The latest project in the Gotta Have Gospel series– this one, featuring Choirs– will be in stores on July 27th.  There will also be an accompanying DVD released on the same day.

Check out the track listing–

1. Lift Him Up -Hezekiah Walker
2. Victory (Live) -Tye Tribbett & G.A.
3. Zion Rejoice (featuring Erica Campbell of Mary Mary) -Faithful Central Church
4. Let The Praise Begin -Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ
5. You Are Good -Lakewood Church
6. High And Lifted Up -Joe Pace
7. God Is Featuring The Tri-City Singers -Dewayne Woods
8. Imagine Me -Kirk Franklin
9. I Speak Life -Donald Lawrence featuring Donnie McClurkin
10. Total Praise -Richard Smallwood With Vision
11. God Great God -Kurt Carr
12. Holy Is The Lord -The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
13. Show Up! -The New Life Community Choir Featuring John P. Kee
14. The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow -Bobby Jones & New Life with The Nashville Super Choir
15. Stand! -VIP Mass Choir featuring John P. Kee
16. Give Thanks- T.D. Jakes

For anyone who doesn’t already have the individual projects that first featured these songs, this is a pretty decent line-up.  I am, however, givin’ the side-eye to the notion that Kirk Franklin’s “Imagine Me” should be listed as a choir song…

Again, it’s in stores next Tuesday, but you can pre-order now by clicking here.

Anyone thinking of grabbin’ it?  Do you guys typically buy compilation projects like this???

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*

*     *     *

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?

Last night’s episode of BET’s Sunday Best chopped 20 finalists down to 10 and we’re one week closer to crowning a winner.  Here’s how it all went down…

Kurt Carr was the guest artist, opening the show with “In The Sanctuary.”  There was a funky edit during the modulations, in which a phrase started in one key and ended in another, but aside from that, it was cool enough.  I would’ve liked to hear something a tad more recent from him (like “Peace And Favor Rest On Us”), but “In The Sanctuary” was a black church anthem at one point, so thought it’s 10 years and two albums old, it still works, I guess.

The competition this week was as tough as last week.  The judges– Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams and Tina Campbell, were straight-up and on-point, in my opinion.  They were kind to all, but absolutely honest in their critiques.  Let’s go one-by-one:

Mesie Augustine – “How Great Is Our God”
I wasn’t a fan of the arrangement and her nerves got the best of her on the vocals, but I really like her spirit.  I kinda knew the judges were gonna call her on the nervousness– it made an otherwise capable young lady subject to her anxiety, rather than being able to own her voice and do what she wanted with it.

Orlando Wright - “The Presence Of The Lord”
I just don’t know.  I like him and his voice, but I don’t know if I’d want an album from him.  I don’t know if he’s got an innate “artist” quality to him.  That said, he’s a likeable guy who clearly believed what he was singing– I think he has an audience, I just don’t know if it’s on a national platform.  I see him more regional, but time will tell.

Brittney Dear - “Here I Am To Worship”
Nerves again.  Oh my goooooodness, it made me nervous FOR her. I really wanted her to be okay, but the vocal performance really suffered as a result of her emotions.  Her tone and vocal quality was completely different from what we saw in her audition– I think Tina said it best– that her nerves consumed her.

David Wilford – “I Will Bless The Lord”
Loved this performance– it was full of energy, demonstrated his range and agility a bit… and he’s comfortable on the stage, which always puts others at ease.  For my taste, he could demonstrate a bit more control and focus on some of his riffs, but I enjoy him, for sure.  I wanna see more.

Tiffany Carlin-Laird – “Walk With Me”
Loved her at the audition and loved her on stage.  That performance was HOT.  Like her audition, she came and delivered without a problem.  She owns her voice, and the stage on which she uses it, and that makes you WANT to hear more.  She never gives too much or too little, it seems… I really love what she brings to the stage.

Dathan Thigpen - “Open The Eyes Of My Heart”
This performance was really great, too– his voice matched the acoustic vibe of the song.  It was just an awesome performance and there’s really very little to say about it– it was just RIGHT, y’know?  I felt like we were simply invited to his own worship moment on stage.  He did what he would probably be doing if he were by himself, and not being taped for TV.  It translated well.

Martha Buries - “Our God Is Awesome God”
She gave a solid performance– it was a jazzy and tasteful rendition of a song that generally puts me to sleep (not because of the message, but because of how slowwwwwwly some people sing it in worship).  In any event, she kept my attention.  And I would like to hear more of what she does. 

Brian Smith – “Precious Jesus”
Good ol’, Brian.  He’s just a nice guy, and that translates to his entire performance– he’s got a nice tone with a nice delivery, nice agility with a nice stage presence.  NICE!  I like it a lot.  In future weeks, he’ll probably have to show more stage confidence and ownership if he’s to compete with some of the people that came harder with it, but until then, he’s someone I wanna hear.  By the way– DOPE song choice.

Bethany Divine – “For Every Mountain”
I loved her vocal.  She played it safe quite a bit and I wish she had just gone for it, but I felt like she knows her voice.  She may know it better than most of the finalists we’ve seen.  And her tone, her vocal agility… she’s got one of those pre-approved voices for gospel.  She fits right in and I think we’ll be seeing more of her.  This is the one performance with which I disagreed with the judges a bit.

