As you know, Mary Mary was featured on Good Morning America this morning. Beyond showing a bit of the video for their new single, “Survive,” and discussing their partnership with the American Red Cross, Erica Campbell made a big announcement– she’s PREGNANT!
This will be Erica’s 3rd child with husband (and super producer) Warryn Campbell.
Congratulations to Erica and Warryn on their new baby!
Sister duo Mary Mary are gearing up for the March 29 release of their sixth album, titled Something Big.
The project, produced by Warryn Campbell, features the hit single “Walking,” which has already climbed to the #6 position on radio this week. The single can be purchased digitally now, or buy it at your local WalMart and receive a bonus track with it– “Something Bigger.”
The ladies will also be on BET’s Celebration of Gospel this Sunday, January 30 at 8pm ET, performing “Something Big,” the catchy call and response anthem and title track from their upcoming project.
Word has it that Warryn Campbell’s My Block Records, the label home of the Soul Seekers, has signed a distribution deal with Malaco Music Group. The first release in the partnership will be Soul Seekers II, the group’s sophomore project, due on November 16th.
In my mind, the partnership makes TOTAL sense for the quartet group’s new project– Malaco has a long-standing history in traditional gospel music, but has also begun venturing into more contemporary sounds, especially with last year’s release of Still, the BeBe & CeCe Winans reunion project.
Congrats to all involved– can’t wait to get some music! 
Just one of those cool TV tributes– this one’s to Aretha Franklin a few years back. It features BeBe Winans, Karen Clark Sheard, Kierra Sheard, Micah Stampley, Twinkie Clark on one organ, Warryn Campbell on another, capped off by Mary Mary.
EVERY ONE OF ‘EM delivered great vocal performances. And all the while, the Queen of Soul bopped her head in approval.
Peep the video here–
Dope, right?!
Purchase or Pass is the new series from Mia Paylor, GospelPundit.com’s newest contributing writer (click here to read about her). Here, in her first post, she comes clean. Go on, Mia. Tell ‘em what you did…
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I have a confession to make. I never purchased or listened to the gospel CD’s released by Michelle Williams, Dave Hollister, Heather Headley… notice the trend? I admit that I normally don’t purchase projects released by those I think are “I can’t make it financially with secular music so I’ll just make money off of church folk” gospel artists. It’s not that I believe secular artists aren’t saved and don’t desire to see souls saved. I just don’t want to hear what I’m thinking was motivated by money…not ministry.
So, you know what I didn’t do when I heard that Jason Champion, former member of the R&B duo, Men at Large, released Reflections through EMI Gospel. That’s RIGHT! I didn’t buy it! My fellow R&B connoisseurs remember Men at Large or, at the very least, you remember their hit, “So Alone”. I sure do…cause that was my JAAAM!
But, while listening to Bonnerfide Radio recently, I heard Jason’s song, “Find a Reason”…and I LOVED it! Through this guitar-laced jam (with what I swear are some Prince elements from the Purple Rain era), Jason declares that in spite of what we face in life, we must always find reasons to do what God calls us to do. I found myself listening to that song over and over again until I finally told myself I needed to download it…because I was DONE fast-forwarding halfway through that 2 hour podcast just to listen to it! Then, after previewing all the tracks, I knew I had to download the whole CD. And I’m GLAD I DID!
I have not stopped listening to it. The lyrics are completely Christian and relatable. The production was handled by greats such as Warryn Campbell and Gerald Haddon. The R&B vibe is consistent throughout the entire CD. “Always” (with its millennium disco vibe) and “Friend of Mine” (with its base driven groove) keep me dancing! And, most importantly, I felt Jason’s heart in every song…which prompted me to dig up his story. I learned that God released Jason from Men at Large and, shortly thereafter, he began recording and touring with Kirk Franklin. He’s a family man with a powerful testimony and a heart for ministry. His wife, Paula, is featured singing beautifully on “For Better or For Worse”.
I’m now a changed woman! No more passing on purchasing a gospel CD simply because the artist just hopped off of the secular bandwagon seemingly because they were too broke to stay there! Instead, I’ll do a bit of research…try to get a feel for their true motive for recording the project by reading bios and interviews…listen to their song clips to see if my Spirit-man connects with them. Then, I’ll decide to purchase or pass.
