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Durham teen, Tahmique Cameron, performs Dorsey classic, receives high praise at NCGCC ’13

Tahmique Cameron sings at the 80th Annual Session of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses
Click to enlarge
Photo | Retta Bradford

 

Sixteen year-old Tahmique Cameron of Durham, NC, received a standing ovation for his rendition of the Dorsey hymn “When The Gates Swing Open” during the 80th Annual Session of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, held August 3-10, in Houston, TX.  After returning to the platform for a reprise for the Soloist Bureau, he was lauded for his appreciation of traditional gospel and love of quartet music.
 
Rev. Dorsey—the Father of Gospel Music as well as the convention’s organizer and longtime president—undoubtedly would beam that his rich legacy is being carried on by passionate young people like Tahmique.

"Turn Up The Praises" – Brian Hamilton & Divine Worship

“Turn Up The Praises”
Brian Hamilton & Divine Worship
From the CD, Chosen (2013)
www.brianhamiltonmusic.com

Brian Hamilton & Divine Worship art work

Brian Hamilton & Divine Worship want you to take your praise to a whole ‘notha level, and they tag one of today’s popular catchphrases to make the point.

“Turn Up The Praises” is a celebratory song that fuses the styles of Fred Hammond, Israel & New Breed, and Tye Tribbett to create something unique for the Toronto native and his group.

“Turn it up to another level….Lift Jesus higher!” exhorts the high energy ensemble of young adults.

Hamilton, a worship leader and songwriter, founded Divine Worship in 2006.  The single “Turn Up The Praises” is featured on the group’s current CD Chosen, available on iTunes.

"New Beginnings" – Linda Clark

“New Beginnings”
Linda Clark
From the CD, New Beginnings (2013)
www.lindaclarkmusic.com

Linda Clark New Beginnings art work

Ever so soothingly, Linda Clark reiterates that “old things have passed away; behold, I’m new in Christ in today. I’m new in Christ; this is my new beginning.”

Warm strings prepare the way for Linda’s flawless vocal, and even when she ascends through her register, the tenderness of the self-penned ballad abides.

Clark’s artistry has gained attention from music heavyweights like Al Jarreau, Israel Houghton, and Vickie Winans. Presently, she serves as overseer and worship leader under the pastoral care of Bishop Daniel Robertson, Jr. and Co-Pastor Elena Robertson at Mt. Gilead Full Gospel International Ministries in Richmond, VA.

"You Can Do Anything" – Kendall Triplett

“You Can Do Anything”
Kendall Triplett (2013)
Available on iTunes

Kendall Triplett You Can Do Anything art work

Kendall Triplett could sing R&B; it’s clear he’s been influenced by the genre.  He could dabble in jazz too.  So, I think it’s pretty cool that he’s choosing to bring fresh music to the gospel scene.  Don’t get me wrong though: “You Can Do Anything” is one of those upbeat R&B/pop inspirational tunes that stretches beyond gospel’s boundaries.

The track is written by Grammy nominated songwriter Delisha Thomas (who’s also written for Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, et al.). Triplett, himself a songwriter in addition to a talented vocalist, has plans to release a full-length project later this year entitled Lose Myself.

Gospel artists react to the death of keyboard great George Duke

Multi-talented singer, composer, and musician George Duke has died.  According to media reports, he passed yesterday at the age of 67. 

While Duke was widely known as a jazz virtuoso, his music-making extended across many genres with gospel being no exception.  Among his credits are The Keynotes’ Get on That Gospel Train (sideman), Various Artists’ Handel’s
Messiah-A Soulful Celebration (producer), Kenny Lattimore’s “Healing” (co-writer and co-producer), and Smokie Norful’s Nothing Without You (producer).  Duke is also credited with arranging and producing all the gospel songs for the 1990’s dramedy film Leap of Faith and serving as the music director for BET’s 3rd Celebration of Gospel.

Earlier today, John P. Kee shared via Twitter, “Just finished a great session to find out my personal friend, ‘TheDuke’
is gone on to be with The Lord! Honored to have worked with him! RIP”
“George Duke opened my ears to the possibility that jazz
music could be cool, melodic, & produced like R&B. Will miss
him. We lost a legend,” tweeted pastor and musician Hart Ramsey.
J Moss took to Twitterverse to share a musical tribute that he says is “laced with George Duke.”
Remembrances will most certainly continue to pour in as news of his passing circulates.

Duke is survived by sons Rasheed and John as well as other family and friends.  His wife Corine preceded him in death just over a year ago; he paid tribute to her on his latest project, Dream Weaver, released last month.

GMF sends to condolences to the family, friends and fans.  George Duke will be remembered as a trendsetter in American music.

Read more about his passing and accomplished career here: www.jazzwisemagazine.com

"God Has Been So Good to Me" – The Brooklyn Allstars

“God Has Been So Good to Me”
The Brooklyn Allstars
From the CD, Live in Richmond, VA (2013)
4 Winds Records

Brooklyn Allstart Live in Richmond art work

“Even a blind man can see how good God’s been to me,” declare The Brooklyn Allstars in their uptempo number, “God Has Been So Good to Me.”  The single, which expresses a widely shared sentiment, appears on the group’s CD, Live in Richmond, VA, due out today.

Founder Rev. Thomas Spann, whose bass ad-libs are sprinkled along the single’s backdrop, talked with GMF’s Libra Boyd in June about the Allstars’ signature sound.  You can read it here: Brooklyn Allstars’ Thomas Spann reflects on “signature sound that I didn’t realize I had”.

"Withholding Nothing" – William McDowell

“Withholding Nothing”
William McDowell (2013)
www.williammcdowellmusic.com

William McDowell

William McDowell’s single “Withholding Nothing” is one of the newest songs to
lead hearts into worship everywhere.  His music has done no differently
in times past; for the singer/songwriter’s gifts have blessed the masses
with “I Give Myself Away” and “I Won’t Go Back.”

“Withholding Nothing” stays true to McDowell’s characteristically simple and
passionate worship: “I surrender all to You / Everything I give to You /
Withholding nothing…”  In fact, the song is already being added to
worship leaders’ setlists.

Opera expert discusses his passion for Black gospel

Mahalia Jackson

“The values embedded in gospel music are not exclusive to religious people, and that is part of this music’s power,” says opera expert and journalist, Fred Plotkin.

Read his column here–The Gospel Truth About Opera–which highlights the contributions of Rev. Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson (pictured), Marion Williams, Aretha Franklin and others, and identifies themes across the two art forms.

Official Video – “Yes We Can!” – Royal Kinection

Appropriately called Royal Kinection, brothers King and Sovereign are about their Father’s business.  Yep, they’re about that life, and they want adults and kids to be about it, too.  Check out Royal Kinection’s official video.  These young rappers are from Dallas, TX.

Agnostic subway posters prompt “God Belongs In My City” movement, anthem (video)

(Brooklyn, NY)  Youth pastor Daniel Sanabria, a co-founder of the “God
Belongs In My City” prayer movement, and other Big Apple youth
evangelists have pooled their diverse resources to create a new
recording label, In My City Records.

The company slogan is, “Sounds that
connect people to God and invoke change.” Those vibrant sounds are
youthful rhythms that span the gamut of faith-fueled hip-hop songs to
rock-edged praise and worship anthems. Various artists affiliated with
the movement or the label are hitting the concert trail in August and
the first recorded offering will be the October 15th digital release
of Korean-born female rapper HeeSun Lee’s debut CD, Stereotypes.

The
God Belongs in My City movement began in October 2009, when
members of a Christian youth group saw a billboard in the New York City
subway system that asked the question, “A Million New Yorkers Are Good
Without God. Are You?” They were so angered by the ad that they
complained about it to their youth pastor who in turn started to ask
area church leaders, “What are we, as the body of Christ going to do
about this?” Those leaders galvanized young adults from all five New
York boroughs to hold a prayer walk where participants wore T-shirts
simply declaring, “God Belongs in My City.”

On November 14,
2009, over 1,500 youth trekked down from Harlem and up from Battery Park
and met in the middle–Times Square–to make their voices heard
through public prayers and music. “It’s like the civil rights movement
but from a spiritual perspective,” says In My City Records CEO
Jeremy Castro. At that assembly, a rapper named Andy Mineo, free styled
the song “In My City” that’s become the movement’s anthem. A YouTube
video has nearly 700,000 hits to date. (Watch the video below.)  The walk
was duplicated in other cities and has now mushroomed into a
national movement for the millennial generation to evangelize a society
that is increasingly losing its religion.

“Diversity
is the heartbeat for us,” Castro adds. “This has become a global
movement. We have people from Brooklyn to Botswana. A lot of young
people are trying to find out who they are and where they fit in the
world. HeeSun Lee was born in Korea and was in the foster care system.
Then, she was adopted by Chinese parents on Staten Island so those are a
lot of different cultural clashes but she found an identity in
Christ where all believers become one family following Him.  For more news on the movement activities, log on: http://www.godbelongsinmycity.com