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!

Congrats are in order to Anthony J. Brown, who has been signed by Tyscot Records!

A noted artist, songwriter and producer, Brown recently wrote the radio hit “It Ain’t Over” for Maurette Brown Clark, but has been known for some time for his work with his group, Group TherAPy.

Apparently, VaShawn Mitchell will partner with Tyscot in a joint venture label deal to bring Brown’s new project this year.

He had a pretty tight song, called “Harvest Song,” featuring Maurette Brown Clark, last year… check it out!

Kudos to worship artist William McDowell, whose latest project, Arise, just debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart! The live set is a follow-up to As We Worship: Live, which features the radio hit “I Give Myself Away.”

Maurette Brown Clark’s The Sound of Victory also debuts in the top 10 this week, landing at #7.

Here’s a full snapshot of the top 10:

1 | William McDowell – Arise
2 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
3 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
4 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
5 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
6 | Kierra Sheard – Free
7 | Maurette Brown Clark – The Sound of Victory
8 | WOW Gospel 2011
9 | Lecrae – Rehab
10 | Nevels Sisters – It’s My Time

Which of these are you still planning to purchase?

Shout-out to Christian hip-hop artist Shai Linne, whose new album, The Attributes of God, debuts at #5 this week on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart. His songs are cleverly steeped in theology– they’re deep, but accessible– and I love that. You can check out this project right here.

Le’Andria Johnson continues to rest at the #1 spot on this week, followed by Jessica Reedy’s From the Heart at #2 and Kierra Sheard’s Free at #3.

Here’s a glance at the Top 10 at Billboard:

1 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
2 | Jessica Reedy – From the Heart
3 | Kierra Sheard – Free
4 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
5 | Shai Linne – The Attributes of God
6 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me
7 | Lecrae – Rehab
8 | WOW Gospel 2011
9 | VaShawn Mitchell – Triumphant
10 | Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC’s – Living On The Lord’s Side

It will be interesting to see how the new releases from William McDowell and Maurette Brown Clark fare on the charts next week.

Hey folks, just a quick heads-up to remind you that the newest album from Maurette Brown Clark is in stores now! It’s titled The Sound of Victory and features 12 powerful praise & worship tunes. She’s a fave around these parts because no one can drive a song like her. Check out that album right here–

Also, don’t forget to check out the two-disc set from rising worship leader William McDowell, titled Arise. McDowell shot to popularity with his radio hit, “I Give Myself Away,” and returns with his newest single “I Won’t Go Back.”

Check it out here–

Maurette Brown Clark returns to the music scene with a new single, “I Hear The Sound,” from her upcoming project (her fourth), entitled The Sound of Victory. It will also feature a DVD component.

The album, recorded live in Norfolk, VA, was widely acclaimed as an incredible worship set and recording. There are very few artists who can lead people into worship like Maurette Brown Clark… her knack for driving a song (and message) home is practically unparalleled.

For your enjoyment (and super duper blessing), I just added “I Hear The Sound” to the Pundit Player. Peep the black bar on the bottom of your screen and take a listen!

If you’re liking what you hear, make sure you buy the single when it hits iTunes in two weeks!

There are certain praise & worship songs that just stand the test of time– they’re the songs that are so popular and powerful that they’re kinda “must-haves” in the Sunday morning worship experience.

I’m talking about Fred Hammond’s “You Are The Living Word.”  Or maybe Martha Munizzi’s “Glorious,” or Maurette Brown Clark’s “Just Want To Praise You.”  And what about “Here I Am To Worship?”

They’re the songs that practically every church musician and congregation knows, across the country.  They’re the go-to tunes, the never-fail songs of the modern day church experience.

I’m curious– in your opinion, what are some of the must-have songs in praise & worship???

The hottest choir competition in the nation, Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound, is just about ready to begin its nationwide tour dates, hosted by Donald Lawrence and featuring performances from some of the sangin’-est choirs in the country and some of the top gospel artists in the game.

I attended one of the sold-out events last year and it was INCREDIBLE. I strongly urge you to attend one in your area, if you’re at all able to do so.  Tickets for the events go on sale on July 10th.

Details on dates, cities and performers are as follows:

Houston, TX
September 9, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Byron Cage

Jacksonville, FL
September 11, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, James Fortune

Memphis, TN
September 14, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Dorinda Clark Cole

Philadelphia, PA
September 17, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Lonnie Hunter

Washington, DC
September 18, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Richard Smallwood, Maurette Brown Clark

Newark, NJ
September 22, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Kurt Carr

Cleveland, OH
September 24, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, James Fortune

Detroit, MI
September 25, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Kurt Carr

Chicago, IL
September 27, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Dorinda Clark Cole

Charlotte, NC
September 30, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, John P. Kee

Atlanta, GA
October 2, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Israel Houghton, Tamela Mann

St. Louis, MO
October 5, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Dwight Stone

Oakland, CA
October 9, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans, Byron Cage

Los Angeles, CA
October 11, 2010
Featuring CeCe Winans

Visit http://www.howsweetthesound.com for more updates and info.

Who’s attending???

Word has it that gospel hip-hop artist Da’ T.R.U.T.H. (Emanuel Lambert) and his wife, Nicole, recently renewed their vows before friends and family.

The renewal celebration comes roughly seven months after the rapper announced that he would be taking a sabbatical, following a “moral indiscretion,” the news of which rippled through the Christian hip-hop and gospel industries.  The ceremony was also special, as the pair just celebrated their 7th anniversary yesterday.

I’m glad that the Lamberts were able to reaffirm their commitments to one another, no matter the test.  That’s dope.  Score one for marriage! Whoo hoo!

Let’s lift them up in prayer as they enter a new chapter in marriage, cool?

Maurette Brown Clark is prepping for her next live recording, to be held on April 23rd in Norfolk, VA.

In my opinion, Maurette is one of the most underrated praise & worship-styled artists in our genre– the sincerity and passion with which she sings is second to none.  And she’s one of my favorite ad libbers, too.

Plus, she gets kudos for working the daylights outta her last album– she was topping charts at radio for YEARS after its release.

Peep the flyer–

Anyone planning to attend???