I will admit that I was skeptical– if you remember last year’s Celebration Of Gospel, there were just a bunch of moments that left us wondering… “WHY?!”

But this year, for its 10th anniversary, BET seems to have taken time and done things well and with purpose.  I honestly thought it was a GREAT show.

My quick comments about each song, in order:

Fred Hammond featuring Kelly Price and Shirley Caesar - “Awesome God”
I loved the album version of this song (and wondered if it should’ve been the single) for months now. For me, the addition of Kelly Price to the performance made this song a great opener.

Yolanda Adams - “Victory”
It’s a great song, and Yolanda always gives an incredible live performance, but I didn’t necessarily NEED it. Just seemed a bit random.

Anthony & Tarsha’ Hamilton - “Better Is One Day”
One of the best performances of the night for me. It was an awesome arrangement of a CCM favorite, it was heartfelt and simple. And Tarsha’ can SING! Geeeeeeez.

Bobby Jones & The Nashville Super Choir featuring Y’Anna Crawley - “The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow”
Dunno what was up with Dr. Jones’ costume in the beginning (it was creative, but the bubble wrap thing threw me for a loop), but by the time the singing started, I was all in. Y’Anna sounded & looked great, the Nashville Super Choir went hard, and it was a solid performance.

Kelly Price & Ledisi - “How Great Thou Art”
From what I hear, BET edited some of the best parts of this performance from the TV broadcast. No matter… even as an edited shadow of itself, the performance was one of the night’s best. These are two of the most gifted female vocalists in the music biz right now. Loved it.

BeBe & CeCe Winans - “Close To You”/”Grace”
I sent a tweet last night that, though I love them, BeBe & CeCe could’ve done a throwback tune for me and I would’ve been thrilled. From a business standpoint, I get it (and they still did a great job)… I’m just even more eager for that reunion tour!

City Of Refuge P.S.A.L.M.S. Choir - “Shout”
I’m not a huge fan of the choir, but they did a great cover of this classic Milton Brunson tune. Lots of energy and a clean look make them stand out. Nice job.

Shirley Caesar - “Celebration”
The First Lady of Gospel always delivers a solid performance. Performing her newest single, she remained consistent and demonstrated that traditional vocals will NEVER go out of style.

James Fortune & FIYA - “I Trust You”
A bit underwhelmed by the use of background vocal tracks instead of live bgv’s until the vamp, but the song is powerful and so was the performance. This group is solidifying itself as a mainstay in the gospel landscape.

Fred Hammond - “They That Wait”
Actually, I wasn’t as interested in this song without John P. Kee being there. Makes me wonder if, in the end, it wasn’t the collabo that made the song so popular. I didn’t necessarily need to see this performance, especially given that he did the opener…

Fantasia & Diane Barrino - “He’s Done Enough”
From the moment she hit the stage, Fantasia’s shoes were off and she was jumpin’. It’s how she does gospel and I LOVE it. I also loved seeing her mama lookin’ like an artist herself… they performed together at the 2009 Chicago GospelFest and on Bobby Jones last season– I could get used to this!

Rance Allen Group - “Something About The Name Jesus”
Watching Rance Allen perform is always an adventure– you never know where the riffs & squalls are gonna come from, but you know they’re coming! It was great to hear him sing this classic tune, but I’m beginning to see less of a need for the “Group.”

Tye Tribbett & G.A. - “So Amazing”
It’s been said that this is the last we’ll see of G.A., as Tye is reportedly disbanding the group (per in-the-know journalist Jawn Murray, who attended a “farewell concert” on New Year’s Eve). If so, this was a nice performance to end their run. The song is good, the energy was what we’ve come to expect… cool deal.

Donnie McClurkin - “We Fall Down”
Donnie continues to demonstrate why there is no substitute for a good song and a solid vocal performance. No frills or gimmicks– just a 10-year-old tune and a vocalist who never really misses. Excellent.

Marvin Sapp - “The Best In Me”
This song was a hit from the moment he sang the first note at his live recording. And you all have been listening to it here for a while now, and lovin’ it. Another dynamic performance from an incredibly gifted singer. Chalk up another one for Marvin Sapp.

Donald Lawrence - “Back II Eden”/”The Best Is Yet To Come”
An awesome finale performance, with the incredible Floyd Wilkinson on the vamp, from the man with the Midas touch. The only thing missing for me was Donald’s group of singers, but I’m just spoiled.

