Bob

Donald Lawrence & Co.YRM (Your Righteous Mind)Quietwater/Verity (release date: August 9, 2011)http://www.verityrecords.com/By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.Those enchanted by the GRAMMY- and Stellar Award-winning Donald Lawrence’s previous work will appreciate that YRM (Your Righteous Mind) follows artistically in the footsteps of his most immediate predecessors, The Law of Confession Part [...]

Cynthia JonesJourney of SoulKingdom Records (release date: August 23, 2011)http://www.cynthiajones.com/“Are you ready for Miss Cynthia Jones?”So asks GRAMMY- and Stellar Award-nominated neo-soul gospel singer Cynthia Jones on the introductory track of her new project, Journey of Soul. Spelling her name rhythmically in Fergie style, Jones sets the chill-or-dance mood “on [...]

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.When one thinks of mean streets, places like New York, LA - Watts, Detroit and Chicago come to mind. Not Milwaukee.But make no mistake: Milwaukee has its share of mean streets. Ask F1 Diamond. The Christian hip hop artist hung out at 45th and Lloyd [...]

“Holy One”The Rance Allen GroupFrom the Tyscot Records CD The Live Experience IIhttp://www.tyscot.com/Rance Allen and his brothers put their distinctive grit-and-soul spin on the praise and worship song, “Holy One,” the latest single released from The Live Experience II.The rolling, hypnotic melody and chant-like lyrics are punctuated by blasts of [...]

“Jesus”Le’Andria Johnsonhttp://www.musicworldgospel.com/2010 Sunday Best Winner Le’Andria Johnson has just released her first single, “Jesus,” a slow and deliberate bluesy shouter about calling on Jesus when you need him.A pleading soul at the end of her line, singing like she has nothing to lose, Johnson pours every last ounce of her [...]

“Dream”Shirley MurdockTyscot Records 2011http://www.tyscot.com/After an ethereal intro, gospel singer Shirley Murdock wraps her evangelist’s vocal prowess around this inspirational song about the power of the dream that God puts in your life, the one “that would not die.” She bolsters her argument with the Biblical example of Joseph and his [...]

PekintsMy Best FriendPM&M 2011http://www.pekints.com/Peter Kintum, aka Pekints, is an earnest, youthful-sounding Christian hip hop artist from Washington, DC. My Best Friend is his second and most recent CD.Pekints’ work is best described as praise rap. The title track, for example, is an gushing ode to the Most High as the artist's best [...]

LoveTonesStanding on the RockLoveTones (2011)TBGB met Walter Cooper and the LoveTones in October 2010 when it reviewed the New England-based vocal group’s album, Jubilee. Standing on the Rock, the LoveTones' latest full-length CD, continues the ensemble’s commitment to seasoning traditional gospels and spirituals with rich vocal harmonies. To this end, the [...]

Tre’ ThomasA Natural Contrasthttp://www.trethomas.com/Born in New Orleans and a former member of the Howard University Gospel Choir, Tre’ Thomas grew up in church but prefers laid-back R&B to express his religious conviction. The ten tracks on Thomas’ debut album, A Natural Contrast, find him immersed in the quiet storm groove as [...]

Various ArtistsMost Powerful Voices Vol. 1Music World Gospel 2011http://www.musicworldgospel.com/In the mid-1930s, Professor Thomas A. Dorsey referred to his newly-minted gospel songs as “heart songs.” So what better way to promote a healthy heart than singing heart songs?To educate people about stroke, the American Heart Association, in collaboration with Music World [...]