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Let’s Come TogetherKevin LeVar & One SoundHabakkuk Music/Universal Music Christian Group 2008www.habakkukmusic.comLyrically, musically and philosophically, singer/songwriter Kevin LeVar is about breaking down barriers. Just listen to his national debut CD, Let’s Come Together, on April Washington-Essex’s Habakkuk Music imprint.Embracing cultural diversity is evident in the lyrics of the title track, [...]

“Back II Eden”Donald Lawrence & Co.From the forthcoming Verity/Zomba Gospel album The Law of Confession, Part I (available January 20, 2009)www.zombagospel.com“An Eden mindset is a Kingdom mindset,” exclaims gospel music mensch Donald Lawrence, reminding us in his new single, “Back II Eden,” that before the “tempter” made a mess of [...]

TBGB presents its pick of the top ten gospel records of 2008.Not scientific, not based on radio spins, downloads or ringtone sales. These are TBGB’s opinion of the best singles of the year by simple gospel music aesthetics.1. “Never Would Have Made It” – Marvin Sapp (Zomba/Verity)Former member of Commissioned, [...]

Shekinah Glory MinistryJesusKingdom Records 2007www.kingdomrecordsinc.comPraise (and worship) is what Shekinah Glory Ministry does. On record and video, and in live performance, they are praise and worship’s current gold standard.Visual as well as aural, the troupe from Valley Kingdom Ministries International in south suburban Chicago contains a cast of exalters, standard [...]

God Will Take Care of His OwnPastor Walter W. Matthews, Sr. presents The Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church ChoirJR Murray Group 2005www.pleasantgreenmbc.infoWhat better time than Christmas to talk about gospel choirs?This CD, created in 2005, comes from one of the city’s older African American churches, the Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist [...]

From Bill Carpenter:Atlanta: Gospel singer-songwriter Gabriel S. Hardeman is best-known for co-writing Stephanie Mills’ “I Feel Good All Over” which was a #1 R&B smash for three weeks in 1987 and also for penning Mikki Howard’s #2 1990 R&B hit “Love Under New Management” which was originally a gospel song [...]

“I Believe”R. KellyZomba Recording 2008(available on iTunes)R. Kelly is not an artist you might expect to occupy TBGB’s Pick of the Week, but think about this: a) His “I Believe I Can Fly” (similar name, different song) has been gospelized so often that many have forgotten it was once included [...]

GiftedI’ve LearnedQuartet Boyz Records 2007www.myspace.com/giftedofbatonrougeAlthough not new to the quartet scene (they will celebrate ten years together in ‘09), Gifted is a group of young men from Baton Rouge, Louisiana that belts out old-fashioned church rousers one moment and more contemporary sounds with modern harmonies the next. And that’s exactly [...]

Dennis Cole and Prof. L. Stanley Davis of the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild reported this afternoon that Mr. William Greenbey, husband of Billie Barrett Greenbey, passed away this week. His homegoing service was today, Saturday, December 19, at Greater Bethel Apostolic Church in Chicago.Billie Greenbey is a member of [...]

The Charlotte Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of AmericaWorth It AllSelf-Released 2008www.cdbaby.com/cd/tccotgmwaNot long after James Cleveland and a cartel of religious and music industry leaders established the Gospel Music Workshop of America in 1967, and staged its first convention in Detroit, the performances of the mass choir and other [...]