Music World Gospel has prepared its first of a new gospel music compilation series, to be released in digital form only.

Hitting stores tomorrow, October 11th, the Ultimate Gospel Vol. 1 compilation features music from artists on the Music World roster, including Trin-i-tee 5:7, Brian Courtney Wilson, Micah Stampley and Michelle Williams (whose two gospel albums were released under the label).

Check out the track listing–

1. Just Love – Brian Courtney Wilson
2. Listen – Trin-I-Tee 5:7
3. Heard A Word – Michelle Williams
4. I Need You – Trin-I-Tee 5:7
5. All I Need – Brian Courtney Wilson
6. Peace – Pastor Rudy
7. Do You Know – Michelle Williams
8. I Believe – Micah Stampley
9. Soul Cry (Oh, Oh, Oh) – Juanita Bynum
10. The Corinthian Song – Micah Stampley

Check out snippets and purchase it right here–

Purchase or Pass is the new series from Mia Paylor, GospelPundit.com’s newest contributing writer (click here to read about her).  Here, in her first post, she comes clean. Go on, Mia.  Tell ‘em what you did…

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I have a confession to make. I never purchased or listened to the gospel CD’s released by Michelle Williams, Dave Hollister, Heather Headley… notice the trend? I admit that I normally don’t purchase projects released by those I think are “I can’t make it financially with secular music so I’ll just make money off of church folk” gospel artists. It’s not that I believe secular artists aren’t saved and don’t desire to see souls saved. I just don’t want to hear what I’m thinking was motivated by money…not ministry.

So, you know what I didn’t do when I heard that Jason Champion, former member of the R&B duo, Men at Large, released Reflections through EMI Gospel. That’s RIGHT! I didn’t buy it! My fellow R&B connoisseurs remember Men at Large or, at the very least, you remember their hit, “So Alone”. I sure do…cause that was my JAAAM!

But, while listening to Bonnerfide Radio recently, I heard Jason’s song, “Find a Reason”…and I LOVED it! Through this guitar-laced jam (with what I swear are some Prince elements from the Purple Rain era), Jason declares that in spite of what we face in life, we must always find reasons to do what God calls us to do. I found myself listening to that song over and over again until I finally told myself I needed to download it…because I was DONE fast-forwarding halfway through that 2 hour podcast just to listen to it! Then, after previewing all the tracks, I knew I had to download the whole CD. And I’m GLAD I DID!

I have not stopped listening to it. The lyrics are completely Christian and relatable. The production was handled by greats such as Warryn Campbell and Gerald Haddon. The R&B vibe is consistent throughout the entire CD. “Always” (with its millennium disco vibe) and “Friend of Mine” (with its base driven groove) keep me dancing! And, most importantly, I felt Jason’s heart in every song…which prompted me to dig up his story. I learned that God released Jason from Men at Large and, shortly thereafter, he began recording and touring with Kirk Franklin. He’s a family man with a powerful testimony and a heart for ministry. His wife, Paula, is featured singing beautifully on “For Better or For Worse”.

I’m now a changed woman! No more passing on purchasing a gospel CD simply because the artist just hopped off of the secular bandwagon seemingly because they were too broke to stay there! Instead, I’ll do a bit of research…try to get a feel for their true motive for recording the project by reading bios and interviews…listen to their song clips to see if my Spirit-man connects with them. Then, I’ll decide to purchase or pass.

So, Jason, PLEASE forgive me! Accept this heartfelt editorial as a penance for doing you sooo wrong! I withheld a blessing from myself and, most importantly, you…because you deserve every cent I paid for it.

I won’t be making this mistake again. What about you?

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Okay, so I guess I’ll confess, too.  When Mia told me she was writing on Jason Champion, I was SoOooO excited because I had JUST discovered the full album, myself.  I had heard tracks from it before, and I loved his voice and the music, but never listened all the way through!

IT IS INCREDIBLE.  Definitely my favorite album of the past 30 days– even though it’s 2 years old.

So, I stand with Mia on this one.  Do yourself a favor, if you have not already done so, BUY THIS ALBUM.  At least, take a listen to see if you wanna do it.  Click here to listen to snippets and to make a purchase.

Tell me–

(1) Whatd’ya think of what Mia had to say?  Didn’t she do a great job?!

(2) Did you Purchase or Pass on Jason Champion’s project?  What are your thoughts on the album?

Is it just me, or is Music World Entertainment, the music and entertainment corporate conglomerate founded by Mathew Knowles, up to a lil’ somethin’?

Not necessarily somethin’ bad, just somethin’… The latest news on the homefront is that Music World Entertainment has announced the launch of a new gospel label– Music World Gospel (kudos on the consistent branding, by the way!).  The new label will succeed its predecessor, Spirit Rising Music.

