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El McMeen & Ed Maina – Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style!
El McMeen & Ed Maina Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style! Piney Ridge Music (release date: March 25, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich Sometimes gospel jazz can be so imaginative that the melodies get buried beneath the lengthy solos and complex arrangements. But on Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style!, acclaimed musicians Ellsworth "El" McMeen and Ed Maina jazz the hymns, spirituals, and gospel songs ever so softly and tenderly without sacrificing the timeless beauty and charm of the melodies. It’s a peaceful, easy album. McMeen picks acoustic guitar and Maina handles woodwinds, mostly saxophone but also clarinet and flute. The [...]
“Kings and Priests” – Kvng David
“Kings and Priests,” written and performed by Kvng David (aka Alexander David), a Nigerian-born gospel singer based in the UK, helps raise self-esteem by celebrating the royalty inherent in every one of God’s children.
JGM Pick of the Week – April 28, 2026
“He’ll Fix It” The Marable Twins & Company From the 3Sonz Records album Grateful (release date: March 27, 2026)
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Recent Posts
El McMeen & Ed Maina – Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style!
El McMeen & Ed Maina Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style! Piney Ridge Music (release date: March 25, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich Sometimes gospel jazz can be so imaginative that the melodies get buried beneath the lengthy solos and complex arrangements. But on Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style!, acclaimed musicians Ellsworth "El" McMeen and Ed Maina jazz the hymns, spirituals, and gospel songs ever so softly and tenderly without sacrificing the timeless beauty and charm of the melodies. It’s a peaceful, easy album. McMeen picks acoustic guitar and Maina handles woodwinds, mostly saxophone but also clarinet and flute. The [...]
“Kings and Priests” – Kvng David
“Kings and Priests,” written and performed by Kvng David (aka Alexander David), a Nigerian-born gospel singer based in the UK, helps raise self-esteem by celebrating the royalty inherent in every one of God’s children.
JGM Pick of the Week – April 28, 2026
“He’ll Fix It” The Marable Twins & Company From the 3Sonz Records album Grateful (release date: March 27, 2026)
Sponsored Post:
Henry Jackson DMus--who transitioned from labor to glory on September 18, 2025 at age 80.
JGM reports yet another significant loss to the gospel music community and, for me, the loss of a friend: the passing of Dr. James Abbington on September 27, 2025.
Reverend Dr. Thomas L. Walker, 77, transitioned on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at his residence.
JGM was saddened to learn of the passing of Sandy Foster Jr., lead vocalist for the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, on September 14, 2025.
“Abide With Me” Ricky Kej feat. Ricky Dillard From the 2025 CD Gandhi: Mantras of Compassion
(September 19, 2025, Los Angeles, CA) — Erica Campbell is no stranger to the spotlight. As a six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, bestselling author, and morning radio host, she’s graced stages [...]
LATEST 5 STAR REVIEWS
Various Artists Christians Catch Hell: Gospel Roots 1976-79 Honest Jon’s Records http://honestjons.com/shop/artist/Christians_Catch_Hell By Bob Marovich Those of us who moved and grooved to 1970s hits by the likes of George McCrae and K.C. and the Sunshine Band on Henry Stone’s TK label had no idea the veteran record man had a subsidiary reserved for the [...]
The Dynamic Abraham Brothers Use What I Have New Ham Records By Bob Marovich I don’t know what else the Dynamic Abraham Brothers could possibly have done to make Use What I Have a more archetypal gospel quartet album. First, the quintessential quartet drive tempo quickens the title track as well as the handclapping “God [...]
Pilgrim Travelers Gospel Boogie – Rare Recordings 1946-1957 Gospel Friend (release date: December 18, 2015) www.gospelfriend.com By Bob Marovich Per Notini of Gospel Friend has developed a handsome catalog of well-produced collections of classic gospel music that covers quartet, choir, and piano-led groups alike. His latest production, Gospel Boogie – Rare Recordings 1946-57, spotlights one [...]
Packin’ Up: The Best of Marion Williams Marion Williams Spirit Feel/Shanachie www.shanachie.com By Bob Marovich If you thought you’d heard everything Marion Williams recorded, alone or with the Ward Singers or Stars of Faith, think again. In addition to the thirteen hand-picked solo tracks by Williams’s longtime friend and producer, Anthony Heilbut (The Gospel Sound, [...]
Jonathan McReynolds Life Music: Stage Two eOne/Tehillah Music Group (release date: September 18, 2015) www.jonathanmcreynolds.com By Bob Marovich Life Music: Stage Two couldn’t be a better showcase for Jonathan McReynolds. The follow-up album to the 26-year-old singer-songwriter-musician's 2012 debut, Life Music, Stage Two is the musical manifestation of his honest and spiritually grounded approach to dealing with [...]
LATEST PICK OF THE WEEK – SINGLES
“Great and Mighty” Dorinda Clark Cole Malaco Music Group (release date: October 13, 2023)
Christian singer Lauren Daigle’s single is her best since the 2018 smash hit, “You Say.”
“You’re Gonna Win” Johnny Ruffin Jr. JBP Music Entertainment (release date: July 21, 2023) By Robert M. Marovich Johnny Ruffin Jr.’s new single “You’re Gonna Win,” is his finest effort to date. The North Carolina singer croons soulfully through his own composition, a heartfelt ballad of encouragement to persist through the tough times. The [...]
Pastor Mike Jr.’s latest single “Windows” is an exhilarating gush of gratitude for blessings so readily available that they flow through open windows like fresh air or rays of morning sunshine.
“Still Holding On” Christina Bell Malaco Music Group (2023)
By Robert Marovich
In A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago.
By Robert Marovich
In A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago.
By Bob Marovich Nearly a decade ago, singer Charlin Neal stood on a stage in Trinidad as a member of Israel & New Breed. It was her first official program with the multi-award-winning group. “I was excited and intimidated,” Neal told the Journal of Gospel Music. "Of the 30 [Israel songs I learned], we maybe did eight [...]
By Bob Marovich With its infectious aisle-walking vigor, “Nobody Like the Lord” couldn’t be more Chicago if the CD cover had a photo of the Picasso on it. It’s the debut single by Cynthia Eubanks, a Chicago artist who has wanted to sing gospel music ever since she was a young girl, participating in regular [...]
By Bob Marovich Amour has a two-fisted passion for life. Growing up in her father’s church, she sang, played drums, led the youth choir, and joined the dance team. In college, she focused on business, law, fashion, and graphic design. Among a kaleidoscope of interests, one was a gift for rhyming and rapping. Channeling her [...]
By Robert M. Marovich JGM is saddened to learn of the passing of gospel singer, songwriter, and percussionist Sandra Elaine Crouch on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at age 81. Born July 1, 1942, to Benjamin and Catherine Crouch, Sandra was the twin sister of Andrae' Crouch. As part of the COGICs--with Billy Preston ("the fifth [...]
Darrell Luster of Malaco Music Group informed the Journal of Gospel Music that Henry Green, a longtime member of the Williams Brothers gospel quartet, passed away on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the age of 80.
