Kim McFarland, Monique Walker, Táta Vega…

At a time, these were some of the choir/ensemble soloists whose names were practically synonymous with the leader of that choir or ensemble.

You saw Andraé Crouch, you expected to see and hear Táta Vega. You saw Hezekiah Walker, you expected to see and hear Monique Walker. You saw Milton Brunson & The Tommies and you’d better get to see and hear Kim McFarland!  With solos on various songs by their respective groups, these and other voices served as the benchmark for the sound of contemporary choir music.

Out of curiosity– who are the choir/ensemble soloists of the new school?

My mind instantly wanders to folks like Zacardi Cortez (James Fortune & FIYA), David McClure (JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise) and Lillian Lloyd (with Ricky Dillard’s New G).

Who else comes to mind???

I’m assuming that most of you have Encore, the latest album from James Fortune & FIYA.

If not, though, it’s your lucky day.  James Fortune sent a Twitter message today with a link to listen to their second single, “I Believe.”  The tune features Shawn McLemore and Zacardi Cortez on lead vocals.  It’s a pretty good track!

Click here to take a listen!

Now, lemme know what you think!!!

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???

Interesting.

James Fortune & FIYA’s album, The Transformation, jumped 34 chart positions on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week, leaping from #41 to #7.  That, alone, is pretty noteworthy.  Even more incredible is that this is not the group’s most recent album; the newest project, Encore, rests at #16 on the chart.

Why in tarnation did so many buyers pass up the new album and go for the older one?!  Random.

*shrugs*

Anyway, the rest of the Top 10 looks a little somethin’ like this (you’ll notice that Fortune is tied with Brian Courtney Wilson at #7– they sold the same number of units):

#1 | Marvin Sapp - Here I Am
#2 | WOW Gospel 2010
#3 | Forever Jones – Get Ready
#4 | Hezekiah Walker & LFC – Souled Out
#5 | BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
#6 | Fred Hammond – Love Unstoppable
#7 | Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love
#7 | James Fortune & FIYA- The Transformation
#9 | CeCe Winans – Songs of Emotional Healing
#10 | Juanita Bynum – More Passion

Shout-out to CeCe for having two albums in the Top 10, and to Forever Jones for maintaining that #3 position!

I’m predicting that the Top 5 will see quite a shake-up next week.  I’m guessing the sales figures of the current top albums won’t be strong enough to beat out the first week sales of Darwin Hobbs, DeWayne Woods , Trip Lee and Juanita Bynum.

What say you???

Songs of Emotional Healing, the latest compilation album from CeCe Winans, debuted at #5 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week.  According to Winans, the 8-track album contains songs “for encouragement, comfort, healing and love.”

(Sidebar: I found it for less than $8 online.  Click here to check it out and buy it.)

Additionally, James Hall’s Voices of Citadel project, Won’t It Be Wonderful, climbed from #50 to #9.  That’s kinda hard to do, so a big “alright, I see you!” to you guys.

Everything else is pretty much the same cast of characters…

Not much movement in the top 10 of Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart this week.  In fact, the biggest change was that Brian Courtney Wilson’s Just Love jumped from #10 to #8 (niiiice!).  Other than that, not much news to report.  But report, I shall…

Here’s how the top 10 rounds out…

#1 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#2 | WOW Gospel 2010
#3 | Juanita Bynum – More Passion
#4 | BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
#5 | Karen Clark Sheard – All In One
#6 | James Fortune & FIYA – Encore
#7 | Fred Hammond – Love Unstoppable
#8| Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love
#9 | Earnest Pugh – Live: Rain On Us
#10 | Tamela Mann – The Master Plan

And that’s that!  Anyone picked up More Passion from Juanita Bynum since last week?

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.

For another week, the top 10 looks very… familiar at Billboard.

#1 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#2 | WOW Gospel 2010
#3 | BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
#4 |Karen Clark Sheard - All In One
#5 | Fred Hammond – Love Unstoppable
#6 | James Fortune & FIYA – Encore
#7 | Earnest Pugh – Live: Rain On Us
#8| Tamela Mann – The Master Plan
#9| Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love
#10 | Donnie McClurkin – Playlist: The Very Best Of Donnie McClurkin

Glad to see Donnie McClurkin’s compilation project doing well, though a part of me is like “who DOESN’T have those songs by now?!”

And uhh… that’s about all I have to say about this.

Thoughts???

Not too many changes in the top 10 spots on the Gospel Albums chart at Billboard.

#1 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#2 | WOW Gospel 2010
#3 | BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
#4 |Karen Clark Sheard - All In One
#5 | Fred Hammond – Love Unstoppable
#6 | James Fortune & FIYA – Encore
#7 | Earnest Pugh – Live: Rain On Us
#8 | Hezekiah Walker & LFC – Souled Out
#9| Tamela Mann - The Master Plan
#10 | Mary Mary – The Sound

Outside of the top 10, Lucinda Moore’s Blessed Broken & Given has debuted at #13, and Vickie Winans jumped from #44 to #18, and James Hall’s church choir, Voices of Citadel, jumped from #33 to #19 with their newest release– Won’t It Be Wonderful (full review of that one coming TODAY).

I’m assuming the top 10 will stay pretty much like this for a while– I don’t know of any major releases that could cause an upset and the numbers are fairly solid.

Talk to me– which of these albums do you not have, but are considering pickin’ up???