This news is on the heels of the recent signings of Juanita Bynum and Micah Stampley, who joined the then-Spirit Rising family of Brian Courtney Wilson  and Trin-i-tee 5:7 among others.  Music World Gospel will even be home to a special gospel compilation released by ESSENCE Communications (yes, the folks who put out the magazine, have the awards show and do the hot music festival– read: major mainstream opportunities for Music World Gospel artists).

This is not to say that Music World hasn’t already been successful in gospel– Michelle Williams debuted at #1 with her first solo project, and at #2 with her follow-up album.  Trin-i-tee 5:7 has experienced great sales and opportunities under Knowles’ direction.  And Brian Courtney Wilson has gone from relative newcomer to a Billboard top 10 mainstray since his release last year.

All I’m sayin’ is that, after laying juuuuust under the radar for some time, we’re gettin’ press release after press release about a bunch of new signing and new endeavors…

Could 2010 be the year that Music World took a big ol’ slice of the gospel industry pie?  I’m thinkin’ maybe…

Thoughts???

Remember a few weeks ago when I reported that a bunch of artists were in NYC recording another relief song for Haiti?

Well, vocalist Kim Burrell, the Executive Producer of the track, recently posted a link to some behind-the-scenes footage of their process.  In it, she speaks with several of the participants about the significance of the project, including Tye Tribbett, Michelle Williams, Nikki Ross, Anaysha Figueroa, James Hall, Nancey Jackson, Anwar Robinson and more.

Check it out:

Whatd’ya think???

Word has it that another relief song for Haiti is in the works, this time from some singers who gathered in-studio this week in New York City.

Some of the vocalists who’ve laid vocals include Kim Burrell, Nikki Ross, James Hall, Lil’ Mo, Anaysha Figueroa, Nancey Jackson, Michelle Williams, Musiq Soulchild, Tye Tribbett, Anwar Robinson, and more.

I don’t have details on an expected release date yet, but I’ll keep you guys posted…

Well, well, well… I’m not one to say “I told ya so,” but… I did tell ya so.

Tony LeBron was selected as the winner of the 2009 Gospel Dream competition on Gospel Music Channel.  Judges Mitchell Solarek, Michelle Williams and J Moss chose the 34 year-old singer from among thousands of hopefuls.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see the finale because I’m in Cincinnati for GMWA.  I recorded it on my DVR and I’ll check it out when I get home.  In the meantime, here’s what I need from you guys… I need YOU to give ME the recap this time around.

How was Tony’s performance?  How were the performances from NeVar Massey and Robert Mauti?  Do you think Tony deserved to win this one?  Were the judges as hilarious as usual?  How was the performance from last year’s winner, Melinda Watts?  Did you like the song?  How’d she look?  GIMME ALL OF THAT!

Talk to me!

Last Wednesday’s episode of Gospel Dream was really rough for me to watch.  Like… I zoned out a few times and when I got up to get a glass of water or something, I told my wife she did NOT have to pause the DVR on my account… I’d manage.

If you caught the episode, you know it was a Gospel Dream Boot Camp of sorts.  This concept is new to Gospel Dream, as it places it more in the realm of a Making The Band type of reality show instead of a bare-bones, perform-on-stage-every-week American Idol competition.

We saw image consulting, media preparation, voice lessons… all of which are necessary for the successful recording artist.  But I honestly don’t think Gospel Music Channel has fine-tuned things enough to masterfully weave in the “competition” part with the “reality show” part.  And I’m not saying that they can’t work on it.

But the problem now is– we’re going into the 3rd episode and I still remember only two finalists’ names.  Plus, I’m rather indifferent to who stays or who goes home.  I’ve not even had the OPPORTUNITY to fall in love with anyone’s voice yet.

Of the people I DID notice:

1. That dude, Travis, has too much attitude for me.  A Christian artist should be bold and confident in the things the Lord has called Him to be… but with a huge tablespoon of humility.  Maybe it’s just the editing, but we never see him with a smile or being pleasant.  I dunno who you’re mad at, but we ain’t done nothing TO you.

2. I think Tim Stylez is cool.

Regarding the judges:

Of course, Michelle Williams cheered me up when she asked one contestant why she wasn’t wearing heels, stating with seriousness: ”you cannot sacrifice fierceness to be comfortable.” HAAHAAHAA!

But then I was let down again when J Moss told one girl “everything about you is C+.”  Mitchell Solarek apparently didn’t like it either, cuz it led to a bit of an on-camera disagreement.  I’m sure that J was referring to her grade as an aspiring ARTIST, but no matter how fierce the competition, I just take issue with one Christian (J Moss) telling another Christian (ol’ girl) that EVERYTHING about her is C+.  Really?  Again, maybe it’s the edits, but we gotta be careful about the WAY we say things…

So that’s that.  And after ALL that, you know I’ll still be watching tomorrow night at 10pm ET/9pm CST, when the female contestants face off and artist Natalie Grant surprises them as a guest coach.  If you missed the Boot Camp episode, they’re re-airing it before the new one.

Okay, who else saw it and what did you think?

Ummm… I’ma have to see about this one, y’all.

Who else watched the season premiere of Gospel Dream on Gospel Music Channel on Wednesday night???

The first episode featured the judges– J Moss, Michelle Williams and Mitchell Solarek– whittling down 36 finalists to 10.

I was a bit annoyed from jump because co-host Mike Kasem began the showing by saying “THIS… is Gospel Dream” with the same inflection and pause as Ryan Seacrest’s notorious intro to each American Idol episode.  So, yeah, that’s embarrassing… why do we have to DO that?!

Plus, I only saw a coupla singers that really stood out immediately– Amber Davies, Tony LeBron… yeah.  That said, I’m eager to see more from each of the 10 finalists– auditions don’t always show their full ability, nor did we see the auditions of each of the finalists.

Now, I will say that I am THOROUGHLY enjoying the dynamic among the judges– Michelle Williams does a really great job (cuz she’s HILARIOUS), it’s good to see J doing his thing, and Mitchell balances the two of them out.

Favorite part of the show: the judges were deliberating on who the 10 finalists would be.  Mitchell made the point that one finalist had a great voice, but doesn’t really give you that ARTIST factor.  J Moss said “she’s a barette and a rubberband away from being a star… and some foundation.”

Bwahahahahahahaaaa!  I lost it!!!  Great stuff, folks…

Sooooooo, despite my murmuring, you know I’ma watch the next episode. It airs this coming Wednesday at 10pm ET (why so late, by the way?!), and is being called a boot camp of sorts.  There’s talk that it’ll feature last season’s winner, Melinda Watts.

Who else caught it?  What did you think?  Lemme know!

Some folks in gospel were skeptical of Michelle Williams when she entered the industry solo– she was at the height of success with Destiny’s Child, and folks kinda gave her the side-eye when she said she was doing a solo album, and that it would be a gospel project.  But whatever.  I knew a Jewish girl in college who loved Michelle because of Destiny’s Child… she bought the GOSPEL album in week one, telling me how much she enjoyed the uplifting lyrics, asking me if all gospel was this good.  Score one for the Kingdom!

In any case, THIS WOMAN has some GREAT albums with great songwriting and production… I started typing this post to talk about her sophomore gospel project, Do You Know, but as I worked on it, I thought “nah, they need to go back to the BEGINNING.”

(Still check out Do You Know, though… it features production and songwriting from Tommy Sims, PAJAM, Dawkins & Dawkins, Cedric & Victor Caldwell, and a BUNCH of other musical heavyweights.  INCREDIBLY slept on.)

In 2002, Michelle Williams entered the gospel industry with her debut project, Heart To Yours.  It peaked at #1 on Billboard’s gospel chart, #3 on the Christian chart, and featured the popular single “Heard A Word.”

But the album was FULL of hits, in my opinion.  Let’s start with the guest spots:  Mary Mary joined her on the infectious “So Glad,” Shirley Caesar on the downright churchy “Steal Away,” Men Of Standard on the ain’t-no-joke worship ballad “You Care For Me,” and Carl Thomas on her remake of the classic BeBe & CeCe hit “Heaven.”

Lest anyone think that she thrives only when other vocalists join her, though, lemme tell ya: she absolutely holds her own.  From the BANGIN’ track “Rock With Me,” to the feel-good “Sun Will Shine Again” (pay special attention to the intricate background vocals on that one), to the head-bopping ”Everything” (check the bgv’s on that one, too).  People, I mean it: this album plays well straight through, from beginning to end.

For your listening pleasure and musical conversion, TWO tracks– “So Glad” feat. Mary Mary and “Sun Will Shine Again”:

Aight, fess up, folks.  Who slept on it and why?  Who owns it and knows what I’m talkin’ about?! Anybody gonna check it out now?

Talk to me!

Hey folks, don’t forget to watch the premiere of Gospel Music Channel’s hit talent competition, Gospel Dream, tomorrow night at 10pm ET/9pm CST.

The program, now in its 4th season, will be hosted by Kimberley Locke (American Idol) and Mike Kasem (MTV’s Top 20 Video Countdown), with judging by J Moss, Michelle Williams and manager extraordinaire Mitchell Solarek.

The overarching theme for this season is “The Greatest Inspirational Songs Of All Time.”  Guess this means HOLY GHOST FIRE isn’t a part of the judging criteria this time around?

Who’s watching???  Who’s gonna find something else to do with their time???  And lemme know WHY, either way.

As for me and my house, we’re watchin’.

Holla at me!