***BREAKING NEWS***

The 52nd annual GRAMMY Awards are being held tonight, but the winners in the gospel categories were JUST ANNOUNCED at the pre-show.

My predictions were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.  I was 5 for 7 in the gospel categories!!!

The winners in the gospel-related categories are highlighted in GREEN below (if I was wrong in my prediction, my earlier predictions are still there in yellow).

The winners are…

 Best Gospel Performance

“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli
Track from: Free To Be Me

“Jesus Is Love” by Heather Headley feat. Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One

“I Believe” by Jonny Lang w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day

“Wait On The Lord” by Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One

“Born Again” by Third Day
Track from: Revelation

 Best Gospel Song

“Born Again” - Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)

“City On Our Knees” – Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jaime Moore, songwriters (TobyMac)

“Every Prayer” – Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary)

“God In Me” – Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)

“The Motions” – Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West)

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

The Big Picture - Da’ T.R.U.T.H.

Crash - Decyfer Down

Innocence & Instinct - Red

Live Revelations - Third Day

The Dash – John Wells-The Tonic

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

Speaking Louder Than Before - Jeremy Camp

The Power Of One - Israel Houghton

The Long Fall Back To Earth - Jars Of Clay

Love Is On The Move - Leeland

Freedom - Mandisa

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb

Dream On - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

The Rock - Tracy Lawrence

In God’s Time - Barry Scott & Second Wind

Everyday - Triumphant Quest

Best Traditional Gospel Album

God Don’t Never Change - Ashley Cleveland

The Law Of Confession, Pt. 1 - Donald Lawrence & Co.

Oh Happy Day - Various Artists

The Journey Continues - The Williams Brothers

How I Got Over - Vickie Winans

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Audience Of One - Heather Headley

Renewed - Sheri Jones-Moffett

Just James - J Moss

Smokie Norful LIVE - Smokie Norful

Bold Right Life - Kierra Sheard

Congrats to all of ya!

Aaaaand, just FYI– in a poll asking who YOU wanted to win for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album, you guys picked Kierra Sheard.  The full break-down:

Kierra Sheard – 41% (90 votes)
J Moss – 23% (51 votes)
Smokie Norful – 20% (44 votes)
Sheri Jones-Moffett – 10% (21 votes)
Heather Headley – 7% (15 votes)

Gospel Artists Nominated In Non-Gospel Categories:

I was 3 for 3 in these predictions!!!

Tonex was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for his single “Blend” (Unspoken), but as I predicted, it went to India.Arie.

Ann Nesby’s “Sow Love” (The Lula Lee Project) was nominated in Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.  As I predicted, it went to Beyonce for “At Last.”

Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters were nominated in the Best R&B Performance By Group/Duo with Vocals category for their performance of “Higher Ground” (Oh Happy Day), as were Ann Nesby & Calvin Richardson, but as I predicted, it went to Jamie Foxx and T-Pain for “Blame It.”

That’s the full deal, folks!  What do you think of the winners list???

Okay, buddies, it’s that time of year again.  The GRAMMY Awards telecast is this Sunday, January 31st at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.

With that, it’s time for my predictions.  These were REALLY tough and I changed ‘em numerous times over the course of the past two weeks.  I’m finally at peace about them (for today), so I’m posting them before I change my mind again. LOL

Before I give ‘em, I wanna make two disclaimers–

(1) My predictions do NOT necessarily reflect my preferences, nor do they reflect who I ACTUALLY voted for on the GRAMMY ballot this year.  They’re predictions… and nothing more.

(2) The winner is often based on popularity.  Plain and simple.  Now, NARAS (the voting body) has gotten much better about this, even making all of the nominated music available for online listening so that we can make educated votes, but it’s still an uphill climb.  My predictions are based on how I believe the majority voted and that requires consideration of who’s most popular within the entire music biz.