Vernell Payton - “Praise Is What I Do”
Vernell’s got a great tone and control, and he does all the things you’d expect, but there appeared to be a disconnect, and the judges did not delay in talking about it.  I dunno what it was– the performance just didn’t… go… from vocal performance to ministry moment.  I have no clue as to why.  All in all, I enjoyed his vocal performance enough, but I don’t know if he’s ready to give more than a great vocal when he’s on stage. 

At the end of the show, the top 20 were shaved down to the top 10 for next week.  And they are:

Durward Davis
Franklin Davis
Tawanna Tarvin
LeAndria Johnson
Orlando Wright
Brian Smith
Tiffany Carlin-Laird
David Wilford
Dathan Thigpen
Elder Goldwire McLendon

One wildcard will join ‘em next week, so we’ll have to see who they saved from elimination… I’m hopin’ for Bethany Divine or Jonte Thomas.  Aside from those omissions, I’m actually quite satisfied with their selection– I think they kept the finalists who demonstrated the most prior preparation and future potential.  It’s gonna be a good show.

And that was that!  What were your thoughts?  What did you think about the show?

Talk to me!

On Monday, my wife and I accompanied a friend on a roadtrip to Memphis for the Verizon Wireless How Sweet The Sound choir competition.  The event was at the FedEx Forum and it was pretty packed.

The evening began with a performance of “Let The Word Do The Work” by Donald Lawrence, who co-hosted the evening with Lisa Kimmey-Winans.  I never get tired of that song, nor any others on The Law Of Confession: Part 1… I’m like a junkie. But whatever!

After his performance, Donald introduced the judges– Kurt Carr, Michael Davis (Memphis’ Hallelujah 97.5FM) and Marvin Sapp– before moving swiftly into the small choir competition.  The Good Hope Sanctuary Choir, of Memphis’ Good Hope Church, won in that category for their awesome performance of “When The Saints Go To Worship.”  They really looked and sounded great!

Before intermission, Kurt Carr and a few of his singers sang “Peace And Favor Rest Upon Us” and dazzled the crowd.  The second segment of the show began with Marvin Sapp ministering with “Never Would Have Made It,” a song that is proving to NEVER grow old.  Those saints were jumping up and down, screaming for him like a teenage girl at a Michael Jackson concert.  It was incredible!

The second segment featured the large choirs and the Greater Community Temple Voices, of Greater Community Temple COGIC, won that set with their jaw-dropping performance of the O’landa Draper CLASSIC “My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord.”  That church was O’landa’s home church before his sudden passing in 1998… they did him PROUD and were just on another LEVEL.

They were also the big winner of the ENTIRE night and will represent Memphis at the national HSTS competition.  I am kinda predicting that they’ll actually win the whole competition this year– just a phenomenal job.

The night ended with a grand finale of “The Blessing Of Abraham,” led by Donald Lawrence featuring the choirs and a BUNCH of singing fans in the audience.  To be honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy the event as much as I did.  I dunno how good other cities are, but good singin’ is in the water in Memphis.  And choirs are just… not a game.  Plus, the production of it was superb (kudos Verizon Wireless!).  I had a really great time.

Special shout-out to Monica Coates, Sheri Jones-Moffett & Dion Moffett, Donna Creer, and Donald Lawrence.  It was great to see you guys!

I hadn’t planned on pulling out my camera, but… I didn’t wanna leave y’all hanging.

Dorinda Clark-Cole is busy busy busy prepping for her annual Singers & Musicians Conference.  It’s gonna be September 23-26, 2009 at Greater Emmanuel Institution COGIC in Detroit, MI.

Check out the flyers:

And visit http://www.singersandmusicians.com/ for registration details and other info on the conference.

Anyone planning to attend???

Word has it that James Fortune & FIYA will be releasing their newest project on February 2, 2010.

Dunno if I need it just yet– I think their current album still has some thunder left in it, especially cuz of the increasing popularity of their latest single, “I Wouldn’t Know You,” featuring Nakitta Clegg-Fox (of the Kurt Carr Singers).

They might be able to hold off ’til the summer… but I’ll be interested in hearing it WHENEVER it comes out.

Yesterday at GMWA began beautifully– slow and without any obligations or commitments.  I sat with my wife and some buddies in the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast.  Byron Cage, Dorothy Norwood, Albertina Walker and JJ Hairston were just a few of the artists milling around the area.

Shortly after my meal, I got a text message asking if I could sit on a panel discussing internet radio before an audience of radio announcers, aspiring artists and industry execs.  I agreed and, at the panel, was able to share my knowledge about what I do in new media and the need for a stronger internet radio presence among gospel announcers.  I didn’t get booed off the panel, so I guess I sounded pretty knowledgeable. Shout-out to Donna Creer for thinking of me.  I had a blast.

