Okay, folks.  Here’s the final interview in the Sunday Best Finalist Edition of interviews.  If you’ve been following, we’ve heard from Jessica Reedy and Y’Anna Crawley (click here if you need a refresher)– now, it’s time to chat with Latice Crawford!

Latice floored us from jump, amazing us with her near-flawless rendition of Vanessa Bell Armstrong’s “Peace Be Still.”  Judges and fans have been a little rough on her lately, leaving some to believe that she may be sent home this week.

She’s got a sweet spirit with an incredible voice and a love for God.  Here’s Latice Crawford…

*     *     *

EJ:  Hey!  How are you?

LC:  I’m doing good, how are you?

EJ:  I’m great thank you.  I wanna first congratulate you on how you’re doing on Sunday Best.  You are a phenomenal vocalist!

LC:  Thank you so much!  Thank you.

EJ:  No doubt.  Tell me about your experience on the show.  What’s it been like?

LC:  Umm… tiring… *laughing* Fun, exciting, a blessing… just a new door that’s opened up for me.  It’s been such an awesome experience.

EJ:  That’s great!  I think you gained a huge fanbase from week one of the performances, when you did “Peace Be Still” by Vanessa Bell-Armstrong.  Folks fell in love with your incredibly unique voice and tone– where did that come from?  Did you work on that?  Were you influenced by certain singers?

LC:  No, actually it came from me losing my voice for four years.  I didn’t really appreciate my gift and God snatched it away.  I used to have a really high voice, like a Karen Clark-Sheard, Mariah Carey kind of voice.

EJ:  Are you serious?!

LC:  Yeah… but I didn’t appreciate it.  I didn’t want to sing.  And God just snatched it away, and gave me some life experiences that made me want to SCREAM and sing.  *laughs*  So that’s the gift I have now– I just belt it out.  It’s definitely God-given.

EJ:  Wow.  You also had a pretty big transformation on the show– you cut off a bunch of your hair!  Now, I know a bunch of black women who don’t just CUT their hair on the fly.  *laughing*  Was that your idea, had you planned to do it and what was your motivation for it?

LC:  Well, I’ve never had a problem cutting my hair.  I’ve had everything down to a Caesar.  The only thing I haven’t had is a baldie, and I’m not trying to go that route any time soon. *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs*  Okay.

LC:  But I never had a problem cutting my hair.  They have so many things out there now, they’ve got weave and wigs, and some of everything that you can get for hair, so… I don’t have a problem.  It’ll grow back.

But yeah, I was definitely in the decision-making process for that.  I wanted to do something really different, something that everyone hadn’t seen me with (as far as “in America”), so I chopped it off and… I like it.

EJ:  Well it worked well.  I think it got a lot of people saying “Whitney Houston!  She looks like Whitney Houston!”  Had you ever heard any of those comparisons?

LC:  I hear that every day of my life. *laughing*

EJ:  Do you?! *laughs*

LC:  Yes, every day.  My cousin, I think, was actually the first to tell me that, but since then, I’ve heard it every single day.

I don’t mind the Whitney comment.  I think she’s great, but I don’t want to be compared to her all the time– I want people to know me as Latice Crawford.

EJ:  Absolutely.

LC:  You know?  Because I’m Latice Crawford, she’s Whitney.  There’s only one Whitney Houston and only one Latice Crawford.  I’m happy with the compliment, but I definitely don’t want the comparison. *laughs*

EJ:  Right.  You don’t wanna get stuck there.  Now, lately, viewers have seen comments from the judges that you’re disconnected from the audience in some way.  A couple of weeks ago, Tina Campbell asked if you were comfortable singing the song you sang and you seemed to give an unequivocal “yes.”

Can you clear it up for people– what are people seeing, or THINKING they’re seeing, that would suggest some nervousness or disconnect from you?