All in all, this show was really great. The tribute to Steve Harvey was heartfelt and touching. And I’ll say this– if some of the greatest ministers of music in our industry come together annually, and interact with non-believers, we’re SUPPOSED to see a change in people. What that says for other annual televised gospel programs, I’m not sure… but it’s encouraging to see what God’s been doing in Steve’s life through Celebration Of Gospel.

Now… WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SHOW?!

Folks, don’t forget to watch BET’s Celebration Of Gospel this coming Sunday.  It’ll feature your favorite artists– gospel and secular– in what should be a really good hour or two of performances.

Click here if you wanna review the performance roster again.  Celebration Of Gospel airs on BET this Sunday at 8pm ET/7pm CST.

I’m probably most excited to see Yolanda Adams, Fantasia and Diane Barrino, Donald Lawrence, Kelly Price, Ledisi…

Which performances are you most eager to see?

In the gospel music industry, collaborations are BIG.  You wanna create a crazy buzz about your project before it hits the stores?  Tell folks you’ve got an exciting collabo on it.  You wanna kick up your television performance a notch?  Perform a collabo.

This year was a great year for collaborative work.  But I’ve decided to narrow the list down to my 5 favorite collabos.  In order, they are:

5.  “You Bring Out The Best In Me” - Vanessa Bell Armstrong feat. Rance Allen (from Vanessa Bell Armstrong’s The Experience)

When Vanessa Bell Armstrong decided to remake her own 80’s hit on her latest album, she prolly could’ve just done it herself and knocked it out of the ballpark.  But she’s a kind and gracious woman, apparently, because she gave us the gift of some classic Rance Allen moaning and groaning that took this live performance to a whole… ‘notha… level.  Their two voices grooving over some Donald Lawrence-produced background vocals– you kinda don’t want the track to end.

4.  “The Joy Of The Lord” - Coko feat. Israel Houghton (from Coko’s The Winner In Me)

Coko is a masterful collaborator in gospel.  It’s like she reads our minds and gives the mic to the VERY folks we’re aching to hear.  On her debut album, she featured everyone from Faith Evans to her mama (Lady Tibba).  This time around, she kept her mama, plus grabbed Kelly Price and Canton Jones.  My fave collabo on the album, though (and, thus, one of my faves of the entire year), was with Israel.  It’s a feel-good track with great vocal performances from both of ‘em… a true treat.

3.  “Available To You” - Melinda Watts feat. J Moss (from Melinda Watts’ People Get Ready)

After a much buzzed-about debut album, Melinda Watts entered the gospel scene with a project that had a little something for everyone.  Perhaps one of her strongest tracks was this duet with J Moss.  Kudos for taking a song that is performed too much at midnight musicals and making it fresh for us again, and double kudos for enlisting the vocal assistance (not that Melinda was at all in need) of one of the best male vocalists in the game.

2.  ”Every Prayer” - Israel Houghton feat. Mary Mary (from Israel Houghton’s The Power Of One)

When I saw that the Marys did a song with Israel, the last thing I thought I’d hear was a jazzy contemporary gospel track.  But they mastered the performance like the pros that they are and it quickly became one of my favorite songs on his album, if not of the entire year.  And there’s a GRAMMY nod to show for it.

1.  “Wait On The Lord” Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard (from Donnie McClurkin’s We All Are One)

I hear that Karen Clark Sheard wasn’t actually the original choice for this song– it was gonna be Tramaine Hawkins.  That, too, would’ve been an incredible performance, but God does all things well and He knew that this duet was gonna dominate the charts and our iPods.  On this song, Donnie stays true to his strengths– his a classic vocalist who can render a soaring ballad like few others– while Karen gives, arguably, one of her greatest performances in years.

Which collabos were among YOUR faves this year???

Word has it that a couple of changes have been made to the initial artist line-up for BET’s Celebration Of Gospel, which will be taped this Saturday in Los Angeles.  Torrence Glenn, of BET.com, announced the changes on his blog yesterday.

It appears that Deborah Cox and Tamia are no longer appearing with Kelly Price, as originally stated (the three of them have an upcoming joint R&B album, The Queen Project)… Kelly will be going it alone.  I’m rather thrilled about that.

Sherri Shepherd, Robin Givens and Ernie Hudson are doing spoken word pieces, hopefully in one segment… no offense to them, but I’m just not big on spoken word.  Is that wrong?

