Word has it that BET is putting together the finishing touches for the 2011 Celebration of Gospel, which will be taped in Los Angeles next Saturday, December 11th.  A preliminary list of performers has been announced and the line-up looks promising!

Viewers can expect to see– Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Kim Burrell, Dr. Bobby Jones, James Fortune & FIYA, VaShawn Mitchell, Smokie Norful, Earnest Pugh, The Rance Allen Group, Beverly Crawford.

Also on tap is Jessica Reedy, Kelly Price, & Faith Evans (sounds like a little “Troubled World” on the horizon?), El DeBarge (this is how a comeback is DONE) and Chaka Khan.

In addition to some special tributes to Walter Hawkins and Albertina Walker, there are a few more artists still being added to the line-up.

What do you think of the roster so far?

Word has it that the 103rd Holy Convocation of the Church of God In Christ (COGIC) will be streaming live online all week, beginning TODAY at 8am PT/10am CST/11am ET.

The annual gathering, which runs through the 15th,  is being hosted in St. Louis, MO for the first time ever, but we’ll be able to catch it from the comfort of our own homes or offices (but you should be working!).

In addition to awesome preaching from TD Jakes, Noel Jones, Charles E. Blake, Darrell Hines, Dorinda Clark Cole and more, there will be musical performances from gospel artists including Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell, Jonathan Nelson, Y’Anna Crawley, the Nevels Sisters, Smokie Norful, Tamela Mann, Rance Allen, Ricky Dillard and a BUNCH more.

Click here to watch the events online.

How many of y’all are COGIC?

Who’s tuning in???

Make sure you guys tune-in to gmc tomorrow evening (Saturday) for the television premiere of Blessed & Cursed at 7pm ET, then again at 9pm and 11pm ET.

The film stars Deitrick Haddon and features Sheryl Lee Ralph, Karen Clark Sheard, Jor’ el Quinn, Rance Allen, Kierra Sheard and many more.

Who’s tuning in???

Word has it that the Rance Allen Group is prepping for a live CD/DVD recording on July 16th at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, MI.

You kinda know that’s gonna be good– Rance Allen is a captivating performer, with a stage presence and vocal delivery that are unparalleled.

Anybody planning to attend???

I don’t know what it is about this song, but it always warms my heart and makes me sooooooo excited about Heaven.  I love it.

Rance Allen is, in my opinion, one of the most captivating performers we’ve got in gospel.  He commands the stage and demands our attention.  And he delivers.  Always.

Here’s Rance singing “That Will Be Good Enough For Me” back in 2003–

Okay, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

Make sure you tune in to BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel this Sunday, January 24th at 9am ET, to catch the legendary Rance Allen Group, The Whispers and The Brown Sisters.

You can bet on Rance Allen showin’ out and I’m kinda interested in seeing The Whispers perform a gospel cut.  The Brown Sisters have been getting a lot of indie buzz since their debut project, Live In Chicago, was released last year… it’ll be good for the nation to see them in action.

Admittedly, I’m not EAGER for this episode, but I am curious.  Who’s tuning in???

I will admit that I was skeptical– if you remember last year’s Celebration Of Gospel, there were just a bunch of moments that left us wondering… “WHY?!”

But this year, for its 10th anniversary, BET seems to have taken time and done things well and with purpose.  I honestly thought it was a GREAT show.

My quick comments about each song, in order:

Fred Hammond featuring Kelly Price and Shirley Caesar – “Awesome God”
I loved the album version of this song (and wondered if it should’ve been the single) for months now. For me, the addition of Kelly Price to the performance made this song a great opener.

Yolanda Adams – “Victory”
It’s a great song, and Yolanda always gives an incredible live performance, but I didn’t necessarily NEED it. Just seemed a bit random.

Anthony & Tarsha’ Hamilton – “Better Is One Day”
One of the best performances of the night for me. It was an awesome arrangement of a CCM favorite, it was heartfelt and simple. And Tarsha’ can SING! Geeeeeeez.

Bobby Jones & The Nashville Super Choir featuring Y’Anna Crawley – “The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow”
Dunno what was up with Dr. Jones’ costume in the beginning (it was creative, but the bubble wrap thing threw me for a loop), but by the time the singing started, I was all in. Y’Anna sounded & looked great, the Nashville Super Choir went hard, and it was a solid performance.

Kelly Price & Ledisi – “How Great Thou Art”
From what I hear, BET edited some of the best parts of this performance from the TV broadcast. No matter… even as an edited shadow of itself, the performance was one of the night’s best. These are two of the most gifted female vocalists in the music biz right now. Loved it.