LC:  Well, what people fail to realize is that when the shows are taped, we are being pulled in every direction, you know, behind the stage.  And they don’t understand, really, what a day is for taping– it’s nothing like what they can imagine.  They think we just get on the stage and we sing, but no… they don’t understand the rehearsal process and the learning of the song sometimes 15 or 20 minutes before… things that happened or got changed.  They don’t understand those types of things.

But I will say, with the audience, there wasn’t really a disconnect.  There might have been some exhaustion.  I was tired, my voice was strained… y’know?  We were singing A LOT and it was just getting down to the wire.  Some of my songs weren’t really songs that I might have chosen for myself, so I was trying to do something different, outside of my box.

EJ:  Sure.

LC:  And like you said, from the beginning, I think the expectation for me was set so high… and I’m up against some real strong singers! *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing*

LC:  *laughing*  You know?  Jessica and Yannie… So, maybe I was in my head a little bit.  There were some technical difficulties with my songs a couple of weeks ago and, like I said, those are things that people don’t get to see– there’s a lot of editing and people don’t get to see the behind-the-scenes.  But, all in all, I think I did an okay job.

EJ:  I agree!  You know, one of your fans on a blog someplace else said that it seems like the judges are just making up stuff to try to send someone home.  And when I spoke with Y’Anna, she said that the competition is really strong this season, so the judges are having a hard time deciding among you all.

Do you feel like you’re being picked on at all, or that you’ve been unfairly called out in the past couple of weeks?

LC:  Honestly, no.  I feel like the judges, like Yannie said, are having a very difficult time taking people out.  The competition is really tough.  I’ve always been the type of person to look at things from the opposite side– I feel like whenever someone is giving you a hard critique, it’s because they expect a lot from you.  It means I’m capable of doing whatever it is that they are saying.

EJ:  That’s a good word.

LC:  So to me, I felt like the judges had high expectations for me and wanted the best out of me.  Everyone is pushing for everyone, so I have nothing against the judges.  They’re just doing their job and they have to eliminate somebody! *laughing*  So, it’s cool.

EJ:  That is cool.  Because the reality is that somebody does have to go home.  But, like I keep telling people, at this point, each of you three ladies could do albums and do very well in the industry.  You each have big fan bases, you have proven to the nation that you are great vocalists, you can be great artists, and it’s gonna pan out for each of you.

LC:  Thank you.

EJ:  You’re welcome!  On the show, we’ve heard Jessica’s testimony about getting pregnant at a young age, we’ve heard from Y’Anna about being a single parent.  But BET hasn’t really featured a “story” for Latice Crawford yet.  What is your story?  What pushes you, what motivates you in this competition?  What would you say if you had that camera time to get your background in?

LC:  Well, like I said earlier, I’ve had a lot of different experiences in my life, none that I could pinpoint now.  If I started, I’d never stop! *laughing*

EJ:  *laughing*  Okay.

LC:  You know, we all have our testimonies– no, I’m not a single parent.  No, I’m not raising two kids.  But I’ve had my own share of difficult times.

What pushes me is that I just don’t wanna stay stuck anywhere.  You know, people say “you’re the only one sitting there dwelling on it, the other person has moved on.”  So, there’s no point in me dwelling on anything.  So, I sing through it, I push through it.  I write… I write a lot of songs and different things.  I just try to push through it and encourage someone else.

Every time I encourage someone else, it shows me that what I’m doing is worth something– it’s not just about singing, it’s about ministry.

EJ:  Tell me a bit about losing your voice for 4 years– that’s astounding to me!  I think of Joann Rosario (now Condrey), who lost her voice for a time… it was her livelihood, but it was also the gift that she used to worship God, it was how she spent intimate time with him sometimes.

What is it like for a Christian, who is a singer, to be unable to use that gift for so long?

LC:  Honestly, in the beginning, it didn’t really bother me.  I never really asked to sing– it was something that was given.  But when it started affecting my communicating… I mean God shut me down, literally.  I couldn’t say “hi” too loudly without not being able to speak for days at a time.  I couldn’t sit on the phone.

And this is before texting was really popular– like, when they charged you 10 or 20 cents per text! *laughing*

EJ: *laughs*  Right!

