“Things”BeBe and CeCe Winans, feat. Pastor Marvin WinansFrom the B&C Records/Malaco Records CD Still (2009)http://www.malaco.com/It’s a family affair on “Things,” the latest single culled from BeBe and CeCe Winans’ successful 2009 comeback CD, Still.We make “such a fuss” about material things, BeBe and CeCe sing to a shoulder-shaking beat, but [...]
“Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego”Gospel HummingbirdsFrom the CD Life Songs (2006)www.thegospelhummingbirds.comThe Grammy-nominated Gospel Hummingbirds give the quartet classic a modern, funky twist. The lead singer shouts and launches into wailing falsetto in telling the story of the three Hebrew children, while guitarist Morris LeGrande lets loose with an entire arsenal of rock-bluesy [...]
Events in Philadelphia and Chicago celebrated gospel legends...and what better time than Black Music Month?Harry Bullock, Deacon Reuben Burton and Rev. Stanley Keeble discuss the highs and lows of the gospel highway with moderator Effie Rolfe (center) at the Chicago Gospel Music Heritage Museum's Roundtable Saturday, June 18. The event [...]
Preashea Hilliard Live Out Loud Blacksmoke Music Worldwide (2010) www.preshmusic.com To Preashea Hilliard, “LOL” means Live Out Loud. And loud – in energy, enthusiasm, volume and message – is exactly what her debut project, Live Out Loud, exudes. The Houstonian vocalist is the youngest daughter of Bishop I.V. and Lady [...]
SelahLook At You Loving MeLisa Watkins (2010)www.pauseandthink.comI am not well-schooled in inspirational poetry – though in 2009 Poet Keith Ferguson shared with TBGB the vibrant religious spoken word community that exists nationally – but even I can figure out that Lisa “Selah” Watkins definitely belongs in this community.Her spoken word CD, [...]
Saturday, June 18 at 2:00 p.m., the late Sam Cooke, famed lead singer of the Highway QCs and the Soul Stirrers, soul pioneer and record label executive, will get his own street in Chicago."Sam Cooke Way" will be unveiled at a special ceremony at 36th and Cottage Grove, where Rev. [...]
Swingin’ on the Golden Gate, Vol. 2: A Survey of Bay Area GospelFog City Music Group (2011)Available from www.rootsandrhythm.comGospel historian and compiler Opal Nations stays close to home this time, scouring his San Francisco-Oakland stomping grounds for a variety of vintage gospel sounds. The result is Swingin' on the Golden Gate, [...]
J. SpenceAscensionDiversity Music Group (2011)http://www.diversitymusicgroup.com/Released in April, Ascension is the third solo project by J. Spence, a Christian hip hop artist from Buffalo, New York. Inspired by Luke 24, J. Spence has taken his message to the streets to save souls. Not surprisingly, Ascension emphasizes the importance of discipleship and [...]
“If You Praise Me” James Hall and the Voices of CitadelFrom the Music Blend CD Won’t It Be Wonderfulwww.myspace.com/voicesofcitadelThe Brooklyn choir that gave us “Hallelujah to the Lamb” and the high-spirited version of the Davis Sisters’ “Won’t It Be Wonderful” are back with “Praise Me,” another traditional choral rafter raiser [...]
Marti DornerMartiMarti Entertainment, LLC (2011)http://www.martidorner.com/Singer-songwriter Marti Dorner – known simply as Marti – released her self-titled debut album this past April. Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Marti entered the Christian music industry after coming to the attention of Orlando, Florida-based industry insiders. Since she has worked with artists in the gospel and [...]
