Gospel Music

"Grateful”KingDNA Musicboyz 2010www.4kingmusic.comFor King, praise and dance go together like sunshine and South Florida, the group’s home base. So when you are declaring gratitude for what God has given you, for Heaven’s sake, move your feet.It’s hard not to move during “Grateful," a bright, hook-laden R&B-flavored song with strong group [...]

“God Life”Vadiawww.myspace.com/vadiagospelPrince had his “Pop Life.” Sheila E lived “The Glamorous Life.” Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington educated us on the “Lush Life.”Meanwhile, Sacramento, California’s Vadia Hubbard (aka Vadia) is “living the ‘God Life.’” Constructed with compelling polyrhythmic house-style beats, “God Life” is a catchy, club-ready invitation to join the [...]

"I Come to Praise Him"VIZHIONFrom the Rimshot Records CD Pressin' Onwww.myspace.com/vizhionI haven't heard gospel zydeco since the ensemble on Bishop Paul S. Morton's Still Standing (Light/Tehillah 2006) turned "We Made It" into a post-Katrina celebration. On "I Come to Praise Him," the members of Houston-based VIZHION get their own praise [...]

"You Keep Blessing Me"Jewel LucienYaplys Productions 2009www.myspace.com/jewellucienThe Nashville-raised Jewel Lucien is now a resident of Texas, and is arguably as well known for her many performances on the musical stage as for her sacred singing."You Keep Blessing Me" is her latest single. It has a retro '70s vibe from the [...]

“Alright”Michele MundyFrom the Favor Records CD Divine Favor (2009)www.cdbaby.com/cd/michelemundyIn 2004, Roger Mundy, Jr. entered a New Albany, Mississippi hospital unresponsive. His singer-songwriter daughter Michele explained: “I went outside the hospital to pray because his blood pressure was increasing. I heard a voice…tell me to go sing to him.” She reentered [...]

“He Can (Work It Out)”Youth for ChristFrom the Emtro Records CD Thanks in Advance (2010)www.emtro.comThe mass choir Youth for Christ was not only one of the first national artists on Troy and Emily Sneed’s Emtro Records, but it also garnered a Grammy-nomination for its first CD, Higher, and a Stellar [...]

A Gospel Calling: Mahalia Jackson SingsHollywood Select Video/Infinity Entertainment Group (2010)Although Nat Cole’s television variety program in the 1950s helped open the door a little, by the early 1960s, African Americans were still relegated to the same old stereotypical images on the squawk box. Diahann Carroll and “Julia” were still [...]

by Bob Marovich, The Black Gospel BlogKirk Franklin revealed “the fight of his life” in lyrics and melody. With the publication of The Blueprint: A Plan for Living above Life’s Storms, Franklin now reveals it in a book.The Blueprint, published by Gotham Books, goes on sale May 18. The seven-time [...]

Rev. Ed Wilson & the Rising Star SingersDreams Do Come TrueSharp Records 2009www.sharprecordsusa.comDreams Do Come True, by the Rising Star Singers of Eastover, South Carolina, is clearly the product of a group that has traveled back and forth along the gospel highway for quite some time. Several songs on the [...]

“I Believe”Praises of ZionSavoy Records 2010www.malaco.com“Come on, make some noise for the Lord,” a voice cries out at the beginning of “I Believe.” The Praises of Zion respond accordingly, commencing a musical conversation between leader and choir that is characteristic of contemporary gospel.The Praises of Zion Choir hails from The [...]