Tim Bowman Jr. is finally releasing his debut album, Beautiful, today!

You may remember him for his scats and ad libs on his aunt Vickie Winans’ “How I Got Over,” but he’s hitting the marketplace with a 13-track project that is sure to bless you.

Of his new album, Bowman says: “I’ve recorded an album intended to evoke genuine human emotion and enlighten the world on the love of Christ. Nice beats are cool. New sounds are hot. But, what I want most is for people to feel again.”

Beautiful features guest appearances from Vickie Winans and Dorinda Clark-Cole. Get it TODAY!

Tracklist:
1. Throw It Away
2. Free
3. Sunday Morning (feat. Dorinda Clark-Cole)
4. Beautiful
5. Healer
6. He Will (feat. Vickie Winans)
7. Looking for Love
8. Promise
9. I’ll Try
10. Fell In Love
11. Running Back to You
12. I’m Here
13. Abide With Me

Listen to snippets of the album, and download it, at Amazon.com.

Plus, check out the music video for his latest single, “Free”:

One of the HARDEST-workin’ women in the business is trying to unload some of her surplus. Lol

Declaring “I’ve got too much stuff,” Vickie Winans is holding an estate sale from September 26-30 in Michigan.

Check out the flyer below for details on sale locations and dates.

And if you can, I’d make plans to be there–from jewelry to clothes to furniture (and even her home), Vickie’s got some NICE stuff!

Lucinda Moore, winner of this year’s Stellar Award in the ‘Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year’ category, will be honored for her first Stellar win this Friday, March 4th at a celebration in Durham, NC.

Vickie Winans and radio personality Melissa Wade will co-host this concert celebration, which will feature guest performances by JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, James Hall, Zebulon Ellis and more!

Event Location:
Greater Joy International Ministries
2000 Chapel Hill Road | Durham, NC
919-294-8123 | http://www.greaterjoyim.org

Tickets:
General Admission: $10
Advance Seating: $20
VIP Seating: $30 (includes reserved seating & a reception)

To purchase tix, or for more info, visit http://www.lucindamoore.eventbrite.com.

Anyone planning to attend?

A list of performers and presenters for the 26th Annual Stellar Awards has been released!

Among the performers are Marvin Sapp, Beverly Crawford, Deitrick Haddon, the Nevels Sisters, VaShawn Mitchell, the Soul Seekers, the Williams Brothers, the Rance Allen Group, forever Jones, JJ Hairston and Joshua’s Troop.  Also performing will be an all-star choir in tribute to Kirk Franklin, and the winners of the 2010 How Sweet the Sound competition in tribute to Donald Lawrence.

Award presenters and other participants will include J Moss, Dorinda Clark Cole, Hezekiah Walker, Andrae Crouch, Vickie Winans, Lisa Page Brooks, DeWayne Woods, Wess Morgan, Myron Butler, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dr. Bobby Jones and more.

The show will be taped this Saturday in Nashville, TN, at the Grand Ole Opry House, and will air on gmc on March 5 at 8pm ET.  The program will also air in various national markets from January 22nd through March 13th.  Check your local listings!

Just a great throwback video (GOTTA be from the 80s, given those shoulder pads and puffy pants) featuring Marvin Winans and Vickie Winans singing the Winans hit “Ain’t No Need To Worry.”

Stumbled upon this randomly, but I enjoyed it. They’re BOTH some singing folks and the tune is classic!

Whatcha think???

Word has it that Integrity Music’s hit gospel compilation project, Gotta Have Gospel, will be returning to stores with its 8th edition on October 5th.

The project features 24 tracks, with a bonus DVD of gospel performances and music videos.

The track listing?  Glad you asked–

Disc One
1.  I Give You Praise – Byron Cage
2. Expect The Great – Jonathan Nelson
3. All Of My Help – Hezekiah Walker & LFC
4. How I Got Over featuring Tim Bowman, Jr. – Vickie Winans
5. Nobody Like You Lord – Fred Hammond
6. Every Prayer featuring Mary Mary – Israel Houghton
7. I Will Lift – Trin-I-Tee 5:7
8. Your Name Alone – Stephen Hurd
9. Lord You Reign Forever – Crystal Aikin
10. Jesus – Kirk Franklin
11. Free – Rizen
12. I Gave It Up – J Moss

Disc Two
1. Trusting In You – Donnie McClurkin
2. Let The Word Do The Work featuring Brother Hahz – Donald Lawrence & Co.
3. I Praise You – Shari Addison
4. Get Up – Mary Mary
5. It All Belongs To You – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
6. The Master Plan – Tamela Mann
7. Bless The Lord (Son Of Man) – Tye Tribbett
8. Worship Medley: I Worship You Almighty God/There Is None Like You/There’s Something About That Name – Marvin Sapp
9. All I Need – Brian Courtney Wilson
10. Free – Darwin Hobbs
11. Your Will – Ken Reynolds
12. Trading My Sorrows – PAJAM

DVD Footage
1. La Buena Vida (Romans 8:31) – Ken Reynolds featuring Lucia Parker
2. I’ll Say Yes – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
3. Just Wanna Say – Israel Houghton
4. Worship Medley: I Worship You Almighty God/There Is None Like You/There’s Something About That Name – Marvin Sapp

Sounds good, yes?

