Here are the nominees for the 2007 Stellar Awards. The Stellars will be awarded during a special televised ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, TN, January 13, 2007.Special thanks to Tammy Taylor for passing the list on to TBGB.Artist of the YearKirk Franklin; Hero; Fo Yo Soul EntertainmentDonald Lawrence [...]
CD Single Review:“It’s On the Way”Neal RobersonFrom the CD Awesome GodBlackberry Records 2006http://www.blackberryrecords.com/Everybody loves Neal, and his bubbling-over personality is once again the driving force on his latest hit, “It’s On the Way.” Accompanied by a tambourine-driven rhythm that sounds straight from the musical Stomp, Neal announces that he’s “hangin’ [...]
CD Single Review:“Crossroads/Until I Found the Lord”Fred Martin & the Levite CampFrom the CD Some BridgesConcord Records 2006www.concordmusicgroup.comIf you believe the folktale that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil so he could become a blues guitar prodigy, you will find it improbable that anyone would dare mix Johnson’s [...]
The Man From Nazareth (Edward Boatner)Boatner Spiritual ChoraleHeller Recordings 2006www.themanfromnazareth.comThe first sentence of the narrative that opens The Man From Nazareth says it all: “This is the story of Jesus told by American Blacks as they related it to their own lives and hopes.”In 1971, Edward Boatner (1898 – 1981) [...]
“Tis So Sweet”Clarissa SmithFrom the CD God Has Got Your BackHeaven Sent Records 2005www.gospelswap.com/clarissasmithThe fact that Clarissa Smith is the sister of jazz/blues diva Dinah Washington unfairly overshadows her own accomplishments as a music educator at Chicago’s Calumet High School, where she taught gospel luminaries such as Walt Whitman and [...]
“Tell the Lord Thank You”Min. Theodore Gilmore, Jr. & Friends Music MinistryProduced by Montage Pheloan for J.R. Murray Group2006“This is my little quartet song,” remarks Min. Theodore Gilmore, Jr., as his group launches into “Tell the Lord Thank You,” an uptempo gospel blues complete with the classic I-IV-V verse structure. [...]
“There’s Been a Change”Henry Green, feat. John P. KeeFrom the Blackberry album Mr. Green’s Session2006www.blackberryrecords.comWilliams Brothers alumnus Henry Green gets top billing on the solid “There’s Been a Change,” but the song really belongs to special guest John P. Kee, who shouts his testimony as if he were a Williams [...]
From D.A. Johnson of Malaco Records:While The Caravans were in Los Angeles last week, they had the opportunity to sit down with award winning journalist Mr. Tony Cox at the NPR studios which aired nationally on their stations, Tuesday, October 3, 2006.If you didn’t get an opportunity to hear The [...]
“He’s Here”Niyoki2006From the D2G Records CD My Everythingwww.niyoki.comNiyoki’s RnB-soaked gospel track “He’s Here” reminds me of the medium-tempo dance songs I used to enjoy on “Soul Train”: it possesses an easy, loping, hypnotic beat that more than makes up for the lack of a clever hook or memorable melody.Niyoki has [...]
“This Kind by Fasting and Prayer”Elder Jimmy Hicks and the Voices of IntegrityWorldwide Music, Inc.2005“This Kind by Fasting and Prayer” is a similar sounding follow-up to the group’s enjoyable hit, “Born Blessed,” and on the same CD as the latter, but in Elder Hicks’ case, sound-alike is a good thing. [...]