LC:  And I couldn’t express myself.  My grandmother, before she passed away, she would always so “when you think I’m not with you, look to your left.”  And I always thought “what is she talking about?!”  But I’m left-handed.

So, as time went on, and I realized I couldn’t SING it out, I could write it out.  And the more I wrote it out, I was like “I can write all of this stuff, but I can’t SAY it?!”  I mean, God has taken me through some stuff and I couldn’t even tell anybody about it.  And God just gave me a “want” for my gift– that’s what He had to do to make me want it, so that I can be where I am, ministering to people today.

God knew what I had, but I didn’t.  And I didn’t want it.  But, you know, gifts come without repentance.

EJ:  Well, I’m glad He made you TAKE it! *laughing*

Like I said, I think you’re gonna do well.  You have a large fan base already and I know it’s gonna grow.

LC:  Thank you so much.

EJ:  And I appreciate you for taking a minute to talk with me.

LC:  Oh, definitely!

EJ:  And you keep in touch!

LC:  I sure will.  Bye.

*     *     *

So, that’s THAT!

Make sure you check out some of her earlier tracks (GOOD stuff!) at her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/laticecrawford.

And with THAT interview, I believe we’re now ready for Sunday Best this Sunday!  Make sure you follow me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/gospelpundit) for real-time updates and commentary on Sunday night!

In the meantime, what did you think of the interview???

Okay, y’all have waited long enough… Let’s continue our conversation with Melonie Daniels.  If you missed PART ONE, make sure you click here to get caught up on things, then come right back!

In this segment, Melonie continues talking about her performing experience with Mariah Carey.  Then, she discusses her own voice, why she actually does NOT think it’s that spectacular, and why she continues to train it.

I hope you enjoy.  Here’s PART TWO…

*     *     *

EJ:  Talk to me more about your work with Mariah Carey.  What was it like?

MD:  It was incredible.  I filled up a passport, had to add pages, and then pay for another one. *laughing*

EJ:  Someone wanted me to ask you this and I told them I would:  If Mariah was ever hoarse on stage, did you ever do her whistle tone notes for her?

MD:  Oh, heck no.  Mmmmm… That ain’t my ministry. *laughing*

EJ:  You can do that!

MD:  Not those whistle notes, I can’t do that whistle stuff.  Well, I can do it, but it’s not controlled.  It’s like a happenstance.

EJ:  But you used to do her soundchecks for her, right?

MD:  Yeah, cuz she wouldn’t come.  *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs*

MD:  But, it’s like… at a certain point in your career, you know what you’re gonna do and you know what you’re gonna sound like.  And if you have people working with you who know your characteristics, and they’re able to handle it, you let them do what they do.

I don’t think it was a “diva” thing.  People who reach a certain status have so many people around them who overload their schedules.  So, she would have interviews, photo shoots, TV tapings and all kinds of stuff, up ’til an hour before a performance.  She wasn’t able to even come to the soundcheck.  So, I would end up checking for her and her sound guys– so on point.  They knew what hertz, what megahertz, the treble… all that stuff.  And I was able to mimic her voice enough that they could get exactly what they needed, so that when she hit the stage, it was ready to go.

EJ:  What was the road like with her?  How did you fare, as a little Baptist girl, thrown into the mainstream industry like that?

MD:  I was scared outta my mind! *laughing*  And I had a moment– I was like “God, I know you didn’t give us the spirit of fear, but I’ve gotta be honest and say that I am scared witless that You’d allow me to go into this situation where I may be one of few, or maybe the ONLY one… I need You to shine through each and every thing I do– the way I work, carry myself, and sing.”  I didn’t put singing first– I wanted my interactions before the singing because, at that point, singing was secondary.  I had rehearsed and practiced enough.

EJ:  How many years were you with Mariah?

MD:  Eleven.  From ’92 to 2003.

EJ:  Do you miss working with her?

MD:  I do and don’t.  I did the road for eleven years and it was wearing.  I walked away without it being a bad taste in my mouth.  So, if an opportunity presented itself again, I would go.  But I don’t think it would be with that camp because I believe that, whatever my assignment was, it’s done.

EJ:  But, how did you know that?  Why did you stop?

MD:  Umm… God said it was time to move.  I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t know where He was moving me, but it was a faith walk.  And it was about taking the lessons that I learned in that professional surrounding and bringing that level of excellence to whatever was next, which happened to be Greater Allen Cathedral in Jamaica, New York.

I got there with people that had been in the industry with me, and because of our expertise, we were able to pour into the music ministry the things we had learned, to make a more excellent offering to God.  Not just to build a music ministry and walk away, but to show people that it can be done excellently and still allow for the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do.

EJ:  That’s needed in the Body.  So, do you ever get star-struck?  Like, do you still have those “I can’t believe I’m here for this gig” types of moments?

MD:  Yeah, I have those.  Like, any of the awards shows.  Because you turn one way, there’s Stevie Wonder.  You turn another way, it’s Eric Clapton.  You turn another way, there’s Boyz II Men (at that time)… Then, you’ve got David Foster walking past you and here comes Clive Davis and Aretha Franklin, Faith Hill and Celine Dion… You either take it in and process it, or you pass out from all the excitement. *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs*

MD:  I’m the kind that takes it in and processes it.  The only person I get twisted over is Stevie Wonder. *laughing*  I stop breathing when the man walks into the room because his ears are impeccable.

EJ: *laughing*  But you’ve sung with him before, right?

MD:  I’ve never sung with him.  But when BET did the Walk Of Fame thing a few years ago, Mariah had to sing.

EJ:  I remember that.  She did “You And I.”

MD:  Right.  And I did the vocal arrangement for the backgrounds, because he didn’t have background vocals on that song.

EJ:  I remember the performance AND the background vocals, and I could hear you loud and clear!

MD:  *laughs* And I did her soundcheck.  I’m glad they told me afterwards, but he was sitting in the back listening to me.  And I was like “WHAT?!”

EJ:  Oh wow.

MD:  And I was like “I’m glad y’all didn’t tell me” because I would’ve said “I’m not doing it… somebody else do it!”

EJ:  Are you kiddin’ me?!

MD:  I’m so serious.

EJ:  But don’t you KNOW… you know how great your voice is, right?

MD:  Mmmm…

EJ:  You really don’t?

MD:  I don’t agree. *laughing*  I do not agree.  I hate to hear my voice.  The only reason I listen to myself is for recording situations, if I have to match what I’ve done, or stack vocals.

EJ:  What do you think is wrong with it?

MD:  It’s not pleasing to me.  I believe I have a decent voice, but it’s not pleasing to me.

EJ:  But, you don’t think you have a nice tone?

MD:  No.  I think it does what it needs to do.  But you’ll never get “high praise” about my voice from me.

EJ:  I hear that.  But that’s most vocalists, I think.  How did you train your voice?  Was it classical, jazz, piano lessons, what did you do?

MD:  All of the above.  I didn’t grow up playing piano, but when I went to college at Five Towns College, it was part of the curriculum.  My ear was developed enough that I could take piano classes and make the connection between my voice and the music, and I was able to understand that it shouldn’t be separated.

And, just outside stuff with groups growing up– David Gates & Love, Peace and Joy, another group called God’s Creation, and another called One Accord, as well as being choir director at my church.

EJ:  So, tons of formal training and experience, plus some informal work.  How many octaves is your range, really?

MD:  I think it’s four.  I’ve not tested it in a minute, but I think it’s four.  And females have less of a range than males do, actually.

EJ:  Really?

MD:  Yes.  Claude V. McKnight is my principal example for this– he sings first soprano with Take 6, but he can sing as low as Alvin Chea.

EJ:  He sings bass in the group, right?

MD:  Yeah.  So he has, like, a 6-octave voice.  And the reason that guys have a wider range is because at puberty, when your voice changes, you get the low end, but you still keep that prepubescent high end, which most guys use as their falsetto.