Ledisi has been added to the roster of performing artists, and so has Yolanda Adams– both are absolutely spectacular to watch live, so I’m pretty impressed with BET!

BET has announced its roster for its annual gospel performance program, Celebration Of Gospel.  The show, which will be hosted by Steve Harvey, will take place in Los Angeles on December 12th and will air on Sunday, January 10, 2010.

If you’ll be in the L.A. area and wanna ATTEND the show, email BET at BETRSVP@bet.net or call ‘em at (202) 608-2617 for tickets.

As usual, the list is intended to represent a diverse group of singers– some tried-and-true gospel artists with some mainstream artists with a lil’ church on ‘em.  Did they succeed?  You be the judge…

Donnie McClurkin
Fred Hammond
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Shirley Caesar
Marvin Sapp
James Fortune & FIYA
Tye Tribbett & G.A.
The Rance Allen Group
Y’Anna Crawley
Dr. Bobby Jones & The Nashville Super Choir
P.S.A.L.M. Choir (from City of Refuge Church)
Deborah Cox, Kelly Price & Tamia (group members of the upcoming R&B album “The Queen Project”)
Fantasia Barrino and her mother, Diane Barrino Barber
Anthony Hamilton and his wife, Tarsha Hamilton

So, that’s that.  Now, who’s missing from the list for my taste?  Donald Lawrence, Israel Houghton, and J Moss.

Coko is a perfect example of an artist that should be on the roster– great gospel album(s) with mainstream appeal.  That’s just a no-brainer.

Also, Myron Butler & Levi have a new album coming out in 2010 and, though someone might say “they’re not as known among the BET audience,” I would disagree.  They are, in essence, the reincarnation of God’s Property, who put out one of the most successful gospel albums in history.  And that didn’t happen because of gospel consumers– it was the mainstream folks.  So, if BET’s audience doesn’t know who Myron Butler & Levi are, it’s because BET has failed to tell them.  But I bet they have the God’s Property album and I bet they’d care.

And what’s the deal with Kierra Sheard?  She can’t GET a booking in this industry.  BET snoozes on her repeatedly and it’s ridiculous.

I think, all in all, it’s gonna be one of those shows where I’ll be eager to watch one segment, then feel just fine missing the next segment to do something more exciting, like pour orange juice or balance my checkbook.

What do you good people think about the list?

Curious– does the gospel music marketplace attempt to dictate who can sing gospel music?  Moreover, do we think that God has asked us to determine for Him who is authentic and who is not?

Two things served as the impetus for my query– first, this morning, Gerard Bonner launched his new radio show, Bonnerfide Radio, during which he played an incredible track from Ledisi entitled “Knockin’.”  In it, she tells the devil “I hear you knockin’, but you can’t come in.”  In the chatroom, we discussed whether it’s “okay” for secular artists to sing gospel songs, etc. (I think we all agreed that she sang that song and we love it).

Second, on Monday, I announced the release date for the debut gospel album from legendary R&B/soul group The Whispers.  Comments were made that suggested the group was just another secular act trying to take advantage of the gospel marketplace.

My concern: It seems unfair to me that a musician who has spent any amount of time singing or playing secular music would have to PROVE to us that they’re legitimate before they can enter “our” arena.  First of all, we stand divided as to whether “secular” music is even bad.  But even assuming that it is, why would we have SOOOO many barriers up and hurdles to jump before some prodigal singer or musician can “come home”?

We’ve seen it time after time.  Whether it’s Coko, Kelly Price, Dave Hollister… we give them the side-eye and assume the worst FIRST– they’re probably not for real, they probably don’t really wanna honor God, they must have a hidden motive.

But do we look at our altars every Sunday morning and assume that most of the people who have come to it are just fakin’ it?  Do we wonder whether they’re just trying to steal from the offering plate?

Why is the default response, in MUSIC, one of mistrust, rather than a warm embrace?  When was the last time WE had to prove ourselves in the same way?  And if we haven’t had to do so, what Biblical basis do we have for demanding such proof from them?

AND, if we’re gonna demand proof, what have we decided it will be?  Do we need press releases about their salvation before the gospel album is released?  Is there a waiting period of 3 years between the time that they “leave” secular music and start singing gospel?  Where’s our list of criteria and from where are we deriving it?

It all seems unfortunate, but it’s the reality…  I’m just wondering why.

Thoughts???

There’s been a lot of buzz about Coko’s sophomore gospel effort, The Winner In Me, for several months now.  And lemme tell ya– the wait was worth it.

This project, in stores this coming Tuesday, is a great follow-up to her debut from a few years back– it demonstrates artistic growth while providing fans with the classic sound that we fell in love with on the first gospel album… actually, no… we fell in love with it back in the SWV days, didn’t we?!

Diverse tracks with memorable hooks and great production are hallmarks of this 12-track project, which features guest spots from Canton Jones, Israel Houghton, Kelly Price and Coko’s mother, Lady Tibba.  Among the producers are Coko’s husband (and industry drummer extraordinaire) Mike “Big Mike” Clemons and relative newcomer Jamiene “J Skills” Thompson (who produced half of George Huff’s latest project).  And I think I peeped some songwriting credits for David Caton and his wife Timiney. [Editor's Note: Timiney Caton's maiden name is Timiney Figueroa, as in... the lead soloist on the classic Hezekiah Walker cut "Calling My Name"... as in... current member of the Kurt Carr Singers... as in... the older sister of Anaysha Figueroa... need I go on?]

I digress.  Coko’s soaring soprano transitions well across a wide range of musical styles on this project– she moves from tracks with hip-hop beats, to modern churchy joints, to CCM-styled ballads.  But she remains at all times AUTHENTIC.  If I’m being honest (and I always try to be), I have to admit that I was looking forward to the Coko & Kelly Price duet because I wanted to hear them demolish a really churchy track.  Instead, they demolished a more urban track.  But “demolished” is the operative word, so how mad could I be?

Favorite cuts: “May Be The Last Time,” a single-worthy anthem that is sure to be added to repertoires of MANY praise teams; “Make A Way,” a rock-infused track laced with verses by Canton Jones (it’s hot); “The Joy Of The Lord,” an urban duet with Israel; “I Surrender,” an all-out song of… well, surrender; and “Renew My Mind,” a classic song of supplication for renewal, featuring Coko’s mother (who, if you recall, appeared on Coko’s debut project, on the “Mighty God” track).  That song, too, could be a fave on Sunday morning.  And, of course, I’m still enjoying the project’s first single, “Wait.”

The short and sweet of it: fans of Coko will absolutely not be disappointed, people on the fence will appreciate the great music on this project, and skeptics of the whole “R&B-turned-gospel-artist” phenomenon will have one more reason to pipe down.  Coko appears to have poured all of her energy into her passion– making music that glorifies God and edifies the Body of Christ.  With The Winner In Me, I think she succeeds at both.

George Huff’s entrée into the music industry may have been through American Idol, but I think his latest album, entitled George Huff, confirms that he’s not just another contestant from a nationwide talent search– he’s a bona fide gospel artist.

If you haven’t heard his project, you NEED to.  It’s ridiculously good– awesome vocals, songwriting and production.

Okay, enough intro… the interview says the rest!  Here’s my dude– George Huff.

*     *     *

EJ:  Hey man!! How’s it going?

GH:  Hey!

EJ:  Thanks for chattin’ with me, I know you’re a busy dude right now.

GH:  Thank you SO much, Brother EJ, for interviewing me.  I’m so excited about this.  We’re always on your site, trying to get the latest and stuff.

EJ:  Oh, wow.  Thanks, man!  Before we get started, a random fact for you– my wife and I sat in front of you at the Stellars this year, in the first mezzanine.

GH:  I was excited to sit up there… you can see EVERYTHING.

EJ:  I know!  We all had some great seats.

GH:  And you were in front of me?

EJ:  Directly.

GH:  Oh, so y’all heard us clowning? *laughs*

EJ:  We heard EVERY BIT of y’all clowning! *laughing*

GH: *laughs* It was funny.  I can’t say exactly what we were laughing at, but I think we can all remember one thing in particular.

EJ:  Well, I can recall a couple of times, actually! *laughs* We’ll leave it alone.  Watch the tape!

GH: *laughing*

EJ:  Ok, let’s chat about your most recent project.  First, why did you title the album George Huff?

GH:  It was very difficult coming out of [American Idol] to really express myself the way that I wanted to.  It was very difficult to say “no” to a lot of things, so with the first CD, I basically let people tell me what they thought would be the best move, music-wise and vocally.  And I went along with that.