BeBe & CeCe Winans – “Close To You”/”Grace”
I sent a tweet last night that, though I love them, BeBe & CeCe could’ve done a throwback tune for me and I would’ve been thrilled. From a business standpoint, I get it (and they still did a great job)… I’m just even more eager for that reunion tour!

City Of Refuge P.S.A.L.M.S. Choir – “Shout”
I’m not a huge fan of the choir, but they did a great cover of this classic Milton Brunson tune. Lots of energy and a clean look make them stand out. Nice job.

Shirley Caesar – “Celebration”
The First Lady of Gospel always delivers a solid performance. Performing her newest single, she remained consistent and demonstrated that traditional vocals will NEVER go out of style.

James Fortune & FIYA – “I Trust You”
A bit underwhelmed by the use of background vocal tracks instead of live bgv’s until the vamp, but the song is powerful and so was the performance. This group is solidifying itself as a mainstay in the gospel landscape.

Fred Hammond – “They That Wait”
Actually, I wasn’t as interested in this song without John P. Kee being there. Makes me wonder if, in the end, it wasn’t the collabo that made the song so popular. I didn’t necessarily need to see this performance, especially given that he did the opener…

Fantasia & Diane Barrino – “He’s Done Enough”
From the moment she hit the stage, Fantasia’s shoes were off and she was jumpin’. It’s how she does gospel and I LOVE it. I also loved seeing her mama lookin’ like an artist herself… they performed together at the 2009 Chicago GospelFest and on Bobby Jones last season– I could get used to this!

Rance Allen Group – “Something About The Name Jesus”
Watching Rance Allen perform is always an adventure– you never know where the riffs & squalls are gonna come from, but you know they’re coming! It was great to hear him sing this classic tune, but I’m beginning to see less of a need for the “Group.”

Tye Tribbett & G.A. – “So Amazing”
It’s been said that this is the last we’ll see of G.A., as Tye is reportedly disbanding the group (per in-the-know journalist Jawn Murray, who attended a “farewell concert” on New Year’s Eve). If so, this was a nice performance to end their run. The song is good, the energy was what we’ve come to expect… cool deal.

Donnie McClurkin – “We Fall Down”
Donnie continues to demonstrate why there is no substitute for a good song and a solid vocal performance. No frills or gimmicks– just a 10-year-old tune and a vocalist who never really misses. Excellent.

Marvin Sapp – “The Best In Me”
This song was a hit from the moment he sang the first note at his live recording. And you all have been listening to it here for a while now, and lovin’ it. Another dynamic performance from an incredibly gifted singer. Chalk up another one for Marvin Sapp.

Donald Lawrence – “Back II Eden”/”The Best Is Yet To Come”
An awesome finale performance, with the incredible Floyd Wilkinson on the vamp, from the man with the Midas touch. The only thing missing for me was Donald’s group of singers, but I’m just spoiled.

All in all, this show was really great. The tribute to Steve Harvey was heartfelt and touching. And I’ll say this– if some of the greatest ministers of music in our industry come together annually, and interact with non-believers, we’re SUPPOSED to see a change in people. What that says for other annual televised gospel programs, I’m not sure… but it’s encouraging to see what God’s been doing in Steve’s life through Celebration Of Gospel.

Now… WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SHOW?!

In the gospel music industry, collaborations are BIG.  You wanna create a crazy buzz about your project before it hits the stores?  Tell folks you’ve got an exciting collabo on it.  You wanna kick up your television performance a notch?  Perform a collabo.

This year was a great year for collaborative work.  But I’ve decided to narrow the list down to my 5 favorite collabos.  In order, they are:

5.  “You Bring Out The Best In Me” – Vanessa Bell Armstrong feat. Rance Allen (from Vanessa Bell Armstrong’s The Experience)

When Vanessa Bell Armstrong decided to remake her own 80′s hit on her latest album, she prolly could’ve just done it herself and knocked it out of the ballpark.  But she’s a kind and gracious woman, apparently, because she gave us the gift of some classic Rance Allen moaning and groaning that took this live performance to a whole… ‘notha… level.  Their two voices grooving over some Donald Lawrence-produced background vocals– you kinda don’t want the track to end.

4.  “The Joy Of The Lord” – Coko feat. Israel Houghton (from Coko’s The Winner In Me)

Coko is a masterful collaborator in gospel.  It’s like she reads our minds and gives the mic to the VERY folks we’re aching to hear.  On her debut album, she featured everyone from Faith Evans to her mama (Lady Tibba).  This time around, she kept her mama, plus grabbed Kelly Price and Canton Jones.  My fave collabo on the album, though (and, thus, one of my faves of the entire year), was with Israel.  It’s a feel-good track with great vocal performances from both of ‘em… a true treat.

