“Good To Me” – Carolyn Traylor

“Good To Me”
Caroyln Traylor
From the CD, Waiting (2013)
Malaco Records

Carolyn Traylor "Good to Me" photo
Thinking on the goodness of the Lord is sure to lift your spirits, and Carolyn Traylor’s “Good to Me” is sure to make a great soundtrack for the experience.

“He’s so good to me / He constantly makes ways for me / He opens doors for me / Loves on me…” goes the contagious hook. After just one listen, I couldn’t stop humming the melody.

Traylor, who hails from Texas, has musical experiences on her resumé ranging from performances with Albertina Walker to international tours with Dr. Bobby Jones. Her soulful flare, which delves into blues territory, is just what this groove needs to complement its punchy bass, simmering horn section, and lively contemporary-styled background vocals.

Colin McGuire reviews indie doc on New Orleans’ Electrifying Crown Seekers

“Despite its rich tradition,” reports PopMatters Music Reviews editor Colin McGuire, “the future of gospel music in various parts of the world has been an issue of contention and heartbreak in recent years, but the Electrifying Crown Seekers make a case that the genre is still going strong.”

Read more here: “In Defense Of…New Orleans Gospel Music”

"B A Beacon (Se' Un Faro)" – Everett Drake

“B A Beacon (Se’ Un Faro)”
Everett Drake
From the CD, Amen Goes Right There! (2011)
Dherico Music

Everett Drake cover art

It’s not often that you get to hear something like “B A Beacon (Se’ Un Faro)” from Everett Drake.  The reason is that he’s usually seen churning out more traditional tunes with Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones and the Nashville Super Choir.  With songs like this quick-paced Latin jazz piece though, Drake shows that he’s quite capable of writing (along with the project’s producer Derrick Lee) and performing a diverse repertoire of gospel and inspirational music. 

Vocalist Kyla Jade and trumpeter Rod McGaha join Drake on “B A Beacon (Se’ Un Faro)” urging, “B A beacon, let your light shine!” 

"The Blood" – Divas Redemption f. Paul Smith

“The Blood”
Divas Redemption featuring Paul Smith
From the CD, I Finally Made It (2010)
Jay St. Records

Divas Redemption

Alternating staccato lines and the promise of victory in Jesus Christ are the highlights of Divas Redemption featuring Paul Smith’s performance of the Benny Hill-penned ballad “The Blood” from their CD, I Finally Made It.

Smith and the Divas (an acronym for Divinely Inspired Victoriously Appointed) melodically narrate the revelation of Jesus Christ to John of Patmos in such a way that one envisions the glorious scene of the first resurrection unfolding right before one’s eyes: “How John said he looked…and he saw a number that no man could number…”

Hailing from New Jersey, Divas Redemption featuring Paul Smith (of the Brower Brothers) continue on to testify that the Blood of Jesus “will set you free!”

“I Wish” – Determined

“I Wish”
Determined
From the CD, Still Determined (2012)
Vision Records

Determined

Tupelo, Mississippi’s quartet-styled group Determined makes good use of their gospel platform to address societal ills with “I Wish” from their 12-track CD Still Determined.

It’s not uncommon for the music of gospel singers to bespeak the times and hope for a better world.  The young group makes such a passionate plea throughout their easy-going musical presentation.

“I Wish” calls for social justice and unity in a society in which discord and hatred are rampant and far too many are still marginalized by pervasive systems of oppression.

"Lay Down Your Burdens" – Men of Virtuee

“Lay Down Your Burdens”
Men of Virtuee (2013)
Available at www.indieheaven.com

Men of Virtuee

Just this year, God gave Robert Lunsford, Jr. a vision to bring the singing ministry of his cousins to the forefront. They’ve been singing together for numerous years, but now he, Darnell Woods, Chuck Dixon, and George Pettiford have come together under the moniker Men of Virtuee (yes, with two e’s) to present a new single and concept video “Lay Down Your Burdens.”

Woods takes the lead on the mid-tempo contemporary single, inviting the downtrodden, discouraged, desperate, and disconnected to yield themselves and their life issues to Jesus and be set free.

For more information about the Roxboro, NC based group, peep www.menofvirtuee.com.

Check out the “Lay Down Your Burdens” video here.

“Greater Is Coming” – Jekalyn Carr

“Greater Is Coming” [Album Version]
Jekalyn Carr
From the upcoming CD, Greater Is Coming (Spring 2013)
http://myjekalyncarr.net

Jekalyn Carr Greater is Coming art work
Jekalyn Carr’s résumé resembles that of someone who’s been in the business for as long as she is old.
 
A frequent psalmist at Benny Hinn crusades, a fiery evangelist whose YouTube videos show her preaching preceding generations into frenzies, and a special musical guest on the Word Network, the 15 year-old diminutive dynamo makes quite an authoritative declaration with the single “Greater Is Coming,” from her forthcoming CD of the same title.
 
Jekalyn pours every ounce of conviction she can muster into this worshipful ballad of affirmation to proclaim that “greater” is just over the horizon.  Her intensity is palpable as she announces, “Look out World, here comes your Healer!  Look out World, here comes your Deliverer!”
 
Look out World, here comes powerhouse Jekalyn Carr.

"Living Right" – Kirby Wills and Southern Sound

“Living Right”
Kirby Wills and Southern Sound
From the CD, Living Right (2012)
Indie

Kirby Wills and Southern Sound

One need not look far to behold the atrocities of a society in moral decay.  Yet, as voices crying in a 21st century wilderness, Kirby Wills and Southern Sound present the sobering question: “What’s wrong with living right?”

“Living Right” written by Bill Adams, is the title track of the Durham group’s southern gospel CD and is performed by Wills–who could’ve easily enjoyed mainstream success as a country artist. Pianist Angela Fluet offers vocal harmony support in the chorus.  While Wills and Fluet are the dominant voices on the song, the entire band is filled with singers and musicians, all of whom serve the First Pentecostal Church of Durham.

Fluet describes their music as multi-genred, encompassing southern gospel, bluegrass, and rockabilly, but there is no question about the singular message of “Living Right.”  The message is holiness: Not a denomination, but a lifestyle.

The Hymns of the Church – Reverend Lawrence Thomison

Reverend Lawrence Thomison
Reverend Lawrence Thomison Sings The Hymns of the Church
Indie (2011)
Available at CD Baby 

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

In case there is doubt about whether or not there’s still room for hymns in today’s churches, let Rev. Lawrence Thomison assure you in the affirmative with his fittingly titled CD Reverend Lawrence Thomison Sings The Hymns of the Church, produced by Jonathan Winstead and Chris Carr.

Backed by a 40-voice
choir with singers from the Nashville and Memphis areas, Thomison relies
heavily on his traditional gospel background to pour out each of the 11 sacred tracks
with fervor.  His charisma is as infectious on the handclapping “On the
Battlefield” (featuring Jennifer Selvy-Carr) and mostly a cappella “Let Jesus Lead You” as his worship is tangible on “Great Is
Thy Faithfulness,” over Julius Fisher’s soothing piano accompaniment.  Even a contemporized version of “Thank You Lord” has ample traditional flavor to be well received in either
style of worship.

In addition to Selvy-Carr’s appearance, other tag team efforts on this project are notable too. The always soulful Wess Morgan guests on “Yes, God Is
Real,” as does Michelle Prather on “Have A Little Talk With Jesus,” lifting every round of the bluesy, horn-laced song higher and higher as Rev. Thomison, choir, and band thrust her forward.

If you’ve actually seen him perform during his tenure with Dr.
Bobby Jones and the Nashville Super Choir–or even as a soloist–you’ll
wonder how Rev. Thomison managed to stand stationary at a studio mic long
enough to record “Blood Medley” without hotfooting like one whose shoes are ablaze, especially when he transitions from the Crouch
classic “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power” to uptempo selections “Power in the Blood” and “Oh The Blood of Jesus” before the climactic “I Know It Was the
Blood.”

Four additional hymns round out this churchy offering to make it
an enlivening interpretation of the music that has ushered many a
generation through the jerks and snatches of life.  Surely, if you think of hymns like a cached webpage on a newly updated website, then Reverend Lawrence Thomison Sings The Hymns of the Church is like hitting “Refresh” on your Internet browser.

Favorites
“Have A Little Talk With Jesus” “The Blood Medley” 

Fever Meter 
SIMMERIN’ (3 of 5 Stars)

"Thank God I'm Still Here" – Renee Spearman

“Thank God I’m Still Here”
Renee Spearman
From the CD, Whoa to Wow! (2012)
JDI Records

Bringing up the rear of Renee Spearman’s successful Whoa to Wow! CD is the funky “Thank God I’m Still Here.”

The musically multi-talented Cali native pumps out her self-penned groove of gratitude “for life, health and strength / activity of my limbs,” accompanied by a heavy bass and drum backdrop that would have provoked Godfather of Soul James Brown to get his shout and shimmy on for sure.

Produced by Michael Bereal and Professor James Roberson, “Thank God I’m Still Here” thumps with prominent live horns and a rhythmic downbeat that makes it downright irresistible to dance while giving thanks for the oft mentioned blessings that are also just as often taken for granted.