Mia Paylor weighs in on whether you should Purchase or Pass on the new album from Wess Morgan…

Armed with a powerful testimony (he’s a former addict), the gift to preach, an awesome backing choir (The Celebration of Life Choir), fresh material, and a soulful (cough…black…cough) delivery…even a penchant for bow ties, Wess Morgan is ready to usher you out of your flesh and into the spirit realm!

Released on October 19th, Wess Morgan’s Under an Open Heaven is a must-have for Praise & Worship music lovers who enjoy singing songs full of soul and substance.

“Oh, Great One” opens the project. The music has a big, full sound fitting for an opening number. You hear horns, strings, hits…all of that. The joyful lyrics make it very clear who the “Great One” is (Oh, Great One/Messiah/We bless You). Wess leads the song with skill and vigor, switching seamlessly from singing to speaking. And, the drive at the end makes you want to leap!

“I Will Sing of Your Great Love” is another big song that could’ve also served as the CD opener. The song includes surprising twists with the melody that I really love. I was a little disappointed in the ending. The words, “I don’t know what you’ve come to do/But I’ve come to praise the Lord”, detracted from the songs originality. In fact, let’s all agree to retire that statement right now!

“I Choose to Worship” is the worship ballad posted here at GospelPundit.com. Many agreed that this song was full of power and passion. It’s a testimony, a declaration, and a directive all in one moving song. The build of the song evokes emotion. This is definitely one of my favorites from this collection.

Wess teaches folks how to shine up an old standard with the inclusion of “Welcome Into This Place.” This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE VERSION OF THIS SONG! Who knew this song had verses?! It’s so perfect that I don’t know how to describe it other than to say…it’s perfect!

Simple and elegant, “More of You”, with its pleading string arrangement, effectively brings the lyrics, “Lord, I want more/More of You/Less of me/Increase”, to life. Wess leads this song with an artist who sounds like Lakewood’s Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff. Both provide all the adlibs and exhortations one can stand. I do wish the song didn’t end so rapidly.

The title track, “Under an Open Heaven”, is a fresh spin on self-encouraging songs. It explains that we have to do a bit more than believe in order to receive. “The favor of God is reigning on me” after “I’ve prayed” and “I’ve fasted.” Now, “I’m in my season of blessing!” Hallelujah! Somebody gets it! Thanks, Wess, lol.

Wess also includes a few surprising styles on this release: Latin Jazz (“Sing Unto the Lord”), Jazz (“I Cannot Fail the Lord”), and R&B (“You Gave Me Hope”).  And, if anyone questions whether or not Wess can really squall, take one listen to the “Something About that Name Medley” or the “Praise Medley (We Enter In)” to get your answer. *snickering*

Woo… I love this project! Purchase!

Mia Paylor weighs-in on SMILE, the debut release from Tasha Cobbs…

Now, let’s call out the elephant in the room as it relates to independent releases. Regardless of how anointed, gifted, and sincere the artist might be, most independent projects will:

• lack the polish and clarity you hear on CDs backed by major label money and veteran producers
• have a few songs that are full of potential…falling just short of being stellar
• sound like a really good recording of a really great church service in some spots (if it’s a live recording)

But, in the case of Smile, the debut release of new artist Tasha Cobbs’, I say, “So what?! Buy it anyway!”

Here’s why…

I stumbled upon the single, “Happy,” on a day when I wasn’t feeling so happy. This simple, upbeat song with its base-heavy, churchy drive and awesome message (You make me happy/ You make me whole/You take my pain away/I’m so in love with You) turned my focus from my unhappy feelings to my capable and sufficient God! I made a mental note of Tasha’s name and pulled up Amazon.com to listen to the song clips from Smile, which was released by Tasha Cobbs Music Group on July 7th.

And, thanks to TashaCobbs.org, I also discovered that Tasha Cobbs is the Worship Pastor at dReam Center church of Atlanta, where William Murphy III and his wife, Danielle, are the Pastors. She has also performed background and lead vocalist duties for Pastor Murphy and other artists. Pastor Murphy even mentored Tasha…helping to cultivate her gifts.

After considering what I read, the impressive song clips, and the conviction by which she delivered “Happy”, I felt confident that her CD would bless me. And I was soo right!