3.  “Available To You” – Melinda Watts feat. J Moss (from Melinda Watts’ People Get Ready)

After a much buzzed-about debut album, Melinda Watts entered the gospel scene with a project that had a little something for everyone.  Perhaps one of her strongest tracks was this duet with J Moss.  Kudos for taking a song that is performed too much at midnight musicals and making it fresh for us again, and double kudos for enlisting the vocal assistance (not that Melinda was at all in need) of one of the best male vocalists in the game.

2.  ”Every Prayer” – Israel Houghton feat. Mary Mary (from Israel Houghton’s The Power Of One)

When I saw that the Marys did a song with Israel, the last thing I thought I’d hear was a jazzy contemporary gospel track.  But they mastered the performance like the pros that they are and it quickly became one of my favorite songs on his album, if not of the entire year.  And there’s a GRAMMY nod to show for it.

1.  “Wait On The Lord” Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard (from Donnie McClurkin’s We All Are One)

I hear that Karen Clark Sheard wasn’t actually the original choice for this song– it was gonna be Tramaine Hawkins.  That, too, would’ve been an incredible performance, but God does all things well and He knew that this duet was gonna dominate the charts and our iPods.  On this song, Donnie stays true to his strengths– his a classic vocalist who can render a soaring ballad like few others– while Karen gives, arguably, one of her greatest performances in years.

Which collabos were among YOUR faves this year???

BET has announced its roster for its annual gospel performance program, Celebration Of Gospel.  The show, which will be hosted by Steve Harvey, will take place in Los Angeles on December 12th and will air on Sunday, January 10, 2010.

If you’ll be in the L.A. area and wanna ATTEND the show, email BET at BETRSVP@bet.net or call ‘em at (202) 608-2617 for tickets.

As usual, the list is intended to represent a diverse group of singers– some tried-and-true gospel artists with some mainstream artists with a lil’ church on ‘em.  Did they succeed?  You be the judge…

Donnie McClurkin
Fred Hammond
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Shirley Caesar
Marvin Sapp
James Fortune & FIYA
Tye Tribbett & G.A.
The Rance Allen Group
Y’Anna Crawley
Dr. Bobby Jones & The Nashville Super Choir
P.S.A.L.M. Choir (from City of Refuge Church)
Deborah Cox, Kelly Price & Tamia (group members of the upcoming R&B album “The Queen Project”)
Fantasia Barrino and her mother, Diane Barrino Barber
Anthony Hamilton and his wife, Tarsha Hamilton

So, that’s that.  Now, who’s missing from the list for my taste?  Donald Lawrence, Israel Houghton, and J Moss.

Coko is a perfect example of an artist that should be on the roster– great gospel album(s) with mainstream appeal.  That’s just a no-brainer.

Also, Myron Butler & Levi have a new album coming out in 2010 and, though someone might say “they’re not as known among the BET audience,” I would disagree.  They are, in essence, the reincarnation of God’s Property, who put out one of the most successful gospel albums in history.  And that didn’t happen because of gospel consumers– it was the mainstream folks.  So, if BET’s audience doesn’t know who Myron Butler & Levi are, it’s because BET has failed to tell them.  But I bet they have the God’s Property album and I bet they’d care.

And what’s the deal with Kierra Sheard?  She can’t GET a booking in this industry.  BET snoozes on her repeatedly and it’s ridiculous.

I think, all in all, it’s gonna be one of those shows where I’ll be eager to watch one segment, then feel just fine missing the next segment to do something more exciting, like pour orange juice or balance my checkbook.

What do you good people think about the list?

I have to admit that I was never a big Rance Allen fan growing up.  He’s absolutely a legendary male vocalist in gospel (and beyond) who shaped the way many fellas sing these days.  It’s really just that I was ignorant to most of the stuff he recorded in his prime.  Kinda like how my appreciation of Aretha Franklin was limited until I actually listened for myself to what she was doing, vocally, on each track.  Now that I’ve started to do that with him, I wanna share these Goodies with the masses.

Now, I reeeaaaally wanted to post a link of Rance Allen singing “Lying On the Truth” at the WattStax music festival in the 70s, but it was removed from YouTube since I last saw it.  I suffer, you suffer.

No worries, though, cuz he STILL delivers on any occasion.  Here, he’s singing his tail off in “That Will Be Good Enough For Me”: