Last December, TBGB spoke with BET’s Sunday Best champ and Music World Gospel artist Amber Bullock. This month, we catch up with the singer-songwriter-mom who, since we last spoke, has released two singles and an EP. She is now about to launch her first full-length solo CD, So In Love, on July 10, 2012.
TBGB: The road leading to Sunday Best was pretty rugged for you. How has life been since then?
AB: Life has been absolutely wonderful. I’m not sleeping on the floor anymore!
TBGB: Tell us about the new CD – what is the underlying theme of the album?
AB: The CD is called So In Love. It contains music that doesn’t push Christianity in your face but makes it easy to accept it on your own. In other words, the songs say “Jesus is right here, come and get Him.”
I’m so in love with the album myself! It is feel good music. I hope that after listening, people will say, “Ahhhh, this is a good day!”
TBGB: Besides the fact that one is a full album and the other was an EP, How is So In Love different from Thank You?
AB: The songs on Thank You were my interpretation of other people’s songs. The new album contains all original music, some of which are songs I wrote. PJ Morton is the producer, and working with him was a match made in heaven!
TBGB: I understand that there’s even some country flavor on the new CD!
AB: That would be the song “Ruler.” It’s very beautiful. It has a praise and worship, contemporary country feel to it. The point of the song is that God is the ruler of everything we do.
TBGB: You say that you have matured musically since Thank You. How so?
AB: I’ve grown performance-wise. I come from the Seventh Day Adventist tradition, and we are not very liberal in our worship. So I have had to learn to be more liberal in the way I sing, to invite people in. It’s new for me and it’s hard to do. Plus, this is the first time that I have been a solo artist. I’ve always been a background singer who was asked to step up and do a solo, then go back to the background.
TBGB: What has been the response to your new single, “Lord You’ve Been So Good?”
AB: Everybody loves it! It’s a fun, catchy song with a “go go” feel to it.
TBGB: You wrote that song years ago. Tell us how that came about.
AB: I recorded “Lord You’ve Been So Good” when I was in college for an Oakwood College CD. The song had more of an urban feel to it on that CD. I submitted it for consideration for the album, PJ breathed into it, and now I hear people singing the chorus!
TBGB: You did some other writing for the album. What is your songwriting methodology?
AB: First, I let the music or melody speak to me. It will just come to me. The melody will give me the words, and I go from there.
TBGB: You sing a song on the album called “So In Love With You.” There seems to be a lot of sacred love songs out today. Are you finding that as well and, if so, what do you think has stimulated that growth?
AB: I am finding that, too. I’m not sure why it is happening, but I’m glad it is happening. Perhaps it’s because God is love. He is the epitome of love.
TBGB: What are your plans to promote the new album?
AB: I will be doing a whole lot of traveling. First, I plan to do CD release parties in the places where I have lived, including
TBGB: Do you see yourself remaining a full-time gospel music artist, or would you like to branch out and do other things?
AB: I would really like to do a Tyler Perry movie, or play…I would love to do theater. But I definitely plan to stay in the gospel industry. I’m in it to stay, fighting to bring it back!
I have very loyal fans who are not afraid to let me know they are loyal, and not afraid to tell me when they think I am doing something they don’t like. They’re very vocal, like me! I encourage your readers to follow me on Twitter at @singamber.
TBGB: If your daughter Amya comes up to you in fifteen years and says she wants to be a gospel singer, what will you tell her?
AB: I will tell her, “Baby, keep God first and make sure it’s God’s will for you to do this. And if anyone is out there trying to pump you up, don’t listen to them. Tell me and I’ll take care of it!”
To learn more about Amber Bullock, go to www.musicworldgospel.com
By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.
Written by : Bob Marovich
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.
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