For many females, three octaves is it.  Some have four or five.  I think I’m maybe four, or four and a half.  When I was a kid, like around 12, I had a freakish situation as far as my voice was concerned– my voice changed in puberty.

EJ:  Really?

MD:  I was singing soprano like a squeaky little girl and, next day, I was singing tenor.  I was devastated.  So, my mom took me to voice lessons and I began exercising those top parts of my register.  I have a pretty low break for a female– the break is that place where your voice changes from chest voice to head voice.  For me, it’s pretty low.  So, all that stuff you hear with me doing the high stuff is usually my falsetto and it’s been exercised to a point of strength, such that it sounds like my chest voice.

EJ:  RIDICULOUS!

MD:  But I did it out of a strange devastation.  *laughing hard*

EJ: *laughs*

MD:  I was like ”I’m a freak.  I don’t wanna be a freak.”  Please, it devastated me.

EJ:  Did kids make fun of you?

MD:  They didn’t make fun of me because they didn’t know what was going on.  All they knew was that I was a chick with a low voice. *laughing*

EJ:  Now, how did you learn to work a song so well?  Some people start right in with all they’ve got and, by the vamp, there’s nowhere else to go.  How did you train for that performance aspect?

MD:  It’s about knowing the choices, knowing what your voice is capable of and not capable of… knowing what is comfortable for you.  As far as ad libbing, if you don’t have the Word of God in your heart and your mouth, you have nothing to say.

EJ:  SAY it!

MD:  All it’ll be is riffs and “oh” and “yeah” and “no”.  And that’s the extent of your WORD repertoire.  You can tell if people are worshippers by how they ad lib on a song.  You can tell what they have to offer by how they deliver a song.

Now, ”oh” and “yeah” is not always a bad thing, but it’s up to the individual with the gift to work your education of that gift.  The gift comes from God, but the gifted are not perfect vessels, so we have to hone and train the gift in order for it to become effective.

EJ:  It’s funny you mention honing and training the gift.  A while back, your Facebook status update said you were on your way to a vocal lesson, and I laughed so hard because everybody was like “WHAT?!  Not YOU!”

MD:  Maaan, they blacked OUT! *laughing*

EJ: *laughs hard*

MD:  I mean, I got so many comments for putting that up– “what do you mean?” or “you should be teaching it!”

EJ:  Right.  What’s the problem with those types of responses?

MD:  It’s ignorance to think you don’t need it.  But it’s also “celebritizing” things.  Like, Meryl Streep– I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes and does stuff to keep herself sharp, and we call her one of the greatest actresses of the century.  Or, like Denzel… he still shows up and does Shakespeare in Central Park.    You know?  Just to keep himself sharp.

There’s always room for improvement and the moment you think you’ve got it all, or that you don’t need anyone to show you anything… go on and pick out your casket.

*     *     *

Wowwww… good stuff, right?!

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m ending each interview segment with a clip of Mel doing her thing.  Someone posted this video on YouTube and, though the video is not great, it’s MORE than worth the listen!

When we did the interview, she had just gotten back from this performance at the Gospel Heritage conference a couple of months ago.  She told me that she had been sick with an upper respiratory infection (which almost turned into bronchitis) for several weeks.  She had been on vocal rest during that time, and THIS PERFORMANCE was the FIRST DAY that she had sung in weeks.  You’d never have known it cuz she held it down, as always…

Here’s Melonie singing “Precious Jesus”:

Lemme know what you think about the clip, but make sure you gimme feedback about the INTERVIEW too!

She’s one of my favorite singers to EVER walk planet Earth.  And I interviewed her.

Melonie Daniels is revered by many for her incredible range, her unique and distinctive tone, and a precise vocal agility.  She is multi-faceted and has sung with just about everyone– from her long career backing Mariah Carey to BGV’s and guest solo spots with gospel’s greatest artists (if I name them, we’ll be here all day, but for starters: Kim Burrell, Karen Clark-Sheard, Donald Lawrence, Andraé Crouch, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond…).  Most recently, you’ve prolly heard her voice in the background on the theme song for BET’s Sunday Best.  And since she stepped out as a solo artist a coupla years ago, she has been gaining even more attention among consumers.