Who’s thinking of grabbin’ this one???

I love this song more than I can express– it’s just classic to me.

This isn’t the original performance, but it’s great all the same.  It’s “Jesus Saves” by Marvin Winans and the Perfected Praise Choir, and this particular video features Vickie Winans on guest vocals, too!

How about that?!

Word has it that Marvin Sapp took home a BET Award last night– he won in the category for Best Gospel Artist.  I think we all called this one and could’ve seen it comin’ a mile away.  But I’m THRILLED for him!

Also nominated in the category were Vickie Winans, Kirk Franklin presents Artists United (for Haiti Relief song), Tamela Mann and The Anointed Pace Sisters.

By the way, did anyone catch the show???

An obvious highlight for the gospel industry was Kirk Franklin’s performance of “Are You Listening?” with Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams and Karen Clark Sheard.  Everyone was in great voice and looked great and all that.  I could’ve used a BIT more Karen Clark Sheard on the ad libs– but couldn’t we all?

But before all that happened, we had another dope-for-gospel type of moment. I was thrilled to hear Alicia Keys, in the middle of her medley of hits, introduce Kim Burrell, who joined Keys in singing “If I Ain’t Got You” (Burrell changed the lyrics to say ”if it ain’t you, Jesus… if I ain’t got you, Jesus…”).  It was an incredible moment– the audience went BANANAS as if they, too, were die-hard Kim fans since the days of her indie release of Try Me Again (y’know, with the short haircut on it).  I’m glad for where God’s taking her.

(An aside: El DeBarge wasn’t doing gospel, but that medley ministered to my VERY SOUL, so… yeah.  Just needed to say that cuz I grew up on DeBarge.)

OKAY, tell me what you thought of the show, if you caught it, and blah blah blah…

Go!

The nominees for the 10th annual BET Awards were announced yesterday.  The awards program recognizes the gospel genre in its Best Gospel Artist category.  This year, nods in that category go to:

Marvin Sapp
The Anointed Pace Sisters
Kirk Franklin Presents Artists United For Haiti
Tamela Mann
Vickie Winans

Happy about Marvin Sapp, thrilled for the Pace Sisters (project was slept on– read my review for more info), satisfied about Tamela Mann and Vickie Winans.  I dunno that the Haiti relief project should’ve been nominated.  Don’t get me wrong– I love everything that it is, was and ever stood for… I just dunno that it should be put in the Best Gospel Artist category.  Are we saying that, merely for being there, the participants are “the best” this year?

For me, this list is missing BeBe & CeCe Winans.  After a 15-year hiatus, gospel’s most famous duo returns with the highest album debut of 2009, sales that kept them at #1 on the gospel chart for MONTHS, plus media exposure that included a performance on Oprah… and they’re not even nominated?  What must one DO?!  I don’t get the nominations criteria.

I wouldn’t be the only one, of course, as nominations are doled out by a select and secret committee comprised of… well, we’re not really told who.  By the way, what’s with awards shows not telling us who’s doing all the awardin’?!

In any case, I’m predicting Marvin Sapp on this one.  And after a record-breaking debut across all genres of music a couple of months ago, I think he deserves it.

This year’s BET Awards will be hosted by Queen Latifah and will be broadcast live from L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, June 27th at 8pm ET/7pm CST on BET.

What do you think of the nominees???

Not too many changes in the top 10 spots on the Gospel Albums chart at Billboard.

#1 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#2 | WOW Gospel 2010
#3 | BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
#4 |Karen Clark Sheard - All In One
#5 | Fred Hammond – Love Unstoppable
#6 | James Fortune & FIYA – Encore
#7 | Earnest Pugh – Live: Rain On Us
#8 | Hezekiah Walker & LFC – Souled Out
#9| Tamela Mann - The Master Plan
#10 | Mary Mary – The Sound

Outside of the top 10, Lucinda Moore’s Blessed Broken & Given has debuted at #13, and Vickie Winans jumped from #44 to #18, and James Hall’s church choir, Voices of Citadel, jumped from #33 to #19 with their newest release– Won’t It Be Wonderful (full review of that one coming TODAY).

I’m assuming the top 10 will stay pretty much like this for a while– I don’t know of any major releases that could cause an upset and the numbers are fairly solid.

Talk to me– which of these albums do you not have, but are considering pickin’ up???