Smile is a strong start to a long and prosperous future in music ministry. Tasha, an alto, works her range and builds each song with precision. Delivering every song with a conviction that defies her age, it’s also apparent that Tasha is a sincere worshipper and a gifted exhorter. Tasha filled Smile with moving, personally penned declarations that can help you along your journey with the Lord.

When you question what God is doing in your life, declare, “You are accountable/You are dependable/And I Trust You, Lord” with the song, “I Trust You”. And when you desire to pour your love on God, declare, “If You’re deep in the ocean/Or high on the mountain/Lord, my worship will chase You/My one desire is to never be to far away/Draw me close enough to touch You” with the song, “Heart of Worship”. Or, tell God, “Here’s my worship/Take joy in it/Make it your dwelling place/I wanna put a smile on your face” with the song that the Jonathan Nelson deemed worthy to be included on his latest project, “Smile”.

Yeah…some indie issues are present on Smile. However, none of those issues outweigh what Smile has to offer you, such as, great singing, heartfelt lyrics, and sincere worship. New artists must start somewhere. And Tasha’s start, Smile, has earned our attention and our support.

A couple of weeks ago, GospelPundit.com contributing writer Mia Paylor wrote her first editorial in her new series, Purchase Or Pass, regarding Jason Champion.  You guys loved it so much (and so did I), that I figured we need to hear from Mia again, sooner than later.

So, without delay, here’s Mia’s… policy… on purchasing music. *giggling*

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Jesus said we should forgive 77 times. But at $10 each, I can’t afford to forgive $770 worth of disappointing CDs!  Once I hit $20, you’re CUT from my “MUST BUY” list. My most common disappointment is unmet expectations…and my most recent encounter with it involves Byron Cage.

Byron Cage’s self-titled GospoCentric debut is a CLASSIC. With production headed by Kurt Carr, this CD impacted how Praise & Worship was done…PERIOD. What praise team didn’t sing “The Presence of the Lord is Here”…and beg to cut at least two modulations?! The power of God, a seamless flow from high praise to reverent worship, top-notch background vocals, and well-written, perfectly arranged…very church-friendly songs were all present on this CD. Surely, I’d get more releases like this from Byron. My expectations were sealed!

Already familiar with Isaiah Thomas’ “I Will Bless the Lord”, I didn’t rush out to buy Byron’s 2005 release, An Invitation to Worship (produced by PAJAM). After hearing “We Love You”, which sounds like Byron’s a featured guest on J. Moss’ song, I opted to pass on it altogether. Both songs were nice. I just couldn’t imagine how they fit together on the same CD.

But, I did purchase Byron’s 2007 release, Live at the Apollo (also produced by PAJAM), when I found out Kim Burrell was featured on it. It had its highlights…specifically, “Royalty”, “Anyhow” and “If You Never.”  But, where did the seamless flow go? Where were the well-written, church-friendly Praise & Worship songs?

So, this time, my good friend, Cynthia Jones (make-up artist extraordinaire), had to convince me to give Bryon’s most recent release, Faithful to Believe (produced by Aaron Lindsey), a listen. She said that she shared my reservations initially, gave it a shot anyway and was pleased with the CD.

So, I downloaded it…and it’s definitely a step up from the last two releases. “I Give You Praise” is a nice Praise & Worship song. “Simply Yes” and “I Can’t Hold It” are soul-stirring choir selections. And “Lord, You are My Everything”, with Karen Clark-Sheard and Pastor Marvin Winans, is a churchy treat. But, WHERE, OH WHERE is the PLETHORA of songs that praise teams everywhere MUST learn? And why are the background vocals lacking precision?

If Byron hadn’t been marketed as “The PRINCE of Praise”, I’d be at peace with my post Byron Cage purchases. Instead, I’m longing to have my princely expectations met. If my expectations were set in error, tell me!

Artists should use the formula that catapulted their recording career while preparing to record subsequent projects. I think that would decrease the likelihood that CD-buying supporters will be disappointed with what an artist offers as it relates to their future CDs style, flow, lyrics, and overall production.

I’m willing to purchase Byron’s future projects. But, first, I have a question. What should I expect from a Byron Cage CD?! Depending on the answer, I’ll ignore my $20 cut-off limit, tweak my expectations accordingly and prepare to buy the next release.

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I hear you, Mia.  I will say that I enjoy his most recent release more than his previous two… but there’s nothing like that first one on GospoCentric!

What do you folks think?

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?