Yesterday, BET’s Sunday Best transitioned from auditions to competition in the anticipated first-week of vocal throwdowns. This week, 10 of the 20 finalists were commissioned to sing songs recorded by judges Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams.
Before they got started, though, the show opened with a nice medley of “Are You Listening” (Kirk Franklin’s Haiti Relief song) and Donnie McClurkin’s “Ooh Child.” The former featured vocal performances from McClurkin, Isaac Carree, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell and Tina Campbell. The performance also included the contestants singing BGVs.
The end of the show, albeit incredibly short, featured Y’Anna Crawley singing her new single, “Grandma’s Hands.” She looked and sounded great, but I wish it hadn’t been cut short… even Y’Anna expressed some initial shock over it on her Twitter page. Seems to me, they coulda cut out some of the choir oohin’ and aahin’ at the top of the show… 
Oh, and I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t miss Erica Campbell at the judges’ table. Yolanda’s doing a good job, but I miss the innate chemistry between Erica & Tina.
Okay, on to my competition commentaries:
Jonte Thomas – “Just A Prayer Away”
I loved the jazzy arrangement of this tune. It’s one of my faves from Yolanda, so I wouldn’t encourage anyone to touch it, but Jonte did it well. She’ll have to demonstrate more of her own unique style to stand against some of the other competitors, but she’s got the chops, for sure.
LeAndria Johnson – “In The Midst Of It All”
That woman is just dope and we all know it. Not only did she demolish her vocal like a seasoned professional, she was believable and captivating because of her passion and delivery. She’s a natural at this and she just flat-out SINGS.
Robert Hatcher - “What About The Children?”
He’s got a great, clear tone with an old-skool crooner richness to it. The performance was a little too ‘Barry Manilow‘ to me, but he’s got a great voice– I wanna hear more from him. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of his style come out on the next song he does.
Tawanna Tarvin – “I’ll Trust You”
In my opinion, it was a bad song choice. And I don’t say that because she can’t do it, but because time restrictions made her draw the song to a climax before we knew it was coming. Donnie finessed that song so that, by the time it reached its peak, we were drawn in and ready to go. Tawanna’s arrangement (not her fault, in my opinion) did not allow for that build-up, so it felt kinda Broadway-ish.
Davon Fleming – “We Fall Down”
Dude is kinda fresh to me. He needs to know when to blaze with the falsetto and when to leave it in the natural (so, he’ll also have to pay attention to the lower register so that he has control of his tricks down there, too), but I really like him. And that says a lot because I don’t EVER want to hear anyone but Donnie McClurkin sing “We Fall Down” (I think few can do it well)– he’s got potential, for sure.
Quiana Pettigrew – “Great Is Your Mercy”
I think I wasn’t a fan of the arrangement. It had a bossa nova vibe to it, but it didn’t lend itself to showcasing her vocals well. I’m sure she can do it, but the arrangement made it tough to work it. The vocal was a bit unfocused and, though she can definitely sing, I don’t know that she knew what to do with the song.
Franklin Davis – “I Believe I Can Fly”
Again, wasn’t too thrilled with it, but I believe it was because of the urban/Caribbean arrangement that they put on the song. It kinda distracted me from what he was doing, which is unfortunate because I can recall the odd musical arrangement better than I can recall his vocal performance. That’s not good.
Funmi Oduyemi – “Open My Heart”
It was just not okay. But it’s not her fault, exclusively. We pulled a Nigerian singer to the States, expecting her to sing in a way that would appeal to the U.S. gospel industry and the musical palettes within it. If it were an easy task, someone would have done it by now. I think it’s a tall order and she just didn’t measure up on this one. But she’s got a great spirit and demeanor– I really do want the best for her. I just don’t think it’s in the U.S. gospel marketplace.
Durward Davis – “Victory Chant”
This was a hard song to sing in terms of showcasing one’s talent– it’s really a call-and-response praise & worship song, which wouldn’t be an obvious choice for a vocal competition. That said, he did a VERY good job of delivering it… so much so that I wanted him to keep going! I liked Durward’s performance a lot. Definitely wanna see more.
Elder Goldwire McLendon – “The Battle Is The Lord’s”
Aaaaand I’m SOLD. I don’t think I need to see this through– he’s my pick. He’s who I want an album from. Someone else can give one, too, but I want Elder McLendon’s ministry in the mix right now. He’s got a Pop Winans kind of vibe to him that is endearing and familiar… I want him to be a part of the fabric of our industry. I want him to impart into the younger generation. I want him to… I enjoyed him. Thoroughly.
And that’s THAT. Okay, folks… lemme know what you thought of the show and lemme know what you think of my recap. You think it’s baloney, don’t you? No, wait… you wholeheartedly agree, don’t you? 
Talk to me!