Without further delay, here goes…

 Best Gospel Performance

“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli
Track from: Free To Be Me

“Jesus Is Love” by Heather Headley feat. Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One

“I Believe” by Jonny Lang w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day

“Wait On The Lord” by Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One

“Born Again” by Third Day
Track from: Revelation

This is a tough one, fresh out of the gate.  I’m thinking it’s gonna go to Heather Headley and Smokie Norful for a couple of reasons– folks adore “Jesus Is Love” and the song has carried mainstream significance for decades.  Similarly, Heather Headley carries mainstream voting power with her, despite the fact that it was a gospel project.  And, all that aside, their duet was quite good.

 Best Gospel Song

“Born Again” - Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)

“City On Our Knees” – Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jaime Moore, songwriters (TobyMac)

“Every Prayer” – Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary)

“God In Me” – Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)

“The Motions” – Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West)

I’m betting on The Marys for this one.  The success and popularity of “God In Me” was like a runaway train– it was played everywhere, performed everywhere, talked about everywhere… and with good reason.  I expect this GRAMMY to be the culmination of over a year’s worth of rather deserved acclaim.

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

The Big Picture - Da’ T.R.U.T.H.

Crash - Decyfer Down

Innocence & Instinct - Red

Live Revelations - Third Day

The Dash – John Wells-The Tonic

As much as I enjoy Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s project, I don’t think he’ll nab this one.  I’m actually torn on this, between Third Day and Decyfer Down… ultimately, I chose Third Day cuz they’re more of a household name.

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

Speaking Louder Than Before - Jeremy Camp

The Power Of One - Israel Houghton

The Long Fall Back To Earth - Jars Of Clay

Love Is On The Move - Leeland

Freedom - Mandisa

Another REALLY hard one for me… Jars Of Clay, Jeremy Camp and Israel are established artists with great music and big followings.  Mandisa and Leeland are newer, but just as popular in many circles, and also making some great music.  I have NO PEACE about this, but I’m predicting Mandisa.  She has a good project and her widespread exposure (added to her lingering American Idol popularity) may tip the scales in her favor here.

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb

Dream On - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

The Rock - Tracy Lawrence

In God’s Time - Barry Scott & Second Wind

Everyday - Triumphant Quest

I never have ANY clue when it comes to this category, cuz it’s just not my thing.  That said, I do know that Jason Crabb is one to watch right now, and I believe it’s because of this project.  That said, my money’s on Jason Crabb.

Best Traditional Gospel Album

God Don’t Never Change - Ashley Cleveland

The Law Of Confession, Pt. 1 - Donald Lawrence & Co.

Oh Happy Day - Various Artists

The Journey Continues - The Williams Brothers

How I Got Over - Vickie Winans

This is another tough call.  Donald Lawrence is simply incredible and he definitely deserves an award, in my opinion, but I fear that voters may not have agreed with his placement in the “traditional gospel” category… on that grounds, is it the best traditional project?  Maybe not… I predict the Oh Happy Day compilation.  It successfully brought together heavyweights in gospel and mainstream music to commemorate one of the most popular gospel songs in history.  It’s hard to ignore that.

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Audience Of One - Heather Headley

Renewed - Sheri Jones-Moffett

Just James - J Moss

Smokie Norful LIVE - Smokie Norful

Bold Right Life - Kierra Sheard

First of all, shout-out to EMI Gospel for having 4 of 5 the artists in this category.  That said, I’m QUITE unsettled about this one.  Ultimately, I predict that Heather Headley will grab it– she has a nice voice, an album that lots of folks enjoyed, and popularity in the mainstream.  In my opinion, her album was not the best out of this group and I didn’t know that so many people would vote for it.  But I’m inclined to believe that if she got enough votes to get a nomination, she just may have gotten enough to get the win.

Gospel Artists Nominated In Non-Gospel Categories:

Tonex was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for his single “Blend” (Unspoken), and he might win that, but I also see an India.Arie nod in the same category and she will probably nab the award.