I only had an hour to eat before the long-anticipated Gospel Festival, co-sponsored by Macy’s.  I grabbed a bite before getting ready for the concert, hosted by Yolanda Adams, featuring Karen Clark-Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Byron Cage, Smokie Norful, Dottie Peoples, Jonathan Nelson & Purpose, Karima Kibble, Ami Rushes, Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers, Dorothy Norwood, JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, the GMWA Mass Choir and MORE.

The concert lasted for nearly 5 hours, but it was good.  The sound system was a bit rough (it was in a convention center… y’know, with the cement walls and high ceilings), so sounds kinda bounced back and forth.

Highlights of the show:  Yolanda Adams’ impromptu performance of “The Battle Is The Lord’s” with the GMWA Mass Choir– she proved that she’s STILL at the top of her game; Karen Clark-Sheard opened her set with the throwback “Balm In Gilead” before launching into two new tracks, both of which she DEMOLISHED on vocals; Dorinda Clark-Cole was in GREAT voice as she sang “Take It Back”; Byron Cage’s new single, “Faithful To Believe,” is awesome and sure to be a favorite; JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise are doing a great job with their new single, “Resting On His Promise,” but they also do a GREAT job revisiting their hit song “Incredible God, Incredible Praise” (tenor David McClure ad libs on the vamp like you’d NEVER believe… he had one of the greatest voices of the entire night… no exaggeration); GMWA Mass Choir was directed by Chicago choirleader/artist Malcolm Williams and they performed a near PERFECT medley of classic throwback choir songs.

All in all, the concert was AWESOME.  Afterwards, I went for dessert with some buddies and chatted until I could barely keep my eyes open.  Ahhhhh, it was a fun week!

During the concert, Bishop Jamison announced that GMWA would RETURN to Cincinnati next year, which will be kinda cool… it was a very welcoming city.  If you wanna attend next year, start planning and saving now.

Wednesday at GMWA was a slower day, not cuz there wasn’t plenty to do, but because people were kinda dragging and showing their fatigue… folks were skippin’ events and what not. LOL

I got a chance to chat with Floyd Wilkinson, who leads the hit Donald Lawrence & Co. single, “Back II Eden.”  To be one of the singin’-est dudes you’ll find in the game, he is incredible kind, humble and down to earth.  And he’s hilarious.  Gotta love that.

I stopped by the “Tribute To The King” concert, which was being hosted by Kurt Carr.  I didn’t stay for the whole tribute, but I noticed some of his singers, so I’m sure they ministered their faces off.  I also got a chance to see Dottie Peoples and Chrystal Rucker backstage.  The attendance at the tribute was rather low, but they were goin’ in on some classic James Cleveland tracks before I had to leave.

Took a quick break for dinner at some Korean bistro (it was pretty good) before heading to the Youth & Young Adult showcase, which featured a bunch of great aspiring/new artists.

When I arrived, Isaac Cates & Ordained were on stage and sounded GREAT.  Not long after, Sunday Best finalist Zebulon Ellis got on the piano to play and sing the classic Milton Brunson tune “For The Good Of Them.”  I’ll say this– we, the Sunday Best viewing audience, were cheated out of experiencing how awesome his vocal ability is.  Dude can blow, FOR REAL.

A bit later, Melinda Watts performed “There Will Come A Day” from her new album, followed by a organ-accompanied “When We All Get To Heaven” and “When I See Jesus” medley.  It was HOT.

After her, JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise took the stage and performed their hit song “Incredible God, Incredible Praise.”  Lemme tell ya– incredible PERFORMANCE, too.  They ended their set with their new single, “Resting On His Promise,” and had Bishop Eric McDaniel join them for the vamp (as he does on the recorded version).  They had great energy and an even better sound.

I ducked out before the end, lest I fell out from fatigue– this week will wear you OUT if you don’t get your rest!  Geeeeez.

That’s it for now.  ‘Til later!

The Gospel Music Workshop Of America (GMWA) is in the final days of prepping– the week-long event kicks off this coming Saturday and runs through the 31st of July in Cincinnati, OH.

The convention, held at the Duke Energy Center, will feature daily morning worship sessions, workshops, showcases and nightly musicals.

I think I’m most excited about the full concert featuring Donald Lawrence and the huuuge concert on Thursday, the 30th, which will feature Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, J Moss, Kurt Carr, Byron Cage, Smokie Norful and more.  Ummm… that’s hot.  I may have to tweet live from that one.

Anyway, it’s not too late to register and buy tickets for stuff.  Visit http://www.gmwanational.net/ for more details.  And follow GMWA on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/GMWA.

Who else is planning to attend?  I wanna meet some of ya.  Hit me up and lemme know.

Timiney Figueroa-Caton and Anaysha Figueroa are sisters with similar tones, but each brings something unique to the table… rather, to the STAGE.

Most folks know Timiney from her classic work with Hezekiah Walker & LFC (“Calling My Name”) and, most recently, with the Kurt Carr Singers.  Anaysha’s just as busy– she sings with Kirk Franklin and has done several awesome guest spots (plus, I’ve been a fan since she sang “Lullaby Of Broadway” on the old skool film Life With Mikey).

Here’s a clip of them singing “Calling My Name”… great, heartfelt, worshipful…

Whatd’ya think???