September 2007

“’Til I Die”Madame Mary L. Flake-Hayniefrom the forthcoming CD God's Got an AnswerMadame Haynie Music 2004www.MadameHaynieMusic.comMadame Mary L. Flake-Haynie is certainly no stranger to gospel music. A Winston-Salem native who sang with the Gore Family (with whom she made a 45 rpm recording), the Ebernette Gospel Singers and the Tommiettes [...]

Hold OnThe SojournersBlack Hen Music 2007www.blackhenmusic.comWhen I first heard Canada’s Sojourners quartet – Ron Small, Will Sanders, and Marcus Mosely – on fellow Canadian Jim Byrnes’ recent CD House of Refuge (also on Black Hen), I wrote in TBGB: “…they deserve a project of their own.” Voila! They have one. [...]

Live – In the CountryThe Virginia AiresDove Records www.firstliterecords.comLive – In the Country is a gem of a quartet program in a jewel case.It is not easy being a quartet from Virginia. It’s like being a choir from Chicago: lots of competition, plenty of superb groups on every block. The [...]

Soulful Soundsby Gospel Legends Geraldine and Donald GayThe Sirens Records 2007www.thesirensrecords.comIf you don’t know about the Gay Family, you don’t know gospel.The Chicago-based Gays – Mildred, Evelyn, Geraldine, and Donald in particular – are products of the Church of God in Christ and have been on the frontline of gospel [...]

Nothing But WorshipThe New Life Community Choir feat. John P. KeeZomba Recording 2007www.johnpkee.comwww.myspace.com/johnpkeeWhen John P. Kee and the North Carolina-based New Life Community Choir burst onto the gospel scene in the mid 1990s, garnering as many awards as can be packed into a trophy case, legions of male-led small choirs [...]

TBGB received this press release from David V. Taylor of RedeemedSoul.com. He had me at "Bridgette Campbell," whose independent label debut featured the gorgeous gospel ballad, "Because of You." Campbell is on The New Soul project described below...Since RedeemedSoul.com launched its debut CD The New Soul last year, the label [...]

The DisciplesChangePriesthood Recording Company 2007The Disciples, a quartet formerly known as the Singing Disciples, demonstrates on Change that the major labels don’t have all of the great quartets under contract. Jack Branch, Melvin “Kym” Derr, Paul I. Houston, Dana L. Houston, Robert Evans, and Marvin Johnson of the Disciples give [...]

“Just Don’t Wanna Know”Marvin WinansFrom the forthcoming CD: Alone But Not Alone PureSprings Gospel 2007www.myspace.com/marvinwinansmusic“Just Don’t Wanna Know,” the first single to be released from Marvin Winans’ forthcoming project, Alone But Not Alone, is a hauntingly lovely, guitar-driven ballad backed by strings and a soft-singing choir. The song about a [...]

Recordings from the Collection of Brandywine Friends of Old Time MusicThe Dixie Hummingbirds and The Little WondersField Recorders’ Collective 2007www.fieldrecorder.comThe Field Recorders’ Collective is an aggregation of music enthusiasts dedicated to sharing priceless recordings from their collections with the public, not leaving them sitting on a shelf or stored in [...]

“One More Blessing”The Gospel 4From the forthcoming CD: The Gospel 4 Live: “One More Blessing”4 Life Miracle Records 2007www.4lifemiraclerecords.comGeorge Dean and the Gospel 4 wrecked the house at least twice during their visit to the Gospel Music Workshop of America last month: once during the Thursday evening quartet program, and [...]