Don’t get caught slipping… BET’s Celebration of Gospel airs THIS SUNDAY at 8pm ET/PT.
The 12th annual performance showcase, hosted by Steve Harvey, will feature performances from Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, Le’Andria Johnson, Jessica Reedy, Isaac Carree, Mali Music, Faith Evans and MANY MANY more.
Don’t miss it. And check out this video of BET’s Torrence Glenn chatting it up with the artists as they arrive on the Celebration of Gospel BLUE carpet!
Mark your calendars!
The 12th annual Celebration of Gospel, hosted by Steve Harvey, will air on BET on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT.
Folks already slated to perform/appear include:
Kirk Franklin
Yolanda Adams
Marvin Sapp
Shirley Caesar
Fred Hammond
Le’Andria Johnson
The Rance Allen Group
Earnest Pugh
Zacardi Cortez
Jessica Reedy
Ricky Dillard & New G
Isaac Carree
Mali Music
Ledisi
Faith Evans
Kelly Price
Johnny Gill
Jennifer Holliday
James Fortune & FIYA
Moses Tyson, Jr.
Maurette Brown Clark
Dr. Bobby Jones
Wendy Raquel Robinson
The event will also feature tributes to Mahalia Jackson and Whitney Houston.
The two-hour special will be taped next Friday, March 16th, at 8 p.m. PT at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
FREE TICKETS are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Email betrsvp@bet.net to get ‘em!
Umm… one of the best faith-based videos I’ve seen.
I don’t think I’ve been this emotionally captivated by a video since Aaron Hall’s “I Miss You” (you youngin’s don’t know about that!).
Anyway, check out the concept music video for “The Job Experience,” the lead single from Mali Music’s upcoming album, Mali.
From concept and direction to lighting, effects and execution… this is in a league of its own.
If you’re diggin’ the song like I am, you can buy it on iTunes right here, right now–
Quiet as it’s kept, B Reith has got to be one of GospelPundit.com’s favorite artists because of his style and sound, but also because of his innovation and refusal to be boxed in. We’ve covered him before and, though he’s not as widely known in the gospel industry, he’s someone you ought to know about!
B just finished several dates on the MisFit Tour, which featured Da’ T.R.U.T.H., The Ambassador, Mali Music and more. His latest album, How The Story Ends is in stores TODAY.
The 12-track project features B Reith in his sing-song style of hip-hop and soul. He’s both a gifted rapper and vocalist, and he beautifully weaves the two together. B could definitely have let this project be a one-man show, and it would have been great, but he’s got enough smarts to know that two heads (and sometimes three) are better than one, so the project features guest vocals from heavy-hitters like Lecrae, as well as underground faves like Lisa Gungor and PJ Morton.
Standout tracks on this project abound, but some of my faves are “For Once In My Life” with PJ Morton, “New Found Love,” and “Made for More” with Lecrae and Lisa Gungor. Look out, also, for “2 Steps Forward” and “Not Who I Am” featuring Dave Barnes.
Check out snippets of How The Story Ends and buy it right here, right now–
Don’t forget– Mali Music will appear on BET’s 106 & Park TODAY at 6pm ET. Tune in!
Mali Music will be featured on an episode of 106 & Park next week!
If you’re in the NYC area, get to the taping on Monday, October 24th at 1pm ET. You can request tickets right here.
If you’re not in NYC, or can’t make it, tune-in to 106 & Park on Tuesday, October 25th, at 6pm ET to watch Mali.
For years, Mali Music has been a bit of an underground sensation in gospel music. He was adored by fans and respected by successful artists. But it wasn’t until he performed on this year’s BET Awards as part of BET’s Music Matters campaign that he received what many would consider national– and even mainstream– recognition. Happy for him!
Check him out on Tuesday on 106 & Park and, if you’re in the NYC area, go to the taping!
In stores today is Kierra Sheard’s Free, an urban and pop-themed praise and worship album featuring tons of energy, inimitable vocal acrobatics and Kierra’s BRL Choir. With it, she stands firmly in a space of gospel music that may not have even existed previously, and she sets the bar for others to follow, if they can.
Kierra’s first release on her parents’ label, Karew Records, Free is intricately produced by her brother, J Drew Sheard II, and was recorded live in Chicago earlier this year.
Fans will appreciate her cover of Chris Tomlin’s ”Indescribable,” the playfully melodic “People,” and the whimsical choir cut “Victory,” which features James Fortune (it’s my personal fave on the project).
Other standout tracks include the hard-driving single “You Are,” the pop-flavored “War,” with a chorus that reminds me a bit of something the Black Eyed Peas might do, “Since I Found Christ” with Mali Music, and the title track, “Free.”
