Brian Courtney Wilson on Just Love – Deluxe Edition

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Earlier this month, Music World Gospel released the Deluxe Edition of Brian Courtney Wilson’s solo debut CD Just Love.

The Deluxe Edition includes all of the songs from the Billboard-charting album plus five songs not on the original. In addition to the CD, the package includes a DVD of Brian’s live performances at Bethany Baptist Church in New Jersey, where Bishop David G. Evans is pastor.

Wilson took time from his tour schedule last week to talk with TBGB about the Deluxe Edition.

“We decided to do a Deluxe Edition of Just Love as a thank you to our supporters,” Brian explained. “We’ve added more songs and a DVD, so I call it Just Love on steroids!”

He’s hoping that the Deluxe Edition also expands his base of support. “We have three songs on the radio right now: ‘Already Here,’ ‘Just Love,’ and ‘All I Need.’ But people are still putting a name and a face to what we’ve been doing. This is our opportunity to connect the dots for them.”

Of the five new tracks, three were released on other projects over the past couple of years. This is the first time they are together on one CD.  Wilson gave TBGB a description of each:

“Awesome God”
“It’s the new single. It was first recorded years ago when I was with the Windsor Village Choir in Houston. It was a regional hit in Houston for a very long time. When we did the first record, I decided to go a different direction and did not include the song, but when we had the opportunity to add more music, I knew we had to include it. There had been a lot of people looking for that song on the first record.”

“Monday’s Pain.”
I love this song! It’s my attempt to give voice to the disconnect we sometimes feel between the emotional highs we experience on Sundays, with all the pageantry, the choirs and the preaching, and what happens on Monday when all that’s gone and you have to go back to real life.”

“The Only Way”
“This song talks about the marriage between purpose and pain. A lot of times, there’s discomfort when you are chasing after purpose, and some people think that means you are going in the wrong direction. But many times it means you are going in the right direction. Sometimes it’s easy to stop loving when you are dealing with the fence, or feel like you have to go into a cave and hide, but you have to keep standing, you have to keep loving, and you have to trust in God to see you through.”

“The Word”
“It’s just a really simple song, especially for people who are not in church. It’s just something everybody can relate to. ‘I heard a word one day/God spoke to me and this is what I had to say.’”

“This Christmas”
“Donny Hathaway is a huge inspiration. I had a crush on a girl in college and she told me I sounded like Donny Hathaway, but I hadn’t heard of him. So I looked him up immediately, and I listened, and I found that there was so much emotion in what he’s singing. His music is technically sound, and he’s emotionally rich as well. That’s what I love about him.”

Has life changed since Wilson’s success on the Billboard charts?

“I find that more people celebrate you now, they anticipate your arrival,” Wilson answered. “They tell you how your songs changed their lives, and I love that part of it. But I’m also gone more from my family, so that’s a challenge. That’s the nature of the business: you have to get out there and continue to promote and sing, and provide a way to continue your ministry.”

What would he say to someone trying to get into the gospel music industry?

“The first thing is to find a community where you can serve and develop things of value that people need. I started volunteering at church and coming up with the right songs for that community. I did things over and over again. Some Sundays I failed miserably, but I kept going and was able to come up with an approach that was authentic to who I am.

“You have to let your ministry take root,” he continued. “I just worked at church on Sundays and kept doing it and doing it, even when I didn’t feel like it. That is what this record is about.”

Wilson also talked about the 25-city tour on which he has already embarked. “We are reconnecting with media outlets that have shown us love and introducing ourselves in other cities where they are playing the record but haven’t been able to put a face and name with it.”

The American Heart Association tour is mixed in as well. “It’s called the ‘Most Powerful Voices’ tour, and it is headlined by Marvin Sapp,” Wilson said.

“They asked me to be an ambassador for the ‘Power to End Stroke’ in the African American community. We are three times more likely to experience stroke over any other demographic. It’s the number one contributor to disability in our community as well, and largely preventable through lifestyle choices. I’m excited about [the program] because we are going to do what the church has always done, and that is to quickly disseminate some great information to a group of people. We’re going to sing some songs and spread the word out there for the American Heart Association.”

Meanwhile, Wilson is at work “writing and listening for songs and tweaking the ones we have. I don’t consider myself a prolific songwriter.  Songs don’t just roll off my tongue. But I believe God will provide more, and when He doesn’t, I’ll stop.”

Photo: Brian Courtney Wilson with Bob Marovich