“My Help” – Angela Moss Poole feat. Micah Stampley
“My Help” Angela Moss Poole feat. Micah Stampley 141st Lane Music/DarkChild Gospel www.angelamosspoole.com By Robert M. Marovich Singer-songwriter Angela Moss Poole puts one of her favorite Scriptures, Psalm 121, to music, and invites gospel crooner Micah Stampley along for the journey. The message is simple, the melody is appealing, and [...]
“He’ll Be There” – RiZen
“He’ll Be There” RiZen DAF Entertainment Group / Tyscot By Robert M. Marovich Although Adriann Lewis-Freeman has carved out a solo career, it’s been a few years since the Stellar Award-winning RiZen vocal group has come together to release a new single. The drought is over with “He’ll Be There.” [...]
JGM Pick of the Week: May 3, 2021
“Be Alright” Friends aka Anointed Friends Thompson Records (release date: March 15, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich In “Be Alright,” the female quartet Friends (aka Anointed Friends) deliver a simple song of reassurance and encouragement to a driving countrified beat. The ladies pepper their lyrics with familiar church aphorisms (e.g., [...]
“I Am Black and I Matter” – Lemmie Battles
“I Am Black and I Matter” Lemmie Battles DAF Entertainment Group (release date: March 26, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Since June 2020, there’s been a notable increase in gospel artists releasing singles with messages linked directly to Black Lives Matter and the racial injustice running rampant through the nation [...]
JGM Pick of the Week: April 26, 2021
“Come (Broken, Scarred)” Mary Ozaraga Independent (release date: January 3, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich There’s an orchestral ambience to Christian singer-songwriter Mary Ozaraga’s first single release, “Come (Broken, Scarred).” Ozaraga’s guitar emits droplets of notes as drums thump like marching feet and synthesized sounds float gently above the singer [...]
Lawrence Hancock – Need of You
Lawrence Hancock Need of You (pre-orders begin April 26, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Bishop Lawrence Hancock’s new Christian hip hop release, Need of You, emulates his summer 2020 album, Who I Am, more in musical vibe than in message. For his seventh album, Hancock focuses less on uncertainty and [...]
“Watch Him Do It” – Kendra Carr-Pineda & Redemption Faith Global Ministries
“Watch Him Do It”Kendra Carr-Pineda & Redemption Faith Global MinistriesIndieBlu (release date: December 4, 2020) Pensacola, Florida's own Kendra Carr-Pineda leads the singers of Redemption Faith Global Ministries, where she is pastor, on the double-time “Watch Him Do It.” From the outset, rapid fire drumming on the backbeat and electronic [...]
JGM Pick of the Week: April 19, 2021
“The One” Jewell & Converted OverBoard Records (release date: April 9, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Those who appreciate joyous gospel quartet music will welcome “The One,” the latest single from the award-winning St. Louis quartet Jewell & Converted. Jewell Taylor leads the female quartet on a litany of examples [...]
David Wright – Let the Organ Play
David Wright Let the Organ Play Godfather Records (release date: February 12, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Typically, we hear Pastor David Wright leading the New York Fellowship Mass Choir. For Let the Organ Play, the choir takes a rest and Wright lights up the Hammond B3 to play an [...]
JGM Pick of the Week: April 12, 2021
“Still Gon’ Trust” Joshua Rogers Mixed Bag Music Group, LLC (release date: March 19, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Joshua Rogers sums up the sentiments of most in the first few lines of his new single, “Still Gon’ Trust:” “It’s been quite a year / A test of my faith [...]
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (106 minutes, dir. Kenny Leon, 2021) www.mylifetime.com By Robert M. Marovich Lifetime did not ask me to review Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, but since a few individuals have inquired as to my thoughts on the biopic, I thought I’d post them here. First, I commend executive [...]
“Tender and Mighty” – The Wood Drake Sessions
"Tender and Mighty” The Wood Drake Sessions feat. Tammy Bullock Independent (release date: March 11, 2021) https://thewooddrakesessions.com/ By Robert M. Marovich In lyric and melody, “Tender and Mighty” has the soul of an ancient hymn wrapped in contemporary clothing. With the support of an angelic-voiced choir, lead vocalist Tammy Bullock [...]
Kelontae Gavin – The N.O.W. Experience
Kelontae Gavin The N.O.W. Experience RCA Inspiration / Marquis Boone Enterprises (release date: March 5, 2021) www.rcainspiration.com By Robert M. Marovich Some gospel artists you meet outside of the church environment startle you when you witness their artistic presence in the spotlight. One is Jekalyn Carr—quiet and measured in informal [...]
“Holy” – Mark Hubbard & The Voices feat. Pastor Don Clark
“Holy” Mark Hubbard & the Voices feat. Pastor Don Clark Independent (release date: March 15, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Growing up in the Catholic church, we'd sing “Holy Holy Holy” with such lackluster spirit that I wasn’t sure whether we were worshiping God or putting Him to sleep. Since [...]
JGM Pick of the Week: April 5, 2021
“Fighter” Patreka Wortham (release date: March 5, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich “Fighter” is sufficient confirmation why North Carolina gospel singer Patreka Wortham took home top honors at the 34th Annual Stellar Awards Independent Artist Showcase in 2019. Written, she told Buzzmusic, at a point in time when she was [...]
Carrie Underwood – My Savior
Carrie Underwood My Savior Capitol Nashville (release date: March 26, 2021) www.umgnashville.com By Henry Carrigan for JGM My Savior is an album Carrie Underwood was born to make. Listening to her sing these songs carries us back to Sunday mornings in country churches where the vibrant beauty of these gospel [...]
JGM Pick of the Week: March 30, 2021
“Saved and Sanctified” The Highway QCs feat. Spencer Taylor Jr. From Live at the 2021 Gospel Inaugural Celebration (release date: March 6, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich On the heels of his autobiography, A General Becomes a Legend, Godfather of Quartet Music Spencer Taylor Jr. joins his fellow Highway QCs [...]
“Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus! Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community” by Robert L. Stone (book review)
Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus! Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community. By Robert L. Stone. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. 192 pp. (hardcover). Illustrations, Extended Photo Captions, Notes. ISBN 978-1-4968-3150-7. $40.00 By Robert M. Marovich With Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus! Florida historian and folklorist Robert Stone presses [...]
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