This time, I said “I just wanna sing.  I wanna sing and be myself, and not be controlled by anything or anybody.”  I really wanted to do it the way God gave it to me.  And I think that this particular CD, not just vocally, but lyrically, is more forward.  I’m really operating in who God has called me to be.

EJ:  Amen.

GH:  So, whatever the last CD was (which was an awesome CD), you got that… but this is George Huff.  Like KiKi [Sheard] says “this is me in my entirety.”

EJ:  *laughs*

GH:  There’s nothing sugar-coated, nothing that somebody else said for me.  It’s how God gave it to George Huff.  I had my hand in the whole decision-making process– the producers who’d be involved, the lyrics, the vocal arrangement… I feel like this is me, and nothing else.

EJ:  That’s great, man.  Your first project was on Word Entertainment… did you get that after Idol?

GH:  It came down to Word and another prestigious label.  I went with Word because… the offer was better! *laughs*

But I didn’t know, and no one ever knows, the issues that the label is going through when you sign.  I signed the contract and the whole regime changed.  The president and everyone else in his camp changed.  Word is known for more Christian and CCM artists, and they agreed to do things for me in a certain way.

But when the regime changed, the people who we knew could work our project were no longer there.  So, I had this mainstream CD that no one knew how to work– it wasn’t really gospel, wasn’t really CCM…

EJ:  Right, it was more inspirational.

GH:  Exactly.  One thing I’ve learned is that you have to be either hot or cold– can’t be in-between.  I was in-between.  It wasn’t gospel, and they wouldn’t play it on CCM radio.  So, I had no home.

But thank God for [the single] “Brighter Day.”  It was my saving grace– it kept me alive at gospel radio and people loved it.

EJ:  Oh, absolutely.  That was a popular track.

GH:  So, this time around, I was spent with everything I had gone through with Word and a bunch of other stuff.  I said “if this is what the industry is about, I’m ready to go back to a nine-to-five.”

I waited a while before I signed with my new label and I thought “if I do it, it’s gonna be something that I’m really going to enjoy and other people will enjoy.”

EJ:  Wow.

GH:  And you know, I would go to a church and not be able to sing anything on my CD.  Because the mood of the church– everyone was in worship mode.  So I had to come off my CD a lot.

This time, I wanted to make sure that the album was well-balanced.  I wanted to do what God was telling me to do, and what you’re hearing now is how God gave it to me.

EJ:  Well, we’re loving what God gave you, dude!  Your project features production from Aaron Lindsey, who’s brilliant, and a relative newcomer– Jamiene “J-Skills” Thompson.  Who is J-Skills and how did you hook up with him?

GH:  Well, I prayed that God would send somebody, connect me with somebody with whom I could create wonderful music.  And J-Skills saw me at a musical… you know, sometimes people just come up and say “hey, man, I wanna work with you!”  I gave him my number and said “yeah, yeah… call me!”

EJ: *laughing*

GH:  And I never saved his number, so when he called, he would leave a message and I was like “who is J-Skills?!”  One day, I went to another musical and saw him there and he said “man, I’ve been trying to CALL you!”

And I never want to be that type of person that doesn’t listen to people, won’t sit down and talk to people, so I sat there and I said “let’s hook up.”

At the same time, I was praying because I was looking for producers for the project.  There was one prominent producer that wanted to work with me, but I wanted to do something DIFFERENT… something fresh and new.

EJ:  Yeah.

GH:  So, J-Skills and I set up a time to meet up.  First, when I walked in the studio, I thought “where IS the studio?!”  I didn’t see the equipment– there was a computer, a small mixing board, a keyboard, a closet… but I was like “where’s the studio?!”.  And I thought “I KNOW this ain’t gonna work.” *laughs*

EJ: *laughing*

GH:  But he pulled a program up on his computer… basically, it’s not about how much equipment you’ve got– there are programs that house all of these huge mixing boards that you see on TV.  All of that can be housed in one program.

He turned the speakers on and the first track he played was “Grateful.”  I said “WHAT?!  WHAT IS THAT?!”

EJ:  Amazing! *laughing*

GH:  My face fell off, EJ.  I couldn’t believe the QUALITY of what I was hearing.  And, right there, I said “Lord, please forgive me for going by what I see and not believing in the things that I’ve been hoping for– quality, somebody to bond with on a personal level…”

And sure enough, when I heard that, I said “I’ve got to have it.”  The odds were against him because the label was like “we don’t know who this is…”

EJ:  Sure.

