This week on BET’s Sunday Best, we were able to listen to the remaining 7 finalists, with 2 heading home.

Before that, though, Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin opened the show with their hit duo, “The Prayer,” from Donnie’s 2003 album, Again. I don’t fully get the performance decision– they’ve each had two albums since then. It seemed like a shot at a TV moment, though, which I can’t be mad at. They still have incredible voices and they pulled off a solid performance.

I’m so glad that we finally got to see Kim Burrell actually BE the vocal mentor this episode. And it was a good show for it– the theme revolved around LOVE SONGS, and Kim really helped these artists operate outside their comfort zone, which I think was the point of the whole exercise.

Here’s how the finalists’ performances played out for me:

Michael Pugh – “You and I”
This is the type of song I’ve been waiting to hear from him– a perfect way to showcase his ability to do more than a churchy squall that slays. He has a nice tone for crooning.  Though he definitely didn’t seem as comfortable with this style of music, I was glad to hear him in this vein!

Timesha Sampson – “I Believe In You And Me”
Aww, man.  This kind of got away from Timesha, which I think might have been avoided if she stuck to the melody a bit more. Sucks to say it, and it may be unfair, but this was clearly too “gospel” for this week’s gospel show.

Monica Smith – “At Last”
She REALLY impressed me! Despite everyone comparing her to Shirley Caesar for the past several weeks, Monica seemed completely comfortable doing this jazzy, lounge-like song.  She gave a tasteful and authentic performance. This was spot on!

Andrea Helms – “Wind Beneath My Wings”
Again, I’m always left wondering if the judges’ and crowd’s reactions have more to do with her race than her gift. There wasn’t anything particular astounding about this vocal performance. It was a bit amateur this time around for me.

Amber Bullock- “Ribbon In The Sky”
Great tone, lady! Plus, pretty good choices on the “doo doo doo” scat-like ad libs. It was way too gospel for me by the time the vamp came along, though– I agree with Tina’s wish that Amber had taken a more “tender approach.” Still, she’s a frontrunner for a reason– she’s polished and professional.

Isaiah Freeman IV – “So Amazing”
This performance hurt my heart. I don’t even CONDONE many people remaking Luther Vandross, but from Isaiah’s first note, I was put at ease. His tone and approach was INCREDIBLE to me. Then, in a moment, he lost the words, his total confidence was shaken, and the rest of the performance fell apart. Isaiah is much better than that performance displayed and he knew it. Hurt me! Lol

Sue Roseberry – “Jesus Is Love”
UMM… kinda unfair, on the whole secular “love songs” show, that Mama Sue gets to do “Jesus Is Love,” but she sang it like she wrote it. Lol! I MEAN! Flawless finessing of a good ol’ groove. I loved it.

Before any finalist got sent packing, the one and only Jill Scott performed “Hear My Call.” She crafted her song– she didn’t just sing it. It was an absolutely captivating performance of a beautiful song.

In the end, Timesha Sampson and Isaiah Freeman IV were sent home. I was particularly disappointed about Isaiah– definitely my fave from this season so far. That’s alright my dude! I’m buying your album!

Anyway, just my two cents. What did YOU think of the show?

Months and months ago, I told you guys that Kirk Whalum was getting ready to release the 3rd volume of his oh-so-incredible gospel jazz collection, The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter III.  Well, the time has come– look for it on March 16th.

I’m so excited, I kinda don’t know what to do with myself. LOL

I already featured volumes 1 and 2 as part of the Slept On series, telling you that Whalum featured phenomenal musicians like George Duke and Jonathan Butler, and superb vocalists like Kevin Whalum, Kim Burrell and Táta Vega.

Well, chapter 3 promises to be just as good, with great musicianship and vocals, AGAIN. I’m particularly excited about a reworking of the Luther Vandross hit “Make Me A Believer,” a duet between Kevin Whalum (saw him live a few weeks ago… he’s so gifted, it’s almost unfair) and the incomparable Lalah Hathaway.

Check out the full promo trailer for the album:

Get your pennies, nickels and dimes together, folks… you WANT this album!

Who’s buyin’???

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?

As promised, over the next few days, I’m recapping my gospel-filled weekend in NYC.  For today, let’s chat about the Summer Stage gospel concert at Central Park.

It’s an annual event in NYC’s huuuge Central Park.  I tend to enjoy outdoor concerts cuz I like the feeling of hearing the music from far away, then walking up closer and being the middle of all that energy.

And though it was really raining like crazy for a time, this concert didn’t disappoint.  The audience clearly had a great time and the music was on point.  Ruben Studdard opened the show with several songs, including some popular Luther Vandross tunes.  It wasn’t exactly gospel, but he was singing ’em and doing a good job.

Byron Cage took to the stage next.  His set included some of his classics, but also showcased a new single from his upcoming project.  Dance-able and fun… good job and I’m lookin’ forward to the album!

Bishop Hezekiah Walker also made a cameo appearance on stage.  It’s always great to see him!

We had to leave for the McDonald’s GospelFest once Smokie Norful started his set, so I missed some of him (though what I DID hear was incredible!).   And the tweets from fellow blogger Torrence Glenn of BET.com suggested that Tye Tribbett was energetic and dynamic, as usual!

Some pics for ya (scroll over each one for captions):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, of course, a special word to all of you guys from Melinda Watts: