Or Pass, regarding Jason Champion.  You guys loved it so much (and so did I), that I figured we need to hear from Mia again, sooner than later.

So, without delay, here’s Mia’s… policy… on purchasing music. *giggling*

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Jesus said we should forgive 77 times. But at $10 each, I can’t afford to forgive $770 worth of disappointing CDs!  Once I hit $20, you’re CUT from my “MUST BUY” list. My most common disappointment is unmet expectations…and my most recent encounter with it involves Byron Cage.

Byron Cage’s self-titled GospoCentric debut is a CLASSIC. With production headed by Kurt Carr, this CD impacted how Praise & Worship was done…PERIOD. What praise team didn’t sing “The Presence of the Lord is Here”…and beg to cut at least two modulations?! The power of God, a seamless flow from high praise to reverent worship, top-notch background vocals, and well-written, perfectly arranged…very church-friendly songs were all present on this CD. Surely, I’d get more releases like this from Byron. My expectations were sealed!

Already familiar with Isaiah Thomas’ “I Will Bless the Lord”, I didn’t rush out to buy Byron’s 2005 release, An Invitation to Worship (produced by PAJAM). After hearing “We Love You”, which sounds like Byron’s a featured guest on J. Moss’ song, I opted to pass on it altogether. Both songs were nice. I just couldn’t imagine how they fit together on the same CD.

But, I did purchase Byron’s 2007 release, Live at the Apollo (also produced by PAJAM), when I found out Kim Burrell was featured on it. It had its highlights…specifically, “Royalty”, “Anyhow” and “If You Never.”  But, where did the seamless flow go? Where were the well-written, church-friendly Praise & Worship songs?

So, this time, my good friend, Cynthia Jones (make-up artist extraordinaire), had to convince me to give Bryon’s most recent release, Faithful to Believe (produced by Aaron Lindsey), a listen. She said that she shared my reservations initially, gave it a shot anyway and was pleased with the CD.

So, I downloaded it…and it’s definitely a step up from the last two releases. “I Give You Praise” is a nice Praise & Worship song. “Simply Yes” and “I Can’t Hold It” are soul-stirring choir selections. And “Lord, You are My Everything”, with Karen Clark-Sheard and Pastor Marvin Winans, is a churchy treat. But, WHERE, OH WHERE is the PLETHORA of songs that praise teams everywhere MUST learn? And why are the background vocals lacking precision?

If Byron hadn’t been marketed as “The PRINCE of Praise”, I’d be at peace with my post Byron Cage purchases. Instead, I’m longing to have my princely expectations met. If my expectations were set in error, tell me!

Artists should use the formula that catapulted their recording career while preparing to record subsequent projects. I think that would decrease the likelihood that CD-buying supporters will be disappointed with what an artist offers as it relates to their future CDs style, flow, lyrics, and overall production.

I’m willing to purchase Byron’s future projects. But, first, I have a question. What should I expect from a Byron Cage CD?! Depending on the answer, I’ll ignore my $20 cut-off limit, tweak my expectations accordingly and prepare to buy the next release.

*     *     *

I hear you, Mia.  I will say that I enjoy his most recent release more than his previous two… but there’s nothing like that first one on GospoCentric!

What do you folks think?

In addition to Regina Belle, I caught up with J Moss while at the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Concert in Chicago this weekend. It was really great to see him– J is a humble, straight-up kinda guy and I LOVE him for it.

We chatted about how the tour has been going for him.  J shared that he loves the opportunity to partner with McDonald’s for such a great series of concerts and, even more, for the fact that a portion of proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House.

J’s also thrilled for the exposure to a new audience that may not know of his music– Regina Belle’s fanbase. This was a chance to minister to a new group of folks who might not have otherwise paid much attention to the gospel message as delivered by J Moss.  Praise God for enlarged territory!

Plans for a new album on the horizon???  Nope, not yet.  J’s still riding the wave of his latest release, Just James, and it’s as fresh and exciting to him as the day it was released.  His latest single, “Rebuild,” is making a significant impact on radio and on the internet, as is the incredible “REmix” of the tune (click here to listen and see why I love it so much).

The PAJAM team was in full effect in Chicago– besides J, I got to see Paul “PDA” Allen and Walter Kearney, as well as the fellas of 21:03.  Great time with one of the hottest camps in gospel music!

On Wednesday, I recapped my great trip to the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour on its Chicago, IL tour stop.  While I was there, I caught up with songstress Regina Belle and chatted about a few things.  What initially stood out to me was how cool and down-to-earth she is (I think I may have dubbed her my auntie in my head).

Regina Belle says that the experience with McDonald’s and the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour has been great.  Incidentally, her first job was at a McDonald’s, so she’s kinda having a full-circle moment.

