This prayer train is still rollin’ and I’m ready to add a new addition to GospelPundit.com’s weekly series, The Prayer List.

This week, we’re praying for Myron Butler.

Myron gained national exposure and attention over a decade ago, through his songwriting/lead vocals on the history-making God’s Property album with Kirk Franklin.  Since then, however, the Lord has established Myron has a frontman in his own right, having released three albums with his group, Levi (the most recent of which, Revealed… Live In Dallas, hit stores in March of this year).

More than a gifted singer/songwriter, he’s a husband and father.  He’s a super humble guy with a fun personality and big ol’ heart.  Let’s lift him up in prayer, family.  Cool?

Lord, thank You for the life and ministry of Myron Butler.  Thank You for gifting him in so many ways, and thank You for giving him a heart to serve You and to worship You with his life.

I pray, Father, that You will accept Myron’s sacrifice of praise and worship, that it would please You and bring You glory.  I pray that You will grant Myron divine wisdom in all areas of his life– as a husband, as a father, as a leader of his group… I pray for clarity of thought and boldness to believe in all that You are able (and faithful) to perform in his life, and in the lives of those surrounding him.

Lord, please bless Myron with patience– in a natural and spiritual sense.  And allow him to rest in You… to rest in all that You’ve promised and revealed to him.  Help his unbelief, in whatever areas You may find it, God… And help him to never grow anxious as he waits for all that You have in store for him.  Encourage Myron’s heart, Lord.  Hear every prayer and let him know that You are always with him.

I pray that you would spark in him a new hunger for You, for Your Word, for Your character… I pray that Myron would continue to marvel at Your beauty, God, and that he would fall more deeply in love with You with each passing day.

Father, I pray that, as a result of his love for You, he would gain greater understanding of You and, in turn, impart that into Your people through his ministry.  I pray that You would give him all that he’ll need to do Your great work on this Earth.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Okay, post your prayers for Myron Butler in the comment section!

Who rocks the recaps?  Troy Lilly rocks the recaps.

And he’s back with more this week.  Without delay… here’s our buddy, Troy Lilly, with his take on last night’s episode of BET’s Sunday Best…

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After weeks of watching the judges voice their opinions and make – at times – controversial cuts from the lineup, it’s time for YOU to decide who will become Sunday Best this year.  No more blaming the judges, people.

So, the show last night began by reminding us what the winner walks away with besides a whole bunch of votes: a national recording contract – and a 2010 Ford Taurus SHO! Exciting, right?

The episode also introduced music directors, Stanley Brown and PJ Morton, and featured an instrumental by trumpeter Shemar Allen as a tribute to New Orleans, Louisiana, the host city for this season’s show.

Ledisi, another phenomenal R&B singer, opened the show with “Higher Than This,” a song from her latest album. I was sure the “high” she refers to was, well you know, that of a man. Ledisi (almost) convinced me the song was written about God. There are only two words for her singing style last night: church bred. I’ve been following her on Twitter, too, and she’s got a little word in her.

And then later in the show, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, who is nothing less than a gospel music legend, sang “Good News,” a song EJ premiered on GospelPundit.com last year before anyone else.  But on to the contestants…

Elder Goldwire McLendon – “I Know It Was the Blood” and “Jesus Be a Fence Around Me”

I wanna be like Elder McLendon when I grow up. He’s got Holy Ghost swagger! And he strutted it all over the stage yet again. Although I feel he was shortchanged a bit by the communion song (he could’ve really handled something far more challenging), he still managed to make “I Know It Was The Blood” his own.  I would have loved another song like “Jesus Be a Fence,” which Elder sang next.

On this song he showed more of the energy and vitality we saw last week during his performance of “He’s All Over Me.” Particularly during the vamp, he added some nice adlibs and, of course, hop scotched like a pro. Last night Elder said something that stood out to me: “I am not singing to people, I sing to God.” It’s clear that knowing who you’re singing to makes a world of difference.

LeAndria Johnson – “Running Back to You” and “Set Me Free”

Judge Donnie McClurkin asked last night if there’s anything LeAndria can’t sing.  I’d have to ask the same question because, if there is, I haven’t heard it yet. LeAndria tackled a classic Commissioned song first with stunning results. It may have been difficult for another singer to deliver a signature song without sticking to the original artist’s style. Not LeAndria. One of her greatest attributes as a singer, in my opinion, is her ability to interpret songs in a unique way. As I said a few weeks ago, song interpretation is what makes a singer an artist.