GH:  So, we just recorded the songs.  And I said “we are working with this dude, right here.”  I was already working with a tight budget, so I said “J-Skills is your best bet.  He HAS to do half of the CD because he’s awesome and I wanna work with him.”

They saw that I wasn’t bending.  And thank God for Aaron Lindsey for what he did on this project.  He saw something in me that I knew was there, but because of the people around me, I couldn’t get it out.  And he was dedicated to making sure that what he produced for me was a great representation of who I am.

EJ:  Envision with me what your life might be like if you had won American Idol– you probably would have had to debut with an R&B album, right?

GH:  Yes, I sure would’ve.

EJ:  Looking back, would you have felt fulfilled by that?

GH:  You know what?  I would have.  Only because I know that it would have been God’s Will concerning me– the Bible says that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and who are the called according to His purpose.

Before I auditioned, I sought God.  I was struggling to pay for school, you know, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.  God put American Idol in my view and I thought “well, I don’t know how that’s gonna work, because it’s not ’sanctified,’” you know?

EJ:  Mm-hmm.

GH:  I was so “spiritually minded” that I couldn’t see that God was going to use that platform– He will use whatever He wants to use– to get me to the desired place in Him.

So, in the end, the outcome was successful because it was something that God told me to do.  If I had won the competition, I would have done an R&B album– it wouldn’t have been degrading or anything– because that’s what God would have had me to do.

EJ:  Coming out of American Idol and into the gospel industry, were you well-received by the other artists?  Did they embrace you as one of their own, or did some of them treat you like you weren’t quite on their level?

GH:  People don’t know that I’m a church boy.  And I love choirs– name any choir song and I can sing the entire tenor part.  I can tell you who used to stand on the front row in the Thompson Community Singers.  I can tell you who stands where in Ricky Dillard & New G, and tell you what they looked like on the DVDs. [Editor's Note: At this point, George rattles off skin complexions, hair colors and facial expressions of about half of New G's soprano section! LOL]

EJ:  Wowwww. *laughs*

GH:  That’s how much of a church boy I am.  But, having been on American Idol, people saw me as THAT.  Some of the industry folks didn’t accept me right away because they wanted to know that I was ”real” before they would embrace me as one of their own.

EJ:  That’s gotta be rough.

GH:  Yeah.  And I talk to Shirley Murdock a lot.  I call her my “auntie.” *laughs* She said that it happened to her, too, and that it was kinda heartbreaking.  She said “the people that I thought would embrace me just shoved me away.”  And I’m talking about other artists.

EJ:  That’s just so ridiculous to me.  And I’ve heard stories about that, too.

GH:  They think “oh, here’s another secular artist trying to come to gospel now.”  But that’s not the truth because I could be living in L.A. right now, singing everything under the sun and they’ll love me.  Makin’ MONEY.

But my heart is with the Lord because I owe Him this.  He’s worthy of it.  When you can be healed in your body, when your needs are supplied… I owe Him my LIFE.  Because nobody else did for me what He did for me.

EJ:  Yeah.

GH:  When I was struggling in school, or living in New Orleans with my four siblings.  We had to carry buckets of water down the street… it was 2:00 in the morning because we didn’t want anybody to see that we had to carry jugs of water because our water was off.  Come on, now.

I’m not doing this “just because,” like I’m trying to prove something to someone, or because I needed something to fall back on.  This is where my HEART is.

EJ:  Wow, man.  That’s for real.

GH:  But we’ve had to prove ourselves to other artists.  They say “where is he coming from, and why is he trying to get some of our money?”

EJ:  And I’ve heard stuff like that about other artists who sang R&B, but never “left” the church, like Coko, Kelly Price or Dave Hollister.  They were attending service every week, they were tithing, they were donating anonymously… doing more for the Body than some of the “churchy” folks.

And consumers and industry folks get so skeptical of them doing gospel music, but I’m so glad that Jesus doesn’t look at us with doubt when we come to Him.  I’m glad that He always gives the benefit of the doubt, even knowing us better than anyone else.

GH:  That’s right.  It’s very unfortunate.  And we have this thing going on with us, thinking that just because we’ve been in church forever, we have a right to be so judgmental.  We make people not wanna be a part of it.

EJ:  You’re right.  Lemme ask you– I think you strike everyone as a guy who’s always gonna give a smile and a good “God bless ya.”  Every interview, every appearance, you’re just a happy guy.  Don’t you ever just feel like rolling your eyes or sucking your teeth at someone?