Ann Nesby’s “Sow Love” (The Lula Lee Project) is nominated in Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (dunno why), but I’m fairly certain that Beyonce’s rendition of “At Last” will win in that category.

Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters are nominated in the Best R&B Performance By Group/Duo with Vocals category for their performance of “Higher Ground” (Oh Happy Day), as is Ann Nesby for a Bobby Womack collabo, but I kinda expect the win to go to Jamie Foxx and T-Pain for “Blame It”.

OKAY.  Those are my predictions for the 2010 GRAMMY Awards.  For the full list of nominees in all categories, visit the GRAMMY website here.

What do you think???

Plans for the 5th Annual All-Star Gospel Brunch are underway and the big event is going down in Dallas, TX during the 59th NBA All-Star Weekend.  The brunch will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2010.

Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, James Fortune & FIYA, Ricardo Sanchez and Angella Christie are slated to perform for the event, while Paula White and Jonathan Slocumb will serve as co-hosts.

For more details, visit http://www.allstargospelbrunch.com/.

The nominees for the 52nd annual GRAMMY Awards were announced last night during the GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live on CBS.  The awards telecast takes place on January 31, 2010 at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.

Like last year, I’m going to wait to give my predictions until a bit closer to the actual awards telecast.  Last time, I got 4 out of 7 of ‘em right, which wasn’t too bad.  I’m gunning to get ‘em all right this time.

 Until then, however, the nominees in the gospel-related categories are:

 Best Gospel Performance

“Free To Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli
Track from: Free To Be Me

“Jesus Is Love” by Heather Headley feat. Smokie Norful
Track from: Audience Of One

“I Believe” by Jonny Lang w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers
Track from: Oh Happy Day

“Wait On The Lord” by Donnie McClurkin feat. Karen Clark Sheard
Track from: We All Are One

“Born Again” by Third Day
Track from: Revelation

 Best Gospel Song

“Born Again” - Tai Anderson, David Carr, Mark Lee & Mac Powell, songwriters (Third Day)

“City On Our Knees” – Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan & Jaime Moore, songwriters (TobyMac)

“Every Prayer” – Dayna Caddell, Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey & Ricardo Sanchez, songwriters (Israel Houghton & Mary Mary)

“God In Me” – Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters (Mary Mary)

“The Motions” – Jason Houser, Sam Mizell & Matthew West, songwriters (Matthew West)

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

The Big Picture - Da’ T.R.U.T.H.

Crash - Decyfer Down

Innocence & Instinct - Red

Live Revelations - Third Day

The Dash – John Wells-The Tonic

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

Speaking Louder Than Before - Jeremy Camp

The Power Of One - Israel Houghton

The Long Fall Back To Earth - Jars Of Clay

Love Is On The Move - Leeland

Freedom - Mandisa

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb

Dream On - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

The Rock - Tracy Lawrence

In God’s Time - Barry Scott & Second Wind

Everyday - Triumphant Quest

Best Traditional Gospel Album

God Don’t Never Change - Ashley Cleveland

The Law Of Confession, Pt. 1 - Donald Lawrence & Co.

Oh Happy Day - Various Artists

The Journey Continues - The Williams Brothers

How I Got Over - Vickie Winans

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Audience Of One - Heather Headley

Renewed - Sheri Jones-Moffett

Just James - J Moss

Smokie Norful LIVE - Smokie Norful

Bold Right Life - Kierra Sheard

Gospel Artists Nominated In Non-Gospel Categories:

Best Urban/Alternative Performance – Tonex – “Blend” (Unspoken)

Best R&B Performance By Group/Duo w/ Vocals —  Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters – “Higher Ground” (Oh Happy Day)

*     *     *

Like I said, predictions coming later.  But in general, I’m SUPER DUPER pleased with these nominations.  I think they’re a fair and accurate representation of the songs, performances, albums and artists that did well in 2009.

I’m proud of all the nominees, but I’m particularly thrilled that Donnie McClurkin & Karen Clark Sheard were acknowledged for “Wait On The Lord,” and that “Every Prayer” (recorded by Israel Houghton & Mary Mary) got a nod.  Glad about J Moss and Da’ T.R.U.T.H. cuz they put out some really great music this year, and I LOVE that Sheri Jones-Moffett got her much-deserved nomination.

As an aside, I got a bunch of Twitter responses last night from people ready to boycott something cuz Mary Mary wasn’t nominated for best gospel album– it’s cuz they were nominated in that category last year. It’s all good!

For a complete list of nominees in all categories, click here.

Okay, folks… do you think of the nominees?

In the current music industry climate, it’s refreshing to see artists who have taken the time to actually develop, rather than simply throwing an album into the marketplace.  And, in the gospel industry, I tend to expect that level of commitment to one’s ministry.

With his debut project, Balance, Ted Winn enters the gospel marketplace as a solo artist with grace, purpose, and a sound that is certain– a reflection of his experience in this industry and a decided commitment to God’s timing.

The 11-track musical offering tends to present Winn as more of an ensemble leader than a solo artist (perhaps a la Hawkins or Crouch), but it’s clear that he is, at all times, the captain at the helm of this album’s sound.  Writing on all but one of the tracks (a remake of “Moving Forward” by Israel Houghton & Ricardo Sanchez), Winn demonstrates that he shines as brightly behind the scenes as on stage.

Standout tracks for me include the album opener, “Connected To The Kingdom” and “His Favor,” featuring Vanessa Bell Armstrong, both of which are high-energy tunes with a bit of a throwback vibe to them.  “Reap” and “Trust His Name” are both more mellow grooves that display the vocal agility for which Winn is well-known.

Other gems on the project include the worship track “Oh My Soul,” which is reminiscent of a beautifully penned Richard Smallwood ballad (the song is, in fact, inspired by Smallwood, Winn’s mentor) and “Great Is Our God.”  The latter tune is both catchy (it’s an instant Sunday-morning praise team or choir hit) and cleverly done, in that it features Winn in right company with three of the industry’s other new, premier male vocalists– DeWayne Woods, Jonathan Nelson and Myron Butler.

In short, Ted Winn’s Balance provides just that– a collection of great music able to both nourish and encourage the Body of Christ.  It’s an impressive debut project worth purchasing.

You can click here to check it out.

I looooooove Israel’s latest project, The Power Of One, and I know I’ve made that crystal clear since before its release.  I love practically every track and it, as a whole, has blessed me tremendously.

Since its release, I’ve heard A LOT of people reference ”Moving Forward,” which he co-wrote with Ricardo Sanchez.  They’ve talked about how much they love it, how much of a blessing it is, how it’s encouraging them, etc.  And I concur.

But what’s interesting to me is that less than 5 months before Israel’s album came out, Hezekiah Walker released Souled Out, which not only features the SAME song, but also features Ricardo Sanchez on lead vocals.  Few people are going ga-ga over Hezekiah’s version, if they even know about it at all.

So, my mental wheels started churning and I have a coupla questions for ya…

1.  Did you know that Hezekiah Walker had just done the same song?

2.  If so, which version do you enjoy more and why?  Is it about the style of the song– more acoustic/solo (Israel) vs. band/choir (Hezekiah)?

And the big one…

3.  Honestly, don’t you feel that some folks will automatically consider Israel’s version “legitimate” over Hezekiah Walker’s version?  If so, why is that?!

In my opinion, I think that we, as gospel consumers, don’t always “buy it” when more traditional gospel artists experiment with songs that have a hint of CCM in them.  If they’re known for foot-stompin’ and shoutin’, we don’t believe artists when they try to broaden their musical horizons…

But is that fair?

Lemme know what you think.