We talked for so long that I’ma have to split the interview into 3 parts.  People, gather round and read PART ONE of my chat with my buddy, the INCOMPARABLE Melonie Daniels…

*     *     *

EJ:  Hey!

MD:  Hey!  What’s going on?

EJ:  Nothin’, except we’re doing our interview! YAY!!!

MD:  *laughing*

EJ:  I’ve been so excited for this interview.  You’ve been on my list.

MD:  Yeah, I was watching your progress as you interviewed Andrea [Mellini] and Jerard [Woods], and I was like “HEY!  When’s he gonna call me?!” *laughing*

EJ:  Are you kiddin’ me?!  You can ask my wife, ask anyone.  Everyone knows that you’re my fave.  And I kept saying “and ONE day, when I’ve ARRIVED…”

MD:  *laughs*

EJ:  Plus, I had a hard time when I was thinking about you because I wanted you for the “On BGVs” series, but you’re also really pursuing the solo career hard right now, so I didn’t know where to place you.  Same thing with Jerard [Woods] and Candy West.  I thought it would defeat the purpose of what you’re trying to do to feature you on the background vocalist tip.

MD:  Not necessarily.  Being part of a worship team at the church, and as a servant, you’ll always be called back and forth.  A lot of times, a lot of artists forget about the process because they’re busy doing what their goal was.

But one of my ultimate goals WAS to be a background singer.  All the rest is whatever God wants me to do, but I TREASURE that and I love doing it.

EJ:  I’m so excited right now.

MD:  *laughs*

EJ:  Really.  Because I love that we’re gonna get that perspective, and here’s why:  A lot of people– and it’s not a bad thing at all– but a lot of people intended to be solo artists and background work was a stepping stone to that end.  But you’re saying that background singing WAS your goal?

MD:  It was my plan from the time I was 4 years old.

EJ:  Why?!

MD:  Here’s the thing.  I’ve been in the church since conception, went back a month after I got out, and I’ve been in the church ever since.

EJ:  *laughs* I’m mad at “got out.”

MD:  *laughs*  Yeah, when I got out!  Cuz I was there from conception to birth, I waited for about a month, then I went on back to church.

But my mom and dad were both very active in ministry.  They were presidents of different auxiliaries at different times, superintendents of the Sunday School, ushers, pastor’s secretary, trustees, deacons… all that stuff.  So, I was always at church.

And, my parents (around the house) played every kind of music.  I was born and raised Baptist…

EJ:  Are you Baptist??  I thought you were COGIC for some reason.

MD:  What?!  Baptist born, Baptist bred, when I die, I’m goin’ to see Jesus. *laughing*

EJ: *laughs*

MD:  But, my mother tells me that, when I was 3 or 4 months old, she would say “hi,” and I was matching pitch with her.  I’m like “are you crazy?” So, from the time that I could function, cognitively, I was sitting on the bench next to the musicians of the church, listening to them teach parts to the choir.

EJ:  You were BORN to do music.

MD:  I definitely believe I was.

EJ:  Wow.  Ok, so this was the plan.  Talk to me about that, though.  Growing up, if this was the plan, how did you know HOW to do it?  Because there’s no roadmap.  People don’t write books on how to become a background vocalist.

MD:  Right.  And that is one of my desires, to do that, because there is no handbook.  Most of the time, like you said, they fall into it because they have a good voice, they’re teachable and they wanna help.

For me, I grew up listening to cartoon music… The reason I can identify certain pieces of classical music is because of Bugs Bunny.

EJ:  *laughs*  Right.  That’s true.

MD:  Ummm… TV commercials.  I was always intrigued by people who did those things because they weren’t seen.  And it’s like, “who’s DOIN’ that?”  Or TV theme songs.  You never knew who was doing that either.