GH:  Yes, I do.

EJ:  *laughing*

GH:  And lemme tell you this– and I DO. *laughs*

I really do.  I think American Idol kinda set it up where I was this “smiley” guy, so coming from that, everyone was like “oh yeah, that little goofy guy.”  The image that people had of me– and yes, I try to find joy in everything– but they didn’t see a real person.

So, no, I’m not always smiling.  My family can tell you that.  I’m the same person, but when it comes to certain things, I’ve gotten a backbone.

EJ:  Amen.  And that’s necessary.  Okay, gimme some quick getting-to-know you info.

GH:  Okay.

EJ:  Fill in the blanks.  George Huff is afraid of ________________.

GH:  Oh Lord.  George Huff is afraid of… there’s one movie in particular that I will NEVER watch again because I’ve seen this particular thing happen in real life… at a church member’s house…

EJ:  You’re talking about The Exorcist!

GH:  YES!  Yes, yes, yes… *sighs*

EJ:  *laughing*  Okay.  One artist that George would love to record with is _____________.

GH:  That would’ve been Ella Fitzgerald or Luther Vandross, but… I love this lady and we’ve talked about it on many occasions… that artist would be Kim Burrell.

EJ:  Oh, that would be insane!  And I need it to happen.  When I first heard the single, “Don’t Let Go,” it reminded me SO much of the production quality and vocal agility of something from her Everlasting Life album, I thought “now, I need to hear the two of them together!”

GH:  Oh, my Lord.  Thank you so much!  That is my dream.  I’m not forcing it, but I want it to happen.

EJ:  Ok, tell me this one: If he’s not singing someplace, you’ll probably find George ___________________.

GH:  You’ll probably find me at home, sitting on the couch, watching old episodes of Good Times.  I love watching Martin… throwback sitcoms. 

EJ:  That’s cool, man.  Let me tell ya, I appreciate you so much.  Thanks for chatting with me.

GH:  Oh, I appreciate YOU for this opportunity, Brother EJ.  We love what you’re doing– giving gospel artists a place to exist, allowing people to hear our voice.  We’re always on your site, me and my little sister, like… white on rice.

EJ: *laughing*  I appreciate it, man.  And keep in touch, alright?

GH:  Alright.

EJ:  Okay.  Bye-bye.

*     *     *

That’s all, folks!  If you don’t have the project yet, GET IT.  I promise you’re gonna love it.  Check it out at Amazon.com, where you can listen to snippets of each track.

In the meantime, PLEASE do yourself a favor and listen to this track– it’s “Destiny” featuring Coko and Tasha Collins.  Mind-blowing!

And uhhhhhh… whatd’ya think of the interview?

Folks, in stores NOW is an all-star compilation album celebrating the message of hope, inspiration and faith of President Barack Obama.  And I think the artist line-up on this one is kinda hot!

The project, titled A Gospel Tribute to President Barack Obama, features performances from Donnie McClurkin, Israel Houghton, Marvin Winans, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Kelly Price, Jerard Woods and MAAAANY more artists. The album is distributed by Central South Distribution.

The single, “This Is Your Cue,” was written by Angie Winans, features Benita Washington, and is already gaining airplay.  I still get kinda choked up when I think of President Obama winning the election… Watch the video here:

Click here for more details and to order your copy.

Whatd’ya think???

Folks, a new artist I want you to check out: James Murphy.

Not only is James the lead vocalist for Jeff Majors right now, his musical resume includes work with a who’s-who list of the top artists in the industry, including Donald Lawrence, Patti LaBelle, J Moss, Kelly Price, on and on and on.  If he’s not on stage, you might catch him hosting a radio show.  Geeeeeez!

I’ve been rockin’ to his single, “Follow Thee,” for MONTHS now and I just added it to the PunditPlayer.  It’s produced by Fontez Camp Productions (think Jessica Greene) and it’s one of those feel-good summertime songs to me.  His full album, So Crazy, No Boundaries, will be released later this year.

You can check him out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/jamesmurphymusic4u.  Also, do yourself a favor and follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jamesmurphy.  He is one of the most HILARIOUSLY RANDOM people you’ll find.  He has tons to say and the overwhelming majority of it will make you cry from laughing.

In the meantime, listen to his single ”Follow Thee” on the PunditPlayer (click the launch button at the top-right of the page) and lemme know what you think!