She was clearly up for the challenge on her second song as well. Not only did she interpret Myron Butler & Levi’s “Set Me Free,” she shared a personal testimony at the same time.  “I may have lost my house,” she sang, “but God’s got a mansion for me.” I believe he has so much more.

The Faceoff

The true faceoff of the evening, however, came in the form of a duet between Elder McLendon and LeAndria. They teamed up and sing “I’ll Take You There” to close the show. Hand in hand for the majority of the song, the pair played off of the large age gap between them and marched around the stage cheerfully in a performance that was rather harmonious for them to be going against ach other for the Sunday Best title. It was definitely a highlight of the show.

Their fate is now in your hands. You’ve been watching every week. You’ve seen the good and the not so good. You’ve seen each of them leap across the stage and bring the judges to tears.  Now you must decide who is Sunday Best.

Remember, you can vote until Saturday June 19, 2010 at noon EST. To vote online at the Sunday Best page on BET.com, click here.

What’s the verdict?

Here’s a little peak at the new video from Myron Butler & Levi, for their latest single “Speak.”

I love this song!

Check it out–

Lemme know what you think!!!

MAJOR congrats to gospel hip-hop artist Sho Baraka, whose new album, Lions & Liars, has debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart!

I want you guys to understand how great of an accomplishment that is– gospel hip-hop artists don’t always get much coverage from the more “mainstream” gospel media, so to land at the top of the charts, through other means is a big feat.  Great job!

Also, Myron Butler & Levi’s latest project, Revealed… Live In Dallas, has debuted at #6 on the chart.  Kudos to you all, too!

The full breakdown is as follows:

#1 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#2 | WOW Gospel 2010
#3 | Sho Baraka – Lions & Liars
#4 | BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
#5 | James Fortune & FIYA – Encore
#6 | Myron Butler & Levi – Revealed… Live In Dallas
#7 | Fred Hammond – Love Unstoppable
#8 | Hezekiah Walker & LFC – Souled Out
#9 | Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love
#10 | Tamela Mann – The Master Plan

Mary Mary’s The Sound has dropped out of the top 10, perhaps for the first time since its 2008 release, but lands just at #11.  It’ll be back. LOL

Who’s got Sho Baraka’s project?  What do you think of the charts?

The winners of the Myron Butler & Levi CD GiveAway have been selected! Congrats to:

Anthony Daniels | Alpharetta, GA
Melisa Etienne | Lehigh Acres, FL
Tyrone Burrell | Mesquite, TX
Delger Covington | Kansas City, MO
Ericka Wilkins | Cincinnati, OH
Michelle Bowden | Sikeston, MO
Kurt Ford | Carbondale, IL
Dante Robinson | Chicago, IL
Kristen Dyer | Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Kimberly Fisher | Los Angeles, CA

If you didn’t win this time, fret not. Another giveaway is just around the corner! Promise.

In the meantime, I suggest you click here to buy it now.  It’s just 8 bucks!

Congrats again to the winners!

Today, Myron Butler & Levi return to the scene with their third release, Revealed… Live In Dallas.  Like their other albums, it is full of great vocals, songwriting and production, offering listeners intricate melodies, catchy hooks, and all-around good music.

The 12-track project opens with the group’s first single (and title tune) “Revealed,” followed by the band-banging “I Just Can’t Live,” featuring Kirk Franklin.  It’s great to hear him again with the group, comprised mostly of God’s Property alumni, but Myron Butler has done such a great job leading them that the tune feels much more like a guest spot than a reunion of sorts.

The album slows a bit as it eases into “Speak Into The Atmosphere,” a simple chant that will likely be a successful second single for the group.  From there, the project takes listeners on a journey of musical styles, from the rock-infused “Holy God” to the smoother sound of “Moving Closer.”

My favorite song on the project may be “I Am God.”  With its fairy-tale melody set to a 5/4 time signature, the tune is almost as captivating as its declarative scriptural lyrics.  Another strong track is “Covered,” with great instrumentation and powerful vocal delivery from Levi’s seasoned vocalists.

Other stand-out tunes for me include the mellow “Greatest Love,” the well-done gospel cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” and the beautiful musical plea of “Run To The Cross,” featuring guest vocals from Smokie Norful.

