This week, I wanted to give you a Sunday Best double-recap of sorts… I have a little somethin’ to say about the show, and will do so later, but first, Troy Lilly is back with another great recap of last night’s episode…
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We’re now very close to crowning a winner for season three of BET’s Sunday Best, and last night there was more impressive singing and even a little dancing. But not without a couple surprises. More on that later, though.
If you’ve been watching this season you know how the show works– Kirk Franklin introduces the guest musical artist for the week, they perform, and then the contestants hit the stage, right? Well not when the guest artist is Israel Houghton. The man behind the success of Israel and New Breed ushered the audience into worship with his version of “Moving Forward.” For a moment it looked like we wouldn’t be able to move forward but, after a short reprise, we returned to the regularly scheduled programming, for a while.
The two-part show was graced with another great performance by Brian Courtney Wilson, who stopped by to sing “All I Need” from his breakthrough debut album Just Love. As Kirk said, if you haven’t heard of him you’ll certainly be blessed by his music.
For last night’s episode the theme was “crossover,” blending traditional gospel songs with secular songs that feature inspirational messages. Each of the three contestants were to sing a “secular” song during the first half and a “gospel” song in the second half. I was quite curious to see how this week’s theme would play out as I believed it would further distinguish each singer’s versatility – or lack thereof. But hey, what do I know?
Tina Campbell, Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin held it down as judges once more. Kirk also mentioned there would be “hard judging.” I’m not so sure that’s what we got. But this is how it went down:
Durward Davis – “Change the World” and “I Need You Now”
Earlier this year, EJ explained in a post on Sunday Best rules that contestants have little say in what songs they sing. Durward was given an Eric Clapton song from a movie soundtrack to sing first. I am certain he would have chosen a different song. That being said, he made the most of an unusual song choice. For the limited amount of time he had, Durward really brought “Change the World” to a climax and embraced the melody. He was clearly uneasy after the performance, though he maintained a smile while singing. For round two, he took on Smokie Norful’s gospel ballad which is no easy task, but he nailed that, too (in my opinion). Even after his voice was about to give out, he kept giving his all until the very end.
LeAndria Johnson – “Heaven Help Us All” and “I Love the Lord”
I’m guessing a lot of folks are happy the judges don’t kick people off the show when they forget words, because if that were true LeAndria would’ve gone home tonight. During “Heaven Help Us All – a song made famous by Stevie Wonder – the normally unflappable LeAndria stumbled through the lyrics of both verses. But her voice remained intact (for the most part), and if I wasn’t such a huge Stevie fan I may not have realized she shuffled and omitted words. It surely never showed on her face. LeAndria’s second performance was a victory lap – figuratively and literally. This time her words and vocals were in sync. The surprise wasn’t the judges’ reactions but hers. After her stirring rendition of “I Love the Lord” she dropped her microphone and danced across the stage for about 30 seconds. Yolanda and Donnie cut a step, too.
Elder Goldwire McLendon – “Falling in Love with Jesus” and “Oh, Happy Day”
Elder knew he had to rise to the competition a bit after a less-than-stellar performance last week. I’m happy to report that that he didn’t forget the words last night! However, I’m not sure how his first song qualified as secular since it’s a love song about Jesus. I still have a big question mark in my mind here– “Change the World” vs. “Falling in Love with Jesus”? Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get it. Aside from my gripes with the song, Elder McLendon certainly conveyed his love for God when he sang. His tone and approach mirrored what we’ve seen from him every week, and of course, the anointing was on him. Wrapping up the performance portion of the night, he sang the Edwin Hawkins song that introduced gospel music to the mainstream. Again, I was amazed at how tight and consistent Elder’s delivery was in relation to other weeks on the show. He continued to wow judges. Donnie was reduced to tears.
At the end of the night only LeAndria Johnson and Elder Goldwire McLendon advanced to become the final two.
While I wish both LeAndria and Elder Goldwire the best going into this season’s final round, I strongly disagree with Durward Davis being eliminated. The best way I can defend my opinion is with the judges’ own words. From the start of this competition the judges have repeatedly praised Durward’s ability to paint pictures and take people on a journey with his songs. He especially rose to the challenge last night by tackling a vague secular song. He might as well have sung “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper…he may have even been better off singing that. I believe his performances are always complete while other performers give me 1:30 that feels exactly like 1:30 into a song. I’m sad to see him go, but I’m confident he’ll be successful. Again, I’m so thrilled for LeAndria and Elder Goldwire.
Furthermore, the judging has lacked tangible content to me. I’d love to hear more advice for improvement that is applicable for the folks who go home as well as the folks who stay. Everyone is in a position to improve. We all love gospel music and we want singers to be balanced – trained and anointed so the anointing doesn’t have to do ALL the work.
It’s very exciting to see this season drawing to a close. So, between LeAndria and Elder McLendon, who’s it gonna be?
I KNOW you guys have a lot to say. And we want to hear you!
Hey fam, just a reminder that the new project from Smokie Norful, titled How I Got Over: Songs That Carried Us, is in stores NOW.
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Heads-up, good folks… Popular radio personality and host of BET’s Lift Every Voice CoCo Brother is releasing a compilation album on Tyscot Records, entitled CoCo Brother Live presents Stand 2010.