We chatted briefly about the success of her radio hit, “God Is Good,” at which time she shared that it was the last song to make her debut gospel album, Love Forever Shines.  Her brother wrote the tune after hearing her full album and remarking that it didn’t have anything from their childhood, their roots, on it… and it needed to.  She had no idea how incredibly successful it would be at radio and in churches every Sunday morning!

She also shared some of a recent testimony with me– how she was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year (though it had been growing since childhood), in the midst of promoting her album.  “It was one of the most ‘alone’ moments I had ever had in my life,” she recounted.  “That’s when I had to make the things that I talk about and sing about… that’s when I had to make them work for me.  I had to exercise my own relationship with God.”  Even now, after having recovered from the grueling multiple surgeries, she is clinically deaf in her left ear.  Her joy and commitment to her calling, though, remains unfettered– she’s not stopping!

Of course, we touched on the whole “R&B turned gospel artist” issue that seems to plague anyone who records a gospel album after experiencnig even a modicum of success in mainstream music.  Belle set the record straight: “I could make waaaay more money, with no hit record– actually, with no record out at all– by continuing on in R&B.  I am here because of a calling and, trust me, I fought God tooth and nail.”  She is grateful for the road she traveled, especially because she gets to go back to areas that other church people aren’t able to go– and she takes the gospel message with her.

Before we parted, I had to prove to her that I was a bona fide Regina Belle fan from back in the day by bringing up her soundtrack work from the movies Tap and Leonard 6 (y’all don’t know nothin’ about that).  She certified me a “for real” fan.

Regina Belle is working on a new gospel album, which will incorporate musical discussions about some serious social issues facing the world today.  The project will feature assistance from J Moss, Chris Walker, her brother Bernard Bell, and Micah Stampley, among others.

And that’s about it!  Regina Belle was a delight to chat with and I’m excited for what she’s doing and for what’s to come!

How about you???

I got the chance to attend the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour, featuring J Moss and Regina Belle, in Chicago this past weekend.  Three words– I’m lovin’ it.

The concert was great.  It opened with a MAJOR high-energy performance from J Moss.  Backed by some great vocalists from Detroit, including the fellas of gospel group 21:03, J Moss commanded the audience’s attention as he opened with a medley of “Psalm 150,” ”I Wanna Be” and “Could’ve Been Me.”

J slowed things down a bit with “Holy One,” before launching into his first single, “Restored.”  By the time he got to his latest single, “Rebuild,” the entire vibe of the concert had made a decided shift from party to worship service.  To see God’s power move through “Rebuild,” taking root in the lives of folks I’ve never met, was incredible.  With hands raised and faces full of tears, the audience worshipped God for his rebuilding power.  J’s set ended well with a rousing chorus of “Praise On The Inside.”

Up next was Regina Belle, who launched into her set with the hand-clapping, foot-stomping oh-so-churchy ”Can’t Nobody” from her debut gospel album, Love Forever Shines.  She then moved to the classic Walter Hawkins’ cut, “Thank You,” before leading us in her rendition of Chris Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God.”

Her set continued, and included her classic “If I Could,” which she sang to children as video footage from her recent trip to a Ronald McDonald House played in the background.  She finished her set with her hit single, “God Is Good” and I MEAN we sang along with her. LOL

The tour will be stopping in 6 more cities– Newark, NJ; Oakland, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Memphis, TN; Atlanta, GA; and Washington, DC.  Click here for more details!

Special shout-out to McDonald’s for the invite and to Alexea Davis of Burrell Communications who took extra special care of me and my wife while we were there!

Before the show, I chatted with both J and Regina, so I’ll be sharing what they had to say over the next couple of days, too.  Stick around! 

In the meantime, a couple of stage shots from the concert:

Anyone attended the tour yet?  Anyone planning to attend when it comes to your area?  Talk to me!

I’ve been traveling this weekend, so I enlisted the help of one of GospelPundit.com’s newest guest contributors for this week’s recap– Troy Lilly.  You remember Troy’s great work from his recap of Jason Nelson’s live recording a few weeks ago.  Well, he’s back with his perspective on last night’s episode of Sunday Best on BET.  I think it’s both thoughtful and thorough– I feel like I watched it already!  Check it out…

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This week ‘s episode of Sunday Best was extra special for two reasons – a wildcard contestant who was sent home last week got a second chance to shine. And the incomparable Kim Burrell dropped in as a guest judge alongside Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams!

So, I was expecting a pretty memorable show.

But when J Moss hit the stage to open the show singing “We Must Praise,” the first single from his 2004 debut album, it seemed Sunday Best had pulled another “throwback” performance out of the hat. Fret not, though, because he quickly snapped back to 2010 with a powerful performance of his latest hit, “Rebuild.” The lyrics in the song are already powerful, but he really sang them – dare I say he was squalling at the end.