EJ:  So, you specifically did NOT want the glory of being seen?  Cuz, as a kid… kids often wanna be singers because they think of the spotlight or the solo mic, or the glamour.  At age 4, you didn’t want that?

MD:  Mm-mmm.  My parents are ministers and they’re behind-the-scenes people.  They never exhibited that desire to be in the front– they always wanted to help.  And that was my example growing up.  So, I never wanted to be in the front.  Actually, I was anti-front. *laughs*

EJ:  Why?

MD:  It just didn’t intrigue me.  It didn’t capture my attention.  I was just like “as long as I can be a cog in the wheel, to help it get to the destination, I’m good.”

EJ:  But Mel, you have one of the greatest voices around.  Are you supposed to BE a cog?  Some people would say you’re not a cog-in-the-wheel voice… you’re a spoke-in-the-wheel or something.

MD:  Hmmm… No.

EJ:  You don’t take that?

MD:  No.  Because I think of it as the Body of Christ– everybody’s got a function.  And I don’t think anyone is more important than the other because we all need each part to function, interdependently and independently, in order for the Body of Christ to be effective.

Because if there’s just one person that always wants to be at the top, and they don’t offer anything to the Body, the rest of the Body can become ill.  Or, because of a lack of a function, it can become dormant or cause disruption.  And I don’t want that to be the story.

When I was growing up in my church in Long Island, I was an usher, I taught Sunday School, I worked in the kitchen.  I’ll STILL do it.  When Judy [McAllister] did her recording at [Greater Allen AME Cathedral], I was one of the sopranos.  And one night, we decided we would feed them.  Now, I don’t cook, but I was in the kitchen helping.  Had the hair net on and the plastic apron…

EJ:  Stop it. *laughs*

MD:  *laughing*  You know?!  But I don’t think that’s a take-down… it’s a part of being a servant.  Because, unfortunately, a lot of people reach an area of prominence and… I mean, the word “minister” in Greek, doesn’t that mean “servant”?

EJ:  Right.

MD:  And they forget that.  They think that they are to be served.  No, you are to serve.  That was the whole crux of Christ’s ministry.  So, I find it very very foreign for people to want to be served when they’re in a place in which they’re supposed to be serving.  It’s just strange to me.  And actually, it saddens me and sometimes sickens me when I see people that call themselves Minister, or Elder, or Apostle… Evangelist… and they want to be served instead of serving.

EJ:  This ain’t an interview– this is SERVICE!  *laughs*

MD:  *laughing*

EJ:  Okay, wait… cuz I’m getting sidetracked.  This is about to be my own personal convo.  Can you rattle off a quick list of people you’ve worked with?

MD:  A short list?

EJ:  I dunno how you can, but try. *laughing*

MD:  Okay, I’ll give you three and three.  And I’ll explain why cuz this is another area where people don’t understand why I do what I do.

EJ:  I know what you’re gonna do.  SAY IT!

MD:  Mariah Carey, Kim Burrell, Ricky Martin, Karen Clark-Sheard, Marc Anthony, Donald Lawrence.

EJ:  Perfect set-up for my next question!  Now, you just gave a very diverse list…

MD:  Exactly.  A little Spanish, a little R&B… *laughs*

EJ:  Right!  Respond to those critics, first of all, who say “if you sing gospel, you’re not supposed to be doing R&B.”

MD:  Oh, you’ve not read the comments, huh?  There have been major debates on YouTube– and I don’t even have an account there, other people put that stuff up and I just read the comments.  There’s a video where I’m singing “If Only You Knew,” I’m wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt.

EJ:  At the Village Underground.  I’ve seen that.

MD:  Yeah.  And this woman was like “it’s amazing… she has a wonderful voice, but I thought she sang gospel.  I hope she did this BEFORE she committed her life to Christ.”

EJ: *laughs*

MD:  And one of my best friends responded and said “obviously, you don’t know who Melonie Daniels is because you would understand that she is very focused, she knows who she belongs to, and that Jesus Christ is her source.  She loves music, and she sings all kinds of music because of that.”

