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The Lord Is There (Deluxe Edition) – Regina Vandereijk
North Carolina-born and bred Regina Vandereijk has re-released her recent five-star album, The Lord Is There, as a Deluxe Edition.
“Shout For Joy (Psalm 98)” – Cindy Clark
Psalm 98 has always been an ideal psalm to set to music; after all, it’s about singing a new song.
RIP Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer
Gregory Gay passed along the sad news of the passing of Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer today, April 5, 2025.
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Recent Posts
The Lord Is There (Deluxe Edition) – Regina Vandereijk
North Carolina-born and bred Regina Vandereijk has re-released her recent five-star album, The Lord Is There, as a Deluxe Edition.
“Shout For Joy (Psalm 98)” – Cindy Clark
Psalm 98 has always been an ideal psalm to set to music; after all, it’s about singing a new song.
RIP Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer
Gregory Gay passed along the sad news of the passing of Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer today, April 5, 2025.
Sponsored Post:
On their latest offering, Amazing Grace, the New Converted Voices of Tupelo, Mississippi, sing with a confidence that confirms their veteran status in the music business.
Dr. Earl Bynum Expands His Brand With ONSTAGE WITH EARL BYNUM MAGAZINE Powered By DailyPraiseTV®
JDI Records informed the Journal of Gospel Music that singer, pianist, and songwriter Jackie Gouche'-Farris, mother of rapper D Smoke and sister of bassist Andrew Gouche' (Gladys Knight, Walter Hawkins), [...]
Bishop Richard John "Mr. Clean" White Sr. passed away on August 11, 2024. He was 60 years old.
Jerrold Paine Norwood, a founding member of the platinum-selling Chicago-based gospel music ensemble Shekinah Glory Ministry, passed away of cancer complications on August 4, 2024. He was 60.
This episode includes music reviewed on the Journal of Gospel Music between early May and early July 2024.
LATEST 5 STAR REVIEWS
The Fairfield Four Still Rockin’ My Soul Fairfield Four Records (2015) www.thefairfieldfour.com By Bob Marovich In 1925, when the Fairfield Four organized in Nashville, Tennessee, quartet singing was done a cappella. No instruments, just the human voice. And God saw that it was good. No--great. Over the years, quartets added to the mix an ever-expanding [...]
Damien Sneed Featuring the Levites Broken To Minister: The Deluxe Edition LeChateau Earl Records (release date: March 3, 2015) www.lechateauearl.com By Bob Marovich Recorded live in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2013, Broken To Minister: The Deluxe Edition builds on Damien Sneed and the Levites’ previously released Broken To Minister EP. The classically- and church-trained Sneed is [...]
Mississippi Mass Choir Declaration of Dependence Malaco Records (2014) www.malaco.com By Bob Marovich Halfway through Declaration of Dependence, the Mississippi Mass Choir’s latest album, I realized that the choir has inherited the mantle once worn by the celebrated Thompson Community Singers. Just as music ministers could not wait for the latest Tommies album to discover [...]
Liz Vice There’s A Light Deeper Well Records (2014) http://deeper-well.com/artists/liz-vice/ By Bob Marovich Liz Vice may not sound like your average gospel singer, but then again, she’s not your average gospel singer. On her CD, There’s a Light, the Portland, Oregon-based singer delivers personal inspirational messages to God and to the listener with the raw [...]
DeWayne Woods Life Lessons Soul Therapy Music Group (release date: February 3, 2015) dewaynewoods.rocks By Bob Marovich Excellent songwriting, compelling melodies, thoughtful lyrics, and powerful singing combine to make Life Lessons DeWayne Woods’s best project to date. The album is fueled by a team of top-shelf songwriters, such as PJ Morton (son of Bishop Paul [...]
LATEST PICK OF THE WEEK – SINGLES
“Jesus I’ll Never Forget” | Zak Williams & 1/Akord feat. Lowell Pye | Enon Music Group (release date: October 7, 2022)
“View the City REMIX” | RiZen | DAF Entertainment Group (2022)
“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 [...]
“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 [...]
“The Prayer” Whitney April feat. Rodrick Dixon Arete Records (release date: September 23, 2022) https://music.empi.re/theprayer By Robert M. Marovich “The Prayer” is a pop song, not a sacred song per se, but it IS a prayer, and hearing it rendered by the angelic-voiced Whitney April teamed with the operatic power of Rodrick Dixon of Three [...]
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 For the past 30 years, musician, producer, and record label executive Michael Weatherspoon has seen what works and what doesn’t in church music ministry. In particular, he’s noticed that church members are often elevated to leadership positions without the proper leadership education. A lack of training, he says, can be detrimental to both [...]
By Bob Marovich In Mark 6:4, Jesus advises that “a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown.” This is true, almost to the point of becoming cliché. It rings true for Vernell Payton Jr. “It took a man from Chicago, who did not know me, who I never met, to see something in me [...]
By Bob Marovich The stage curtains opened on JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise as the group was about to introduce its new song and soon-to-become-hit, “Incredible God, Incredible Praise.” Holding the microphone was the song’s creator, Deon Kipping. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to go down. “I didn’t want to lead the song,” [...]
Dana “Ms. D.” Lin informed the Journal of Gospel Music that Charles V. Hamilton, affectionately known as Uncle Chucc and best known for his collaboration with Snoop Dogg, passed away on Friday, January 27, 2023.