Kierra Sheard has said that this album is her best to date, implying that it represents her better than any other. Consumers may be surprised to hear that, as many considered her 2006 sophomore album, This Is Me, to be sonically definitive of her artistry. Or, at least we want it to be.
But it’s clear– on Free, Kierra is probably most “herself.” She is vulnerable and transparent, at times absolutely overcome with emotion and tears as she worships God or challenges the crowd to a lifestyle of holiness.
Undoubtedly, Free is a musical wonderland with plenty to take in. I had to listen repeatedly to even get a sense of all that was happening. Still, I can’t help but wonder if a segment of her earlier audience will feel a bit lost among the complicated melodies and arrangements.
For those expecting an urban album, this isn’t it. For those expecting a churchy project, it isn’t that, either. Free is the recorded result of a live worship experience featuring Kierra and the BRL Choir singing songs as imaginative as they could dream, reaching out to a God as mighty, but as personal, as He is.
Free is in stores NOW. Listen to snippets and/or buy it right here–
Hey folks, just a quick heads-up to let you know that we’ve added new artists to the Pundit Pages, our growing database of gospel artist info.
Head over now and check out the pages we’ve compiled for Dorinda Clark Cole, Andraé Crouch, Ricky Dillard, Le’Andria Johnson, Mali Music, Jessica Reedy and Trin-i-tee 5:7.
More coming soon!
Check out Jessica Reedy’s in-studio performance of “Blue God,” one of the tunes on her debut album, From the Heart.
This song is cleverly written by Mali Music and features some awesome vocals!
From the Heart, the debut album from Jessica Reedy seems to have been long-awaited since before she was actually working on it. The season two Sunday Best runner-up collaborated with some of gospel music’s finest writers and producers (Warryn Campbell, Big Jim Wright, Daniel Moore and more) to create the 13-track project that Reedy says is truly an outpouring of what God gave her to do.
At first listen, I was a bit taken aback. While I wasn’t expecting a churchy traditional gospel album, I also wasn’t expecting the progressive, soul-laden music that Reedy has delivered. Once I got past my own expectations, though, I could listen to the songs for what they are– testaments of love and gratitude, straight from Jessica Reedy’s heart to God’s ears. And I can’t deny that the impressive vocals, creative songwriting and tight production now have me returning for more.
The album is mellow for sure–a bit cozier than I would want on a road trip– with only a few up-tempo tunes. Among them is the project’s latest single, the bouncy ”Put It On the Altar,” and “Doctor Love,” the clever remake of the 70′s classic dance club tune, featuring Faith Evans.
Musically, From the Heart is jam-packed with soulful sounds, at times even featuring Motown-styled production and doo-wop backrounds vocals. Tunes like “Marching On,” which is reminiscent of an Otis Redding groove, and the tight harmonies of “Always,” resonate with my old school heart and take me back a musical era or two.
Jessica also dabbles in urban flair, though, as heard on songs like “So In Love With You (Amazing),” which is first driven by a thunderous bass before it reaches an ethereal chant of “so amazing,” with Jessica ad libbing in worshipful gratitude. Or, just listen to “Something Out of Nothing,” an R&B-styled ballad that showcases greater vocal range than we’ve typically heard from her.
Lyrically, the album’s messages are often couched in more abstract prose than this industry gets on a regular basis. The Mali Music-penned “Blue God,” for example, is a knock against our selfishly skewed relationships with God, demonstrated through wittily placed punctuations of “my” this and “my” that. Listen closely and the sarcasm screams loud and clear– it’s not about us.
Though progressive, the rich heritage of gospel music is foundationally present in gems like “I’m Still Here,” an excellent collaboration between Jessica Reedy and The Soul Seekers, blending Jessica’s rich tone with the group’s quartet-style background vocals, and lead singer Teddy Campbell’s classic crooning. It’s also heard in “God Has Smiled On Me,” the full arrangement of the mellow groove that placed Jessica as a frontrunner on Sunday Best in 2009.
Throughout From the Heart, Jessica’s passion is felt in her pulsing vibrato and colored tone. She intensely delivers each note as if it counts the most. For her, it does.
I won’t deny it– making this album was risky. At first listen, it’s not what the fans are expecting. But, as she shared in a recent interview with me, Jessica knows that and isn’t really phased by it. It’s clear that she is most interested in expressing herself musically than impressing people.
But, with From the Heart, I believe she’ll do both. It’s good music… from-the-heart music. And in an industry increasingly dominated by numbers games and PR gimmicks, it’s a relief to know that an artist decided to simply be herself, express herself, and leave the rest out of the equation.
Listen and buy it on Amazon, iTunes, or right here–
