“God is Great” Kara Nichole Independent (release date: September 5, 2022) www.karanichole.com By Robert M. Marovich San Antonio, Texas, worship leader Kara Nicole converts the worship language of Psalm 145 into an appropriately joyful song called “God is Great.” The diminutive Kara is in complete command of this performance, singing her own praises while directing the audience to follow her lead in filling the sky with gratitude to God. The relentless rhythm is ideal for the sentiments of the song. Given that Kara was still riding high in the spirit by the conclusion, “God is Great” could have (and perhaps ...

“Impossible” Pastor Mike Jr. Black Smoke Music Worldwide (release date: October 22, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich Stylistically, Pastor Mike Jr.’s new single, “Impossible,” evokes the heavy-duty evangelism of Kirk Franklin and James Fortune by combining singing and preaching to express gratitude to God for doing what nobody else can do. Indeed, Fortune is the featured vocalist on the single as he, PMJ, and the background vocalists sing consistently in the red on this litany of ways in which the hand of God heals and protects. With six Stellar Awards this year, including his second consecutive Artist of the Year ...

“Do You Know the Man” Harlem Gospel Travelers Colemine Records (release date: October 18, 2022) www.harlemgospeltravelers.com By Robert M. Marovich Covering the Virginia-based Crusader Gospel Singers’ “Do You Know the Man,” the Harlem Gospel Travelers evoke the soulful Seventies in their Northern Soul harmonies, George Marage’s falsetto lead, Eli Paperboy Reed’s wah-wah guitar and billowy major seventh chords, and the overall breezy tempo. The trio sings it better than the originals, too. Organized and produced by Reed, the Harlem Gospel Travelers is a troupe of young men dedicated to a particular time in gospel when the soul music the genre ...

“Jesus I’ll Never Forget” Zak Williams & 1/Akord feat. Lowell Pye Enon Music Group (release date: October 7, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich Lowell Pye shouts and squalls like a veteran quartet lead on “Jesus I’ll Never Forget,” the new single from Zak Williams & 1/Akord. It makes sense, as Pye was a member of the contemporary gospel quartet Men of Standard. Recorded live in Philadelphia, the song benefits from Zak & 1A’s thunderous delivery, which evokes something of a 1990s-vintage Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir. The team puts a funky shoulder-shaking rhythm to the old congregational ...

“View the City REMIX” RiZen DAF Entertainment Group (2022) By Robert M. Marovich I’m not a big fan of remixes in general, but I do like RiZen’s reboot of their 2003 “View the City”—which the JGM reviewed in one of its earliest posts—because it manages to take an already spirited song and make it more spectacularly energetic. This time, the ladies encourage audience participation in the form of holy dancing in the aisles. Otherwise, it remains a lively evocation of the hereafter, where one “can have a little talk with Jesus” and “shout troubles over.” The ladies are as confident ...

“I Got a Story (to Tell)” Re-Newed of the Carolinas Independent (release date: August 8, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich “I Got a Story (to Tell)” is a rousing quartet jam on the trope of the believer telling God about his earthly troubles when he gets to heaven. To a driving tempo and conventional quartet melody, the group weaves a basket full of church and gospel music aphorisms into a joyous evocation of what it might be like in the hereafter. What’s especially interesting about the selection is that just when you think its vamp has run out of gas, ...

“Believer” Jenise La Vonne Independent (release date: August 26, 2022) www.jeniselavonne.com By Robert M. Marovich “Believer” is indie gospel artist Jenise La Vonne’s best single to date. It has it all: a powerful open, sturdy vocals, compelling lyrics, solid song structure, and chart-quality production. To a loping rhythm, Jenise declares freedom from sin and her subsequent fidelity to Christ and the holy life. The hooky refrain will have listeners singing along. Captivating. Jenise La Vonne Wright was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Norcross, Georgia. Record labels looking for new talent might just want to check this single ...

“Wait On You” Paulette Wright Powerful Praise Records (release date: September 30, 2019) By Robert M. Marovich From the opening moments of “Wait On You,” gospel singer Paulette Wright gives the performance 110 percent. She shouts and squalls as the band plays an arrangement so ’80s funky you’d be excused if you assumed it was written by Morris Day. In full evangelist role, Wright encourages everyone to not despair, not throw in the towel, but wait on the Lord instead. “Wait on your miracle,” she shouts, but then asks, “Are you willing to wait?” After a false ending, Wright makes ...

“Just That Good” Anthony Adams and Confirmation From the VRJ Entertainment album Trouble Don’t Last Always (release date: June 10, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich The male quartet Anthony Adams and Confirmation channel their inner Spiritual QCs on this mid-tempo track, which asks the rhetorical question: “Does anybody here know God’s been just that good?” With a loping rhythm, relaxed harmonies, hearty lead, and cheerful vamp, “Just That Good” exudes a friendly feeling guaranteed to elicit a favorable audience response. Ideal for gospel radio stations that program contemporary quartet music. The three-man group hails from Tarboro, North Carolina.

“Holy” Grant Allison IV One Nation Under God Records (release date: July 31, 2019) www.grantallisoniv.com By Robert M. Marovich Once again, JGM digs deep into Chicago worship pastor Grant Allison’s catalogue and comes up with “Holy.” The atmospheric P&W outing is based on Philippians 2:10 and Hebrews 13:8. Its simple melody, singable chorus, and dramatic arrangement will set the congregation to hand waving. Released originally in 2019, it remains relevant in sound and message in 2022.