If Revealed is to face any commercial hurdle, it will be due to some of the album’s musical complexities.  While exciting for musically minded listeners, the concepts may be too intricate for some gospel consumers to grasp.  By that, I mean that you may not hear your church choir rendering many A and B selections from it.  And if they try it, the music will be simplified and the vocals void of the nuances that make Myron Butler & Levi so great.

That said, Myron Butler’s musical gift is undeniable.  Any lover of music– particularly in gospel– will appreciate (maybe love) the songwriting, production and musical delivery that Myron Butler & Levi offer on Revealed… Live In Dallas.  It’s an effort that you’ll want in your music collection.

Click here to buy it digitally for just $8.

Anybody have it?  Anybody gettin’ it?  Talk to me.

Things stay the same for one more week in the top 5 slots of Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart–

WOW Gospel 2010 rests at #1, BeBe & CeCe Winans‘ Still is at #2, James Fortune & FIYA’s Encore is #3, followed by Tamela Mann and Fred Hammond at #4 and #5, respectively.

In terms of drama and excitement, the chart has been a little “blah” for the past month or so.  The last albums to enter the marketplace and make a splash were WOW Gospel 2010 and James Fortune & FIYA’s Encore at the end of January.

Kudos to Bishop Paul Morton, whose Memorable Moments album remains at #8 for the second week straight, and a big “I see you, dude” to Earnest Pugh for re-entering the top 10 at #9.

Next week, Marvin Sapp’s Here I Am (which hit stores yesterday) will land at #1 and stay there for quite some time… like, MANY MONTHS, I’m predicting.  If you saw my post yesterday, you know that even Billboard is predicting that he’ll have the highest debut across all genres next week, with at least 70,000 units expected and a top 5 showing in the Billboard Top 200 (not just the Gospel Album chart).

Following Sapp’s release, the only other albums that I expect to make strong debuts in the near future on the Gospel Album chart are Myron Butler & Levi’s Revealed (due March 30th, EMI Gospel) and Karen Clark Sheard’s All In One (April 6th, Karew Records).

I doubt that they’ll move 70,000 units in their first week, but both albums are INCREDIBLE to me and I think you’d be wise to cop ‘em as soon as they hit…  no lie.  Full album reviews of those two projects coming soon.

Whatd’ya think???

Is it just me, or is gospel the only genre that allows (maybe expects, and even demands) artists’ names to follow the format of “So-And-So” & “Such-And-Such”?

Think about it… Jonathan Nelson & Purpose, Myron Butler & Levi, DeWayne Woods & When Singers Meet…

But it didn’t just start happening… there was Israel & New Breed, Kirk Franklin & The Family, Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ…

And before them, Richard Smallwood & Vision, Walter Hawkins & The Hawkins Family, Andraé Crouch & The Disciples…

And let’s not forget the choirs– Hezekiah Walker & LFC, Ricky Dillard & New G, John P Kee & New Life, Milton Brunson & The Tommies, O’landa Draper & The Associates…

Understand this– my absolute ALL-TIME FAVORITE gospel artists are mentioned above, so I’m not mad at their names at all.  Love you guys and you KNOW it!

I definitely think the the name choices make sense– ours is the only genre with the artist format of frontmen backed by an ensemble or a choir.

But I’d be lying if I said it isn’t refreshing when I hear creative names like Mary Mary, Excelsior, 21:03 and Mali Music.

In short, it’s not a good or bad thing, just… a thing.  A gospel thing.

Anyone noticed???

I got my advance copy of Myron Butler & Levi’s newest project, Revealed: Live In Dallas, this week and I’ve been listening nonstop.

My favorite tracks so far are the title cut (which is also the single), “I Just Can’t Live” featuring Kirk Franklin, “Greatest Love,” “I Am God,” “Run To The Cross,” featuring Smokie Norful, a jazzy cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and “Covered.”

The full album isn’t in stores until March 30th, so you’ve got a minute to save up.  But do save up– you’ll wanna make this purchase.

Word has it that the new project from Myron Butler & Levi might feature a track with Kirk Franklin on it. Apparently, Kirk was in the studio, recording a track with Myron earlier this week.

If they come even remotely close to recreating the magic that they had when Levi was God’s Property (and I believe they will), it’s gonna be a blaaaaaazin’ track and I’m gonna be a verrrrrry grateful dude.

Okay, I’m ready for some advance tracks now, please!!!