My opinion, and my opinion does not agree with everyone else’s– I believe that God created all music.  What happens is that the deceiver gets in the ear of the gifted, who are supposed to translate that message to glorify God, and perverts it and twists it.  But I believe that the source of every bit of inspiration is from God for music.  So, I love all music.

I have everything in my collection from Yo-Yo Ma to Slum Village.  And everything in between.  Big Band, Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie… all the way down to Aerosmith, Def Leppard, to Journey, REO Speedwagon.

I just believe that music is made to give God glory.  The gift comes perfect, but the gifted are not perfect.  And I’ve gotten to a place in my walk with God where I can see Him in stuff.

EJ:  So, He’s there in “If Only You Knew”?

MD:  Yeah.  And people have talked to me, expressing their disdain or disappointment with me for the choices I’ve made, career-wise.  And it’s like, why are you mad at me because of the assignment God gave me, just because He couldn’t trust you with it?  God is able to trust me because he knows how far I will go.

EJ:  And how do you draw the line?

MD:  Ummm… there are certain things, like I’ve had rappers approach me like “Yo, Ma, your ‘bleep’-ing voice is incredible.”  And, first of all, I won’t do the cursing thing.  Your song can’t be profane, and it can’t demean women.  And then, you’ve gotta get into the whole hip-hop culture, too– it’s anti-Christ anyhow.

It’s all about getting money, gettin’ paid… women, trying to get respect and have street credibility.  I’m not with that.  My audience is God and I want HIM to be pleased with me.  I couldn’t care less what other people think.

I’ve grown to that point, but it wasn’t that way always.  I was bound for MANY years by what people thought of what I did.  And I had to come to the realization that GOD is the one I need to be pleasing, and nobody else.  And if He trusts me enough to be in these places, to be a light for Him, I have to (with integrity and a good work ethic) just do what I’m supposed to do.

EJ:  I hear that.

MD:  When I was singing with Mariah, she wasn’t singing all that stuff about “Touch My Body,” and all that.  And she knew there was a line that I wouldn’t cross, so there were songs that she wouldn’t even have me on, because of the subject matter.

And, you know, there’s that story in the Bible where there was a king who didn’t believe in God, but had one of the children of Israel in his court.  And when people tried to challenge him for that, he said “no, no… he worships the God of Israel and I respect him for his God and how he carries himself.”  That’s what God did for me in that season of my life.

EJ:  Amen.

MD:  And it was great.  SHE was covering me and the church people that are supposed to have a relationship with God didn’t do the same thing.  But she covered me.

*     *     *

So, that’s Part One, folks.  What did you think???

I think, for your musical pleasure (and mine), I’ma feature a different musical clip of her at the end of each interview segment.

First up is one that I’ve posted here before, but it REALLY embodies why she’s one of my favorites.  Her range is nuts, she finesses a song cuz she FEELS it, not cuz she’s trying to impress folks.  This clips makes me go wild, thinking about the glory of our God.

This is her singing “Forever” at her church, Greater Allen Cathedral.  It’s a longer clip, but worth EVERY SINGLE MINUTE.  Watch it, PLEASE, and worship the Lord:

I think we’re at part four of this series.  I don’t know how many more I’ve got in me, but I had to talk about this one.

I don’t think I’ll have any dissenters– Mariah Carey’s album, Merry Christmas, is one of the best Christmas albums to be released in the past two decades.

On that album, from 1994, she did more than create the instant classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (with background vocals from Melonie Daniels and Kelly Price noticeably blazing) and the magical “Jesus, Born On This Day.”   She gave new life to old classics like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “O Holy Night.”  And who could have predicted how she would demolish the ENTIRETY of the downright churchy “Jesus, Oh What A Wonderful Child”???

Other noteworthy tracks include “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)” and her awesome arrangements of “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.”

This album is Mariah at her best– polished, soaring and effortless.  You kinda need to own it.

Listen to “Jesus, Oh What A Wonderful Child” here: