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 [...]
Richard Smallwood with VisionPromisesVerity Gospel Music Group 2011http://www.verityrecords.com/It’s been six years since Richard Smallwood released a new full-length album. After his mother died in 2005, the singer-songwriter thought that his gift “had dried up. I tried to write and nothing would come.”That gift, as everyone knows, is the creation and [...]
“One Voice”Micah StampleyFrom the forthcoming CD One Voice (in stores August 23, 2011)http://www.musicworldgospel.com/Gospel crooner and worship leader Micah Stampley hits it again, this time on “One Voice,” a pop-infused ode to togetherness in worship, regardless of race, creed or color. Invoking the key message of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the [...]
ShonlockNeveroddorevenArrow Records 2011http://www.arrow-records.com/Shonlock may well be the breakout Christian artist of the year.Not that the Chicago native now living in Atlanta is a newcomer to the industry. Neveroddoreven, in fact, is Deshon "Shonlock" Bullock's third CD. His first recording was a self-produced, self-marketed disc that sold more than 15,000 units. [...]
“To Whom Shall We Liken Unto Our God”Pastor James R. Adams & the Abounding Life COGIC Mass Choir & Musicianshttp://www.aboundinglifecogic.org/To a strutting traditional tempo with bluesy touches in the music and singing, Pastor James R. Adams and the Abounding Life COGIC Mass Choir and Musicians ask the rhetorical question spelled out [...]
Spirit 2 SpiritYou Better Get ReadyTate Music Group 2011http://www.spirit2spiritmessagemusic.com/Dubbed the “Earth, Wind and Fire of Gospel,” Spirit 2 Spirit is led by brothers Michael and Denny Jenkins. Together with a crew of singers and musicians that provide playful and funky arrangements, the DC ensemble certainly lives up to its billing.The [...]
TBGB has learned that Trin-i-tee 5:7's latest CD, Angel and Chanelle, will be featured in Amazon's Daily Deal on July 17, 2011. That means the album will be available for $3.99 for one day only.
TBGB Founder and Editor Bob Marovich (photo, left) was honored to be interviewed by writer, director and filmmaker David Licata for his fascinating A Life's Work blog. A Life's Work introduces the public to people whose projects and activities are on such a massive scale, they may not be completed in their lifetimes.Read [...]