So, Jason, PLEASE forgive me! Accept this heartfelt editorial as a penance for doing you sooo wrong! I withheld a blessing from myself and, most importantly, you…because you deserve every cent I paid for it.
I won’t be making this mistake again. What about you?
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Okay, so I guess I’ll confess, too. When Mia told me she was writing on Jason Champion, I was SoOooO excited because I had JUST discovered the full album, myself. I had heard tracks from it before, and I loved his voice and the music, but never listened all the way through!
IT IS INCREDIBLE. Definitely my favorite album of the past 30 days– even though it’s 2 years old.
So, I stand with Mia on this one. Do yourself a favor, if you have not already done so, BUY THIS ALBUM. At least, take a listen to see if you wanna do it. Click here to listen to snippets and to make a purchase
Tell me–
(1) Whatd’ya think of what Mia had to say? Didn’t she do a great job?!
(2) Did you Purchase or Pass on Jason Champion’s project? What are your thoughts on the album?
For those of you who aren’t on Twitter, you probably didn’t hear yesterday that Erica Campbell, of hit group Mary Mary, gave birth to a baby boy yesterday!
No details or photos yet, folks… I’ll give ya more when I get more.
In the meantime, congrats to Warryn, Erica and Krista!
On Friday, I announced this new series– The Prayer List. Click here for a refresher on it and to understand my heart behind it. I guess that I should stress that, a person’s inclusion on The Prayer List is not an indication that anything is “wrong”… it’s just who the Lord laid on my heart. So, with that…
The person I’m adding to the prayer list this week is Erica Campbell of Mary Mary.
As most of you know, Erica’s pregnant and due any day now. She’s also made it known that she’s having a natural childbirth– no meds– which is reason enough to be added to The Prayer List. LOL
But aside from a safe and healthy delivery of her son, let’s pray for God’s continued guidance and strength as Erica does all the things she’s called to do through her music career and beyond. It’s a tall task, but God is able.
God, thank you for the life of Erica Campbell. Thanks for the ministry that you’ve called her to, and thank You for the gifts You’ve given her. I pray that You would be glorified by the opportunities that she’s given and in all of the environments that You bless her to be in.
It’s my prayer that You would continue to equip her with every good thing she needs to fulfill her role as a recording artist & songwriter, as an author, as a sister, as a mother, as a wife, and as a Christian. Bless her with wisdom, strength, discernment and grace. You, alone, know her heart and any areas that need to be worked on– do that work, completely and perfectly, for Your Name’s sake. And continue to protect her– heart, mind and soul– from the enemy’s attempts to devour her.
I pray that, in the natural, you would allow her to have a speedy and safe childbirth, with minimal pain (but maximum joy) in Your time. I pray that she and her husband, Warryn, would be blessed by the family addition of their new son. I pray for his health and protection.
Thank You for your loving commitment to Erica. I pray this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Don’t forget– you can post a quick prayer here AND make sure you remember her in prayer throughout the week. I’ll give lil’ reminders, too… pray as you’re led. And keep ‘em coming– I know she’ll be blessed by it.
What are your prayers for Erica Campbell?
I want you guys to check out this video. I think it’s a great idea– powerful and rather innovative for the gospel community.
The video features the newest single from J Moss, “Rebuild,” behind a bunch of artists and industry peeps talking about what “rebuild” means to them.
You’ll see J and his wife Melanie, PDA, 21:03, Tye Tribbett, Hezekiah Walker, Monica, Fred Hammond, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., Kierra Sheard, Donald Lawrence, Canton Jones, Warryn Campbell and more…
I think it’s pretty powerful and inspiring. And I love to see all the artists that got on board to help him out with it.
Whatdy’a think???
Word has it that we’ll soon be getting new music from The Soul Seekers, the most modern, yet true-to-tradition, quartet group in the gospel game.
The Soul Seekers is a group/band comprised of Warryn Campbell, Teddy Campbell, John “Jubu” Smith, Eric Seats, Charlie Bereal, Nisan Stewart, Gerald Haddon, and Craig Brockman.
The untitled album, the group’s second, will be available on May 4, 2010.
Shout-out to Jeremy for the heads-up on this and for cracking me up by calling these dudes “the Voltron of Gospel Music.” I think you’re right! LOL
***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???
