TBGB’s Best of 2010 – Gospel Music Albums and Singles

Here is The Black Gospel Blog’s “Best Of” for 2010.

As in prior years, the lists are not necessarily based on a song or album’s popularity or sales but on the sound, vision, talent and feeling. Also, only projects serviced to TBGB during the year are considered.

Singles:

1. “The Best in Me” – Marvin Sapp (Verity)

Marvin Sapp’s “The Best in Me” was sort of a follow-up hit to his mega-smash, “Never Would Have Made It.” It wasn’t as strong as Sapp’s career-topping hit, but it was far truer to the transcendent spirit of gospel than many other singles in 2010. It’s main lyric lines entered into the African American church lexicon and the honesty of the song tugged at the heart in the same way as its antecedent. The performance was made all the more immediate and captivating by Sapp’s intimate and pleading vocals.

The rest of the list (in alphabetical order):

“Awesome God” – Brian Courtney Wilson (Music World Gospel)

“Corinthian Song” – Micah Stampley (Music World Gospel/Interface Entertainment)

“God is God (He Won’t Change)” – Rev. F.C. Barnes feat. Darrell Luster (AIR)

“Hallelujah to the Lamb” – James Hall Presents Voices of Citadel (Musicblend Records)

“I Believe” – James Fortune, Shawn McLemore, & Zacardi Cortez (Blacksmoke Music Worldwide)

“I Found Love (Cindy’s Song)” – BeBe Winans (Malaco Records)

“I Wanna Know” – JAIA (JAIA)

“It’s About Time for a Miracle” – Beverly Crawford (JDI Records)

“Krazy Praize” – April Nevels (7 Places Indie)

Albums:

1. Various Artists: Bishop Morton Celebrates 25 Years of Music (Light Records/Tehillah Music Group)

Gospel music is best when performed before a live audience – that’s where it all began – and this project is a passing parade of gifted singers paying tribute to another gifted singer. From Pastor Shirley Caesar to Mary Mary to Kurt Carr, PJ Morton and others, the energy never lets up; it keeps getting better and better.

The rest of the list (in alphabetical order):

Rance Allen Group – The Live Experience II (Tyscot Records)

Forever Jones – Get Ready (EMI Gospel)

Deitrick Haddon Presents Voices of Unity – Blessed & Cursed: The Soundtrack (Tyscot)

VaShawn Mitchell – Triumphant (EMI Gospel)

Elaine Norwood – Released (Highly Favored Music)

Vetrea Slack Ruffin & the Ruffin Family – House of Worship (Heavenly Spirit Music)

Soul Seekers – Soul Seekers II (My Block Records/Malaco Music Group)

Totally Dedicated – QuarTemporary (Totally Dedicated)

Various Artists – WOW Gospel 2010 (Verity Gospel Music Group)

Best Gospel Compilation:

There Breathes a Hope: The Legacy of John Work II and His Fisk Jubilee Quartet, 1909-1916 (Archeophone Records)

There’s something surreal and supremely thrilling about hearing recordings made a century ago and feeling just as uplifted as if they had been performed yesterday. Listening to a crisp reissue of Edison cylinders featuring John Work II and Roland Hayes in the Fisk University Jubilee Quartette is like riding an aural time machine.