The bar was clearly raised for the 10 remaining contestants and there was added pressure since each singer got to choose their song, too. By the end of the night the true artists would stand apart from the rest of the pack.

Brian Smith – “I Won’t Complain”
Dubbed by the Sunday Best judges as Mr. Bowtie, Brian kicked things off with a mid-tempo rendition of the song. The arrangement was refreshing and allowed him to find his sweet spot vocally and command the stage a bit more. Judges agreed and enjoyed his performance and his nice “spirit.”

Orlando Wright – “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus”
There were signs of trouble with Orlando’s voice in the rehearsal footage. In my opinion, not much changed in his actual performance. He struggled to plant his voice in the melody and sufficed to improvise with plenty of questionable phrasing choices. The judges’ critiques were mostly succinct and vague. ? Hmm…

AND NOW FOR THE WILDCARD contestant…

Martha Buries – “Change”
Martha deserves to be back and she proved it by giving Tramaine Hawkins a run for her money on this traditional rendition of “Change.” In fact, her jazzy chops reminded me a lot of contestant Jessica Reedy from last season. I want to see her move ahead and Yolanda noted, “I knew God wasn’t through with you!” Definitely not.

Franklin Davis IV – “Savior More Than Life to Me”
No one was more disappointed in Franklin’s performance than he was. For all the flair he brings to the stage he wasn’t very sure this time around. Maybe he got nervous singing Kirk’s song in front of him, but then again, he picked it. He’s got the range but didn’t believe what he was singing. Before the judges said a word he was hanging his head.

Dathan Thigpen – “Speak to My Heart”
For Dathan, his song choice – a Donnie McClurkin classic – was a perfect choice. He literally tore it up, especially when he jumped from the bridge to the vamp. That big jump was make or break and Donnie applauded him for pulling it off. Yolanda called him “phenomenal” and Kim said he “exceptionally sang.”

Tawanna Tarvin – “Now Behold The Lamb”
Was Kirk song #2 the charm? Well let’s say it started very strong…maybe a little too strong. Tawanna has quite a range, and she started the song in the rafters and never came down. Her upper register was hurting a bit by the end. But there’s still no doubt she can rip a song apart, she just has to take her time doing it.

Durward Davis – “That’s When You Blessed Me”
Durward took on a big L.A. Mass Choir song, and with amazing background vocalists, he pulled that thing off up in Sunday Best time – and he was so sincere. Tears were welled in his eyes the entire time. Kudos to him for “doing just what he said,” as Kim put it.

LeAndria Johnson – “He Was There All the Time”
Singing a “testimony” song, LeAndria was true to form, which is to say flawless. From beginning to end she delivered. At this point, she’s the one contestant I would say is ready to launch. Stage presence, vocal control and dynamism and anointing. She’s the full package.

David Wilford – “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
David is a very cool dude. And that’s exactly what came across in his performance. To be honest, he kind of had a duet with the saxophone and the arrangement was very mellow, almost soothing. David crooned without missing a note. Somehow I feel he failed to grab the attention of the audience or the judges. It was certainly a safe performance. Sadly, it may have been a forgettable one as well.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird – “I Need Thee”
The judges told her she needed to own the stage and Tiffany ran with their advice. She tackled the traditional hymn with fervor, showing she could be soft and still pack a nice growl, too. I hope she continues to mature and grow comfortable with her gift.

Elder Goldwire McLendon – “Yes, Jesus Loves Me”
When I watch Elder McLendon all I can think is “oil”. There is oil all over him. Even before he opened his mouth to sing, he ushered in the Presence of God. We already know he can sing in the purest sense of the word, so what’s more intriguing is the way his singing changes the atmosphere. The audience (and judges) couldn’t contain the power that followed Elder McLendon’s performance. He literally shouted off the stage.

But in the end, only 7 contestants remained.
The Top 7:
Brian Smith
LeAndria Johnson
Elder Goldwire McLendon
Martha Buries (Wildcard)
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
Dathan Thigpen
Durward Davis

For once I agree totally with the cuts from the lineup. The remaining contestants have a certain degree of artistry. They are no longer just singing songs, but they have a unique style and approach to singing that is distinguishable. A few can still benefit from the professional mentoring. For the most part, though, they’ve got “it.”

By the way, this episode got me thinking: I would love for Kim Burrell to open the show at least once before the season is over.

Now what did you really think?

*     *     *

Well, shooooooooot… I guess I’ll start by saying I think that’s a dope recap!

Then, I’ll add that I am quite pleased with the top 7– these would probably have been my choices, too, even from the week before.  I would have loved to see David Wilford progress through the competition a bit more, but I’ll have to see the performance footage from last night.

So, like Troy asked, what did you really think?