The Duncanaires: Honey Sykes top row, second from left. I was so dismayed to hear that Delores "Honey" Sykes of the Duncanaires and Thompson Community Singers, has passed away. I spoke with her sometime last month and although she had been on dialysis for some time, there wasn't [...]
“Persona” Corey Barksdale www.coreybarksdalemusic.com “I know this for myself / I don’t have to be like anyone else.” Corey Barksdale drops into a finger-popping acoustic groove to declare that he’s done listening to what other people think he should be. God knew what he was doing when he made me, [...]
“I Know a Man Named Jesus” Shawn Brown & Da Boyz 4 Winds Records (2015) www.malaco.com To a spanking backbeat and driving mid-tempo groove, Shawn Brown & Da Boyz of East St. Louis, Illinois, declare to their live audience that they know a man “who will make a way.” The [...]
By Bob Marovich, Journal of Gospel Music “Good things can still come out of Detroit.” This comment, from Let’s Have Some Church Detroit Style, might as well serve as the documentary’s subtitle. Directed by Michigan filmmaker Andrew Sacks, Let’s Have Some Church Detroit Style tells the story of Dr. E. [...]
The Supreme Angels The Next Level of the Legacy Raymarkable Music (release date: March 10, 2015) By Bob Marovich The Supreme Angels are among the quartets that have managed to remain active on the gospel highway, albeit with personnel changes, for more than a half century. Released this week, The [...]
“I Got Better Coming” LaVarnga Hubbard Utopia Music Group (2015) On her new single, Lady LaVarnga Hubbard of Chicago has “got better coming,” and she’s not afraid to shout down the church rafters to let you know. Church shouting is what the “Duchess of Gospel Music” does. She rollicks along [...]
Click on the image above to hear the latest episode of the Music Hour, where you can hear the music you read about on the Journal of Gospel Music. Since Music Hour host Bob Marovich is still struggling with lingering laryngitis, this episode is all music, no talk. Consider it [...]
In an interview with JGM's Bob Marovich, two-time Grammy Award winner Ann Nesby (Sounds of Blackness) talks about her musical upbringing, her new album, a persistent rumor that needs cleaning up, and why she is a spokesperson for the American Heart Association. Essential listening for Ann Nesby and Sounds of [...]
Columbia, MD - Habakkuk Music has announced a historic partnership with Central City Productions to release a special compilation album celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The highly anticipated album, Stellar Awards 30th Anniversary 1985-2015 (Habakkuk Music), releases March 31, 2015. The first Stellar Gospel Music Awards [...]
“The Wonder of You” Jenise La Vonne www.lovejeniselavonne.com Although the wispy classical-and-acoustic-guitar intro of “The Wonder of You” reveals the marvel that Jenise La Vonne feels in the presence of the Lord, her penetrating vocals offer a more dramatic scenario: she's actually drifted away and is looking to reclaim that time “when I [...]
