“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 [...]
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 [...]
