As We Sing

Black Music Month – June

A-Kay — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:00:00 +0000

In 1979, President Carter announced that the month of June would be Black Music month. About 23 years later in 2002, President Bush continued to proclaim June as the month to celebrate Black music. Black music is a great part of our American Heritage and it will be highlighted all month with events educating citizens about the various forms of black music.

Black churches have been the source of musical inspiration. Parts of the blues and negro spirituals evolved into gospel music. Mahalia Jackson, known as the world’s greatest gospel singer, performed at the inauguration of President Kennedy as well as the funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King. Gospel music had an effect on rhytm and blues (R&B) and soul. Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke were both children of preachers who used gospel tones in their music styles.

Black music influences also spread into jazz, rock and the music that we have today. It’s a rich part of our nation’s way of life and enjoyed by many.

Lyrics – I Gave It Up by J Moss

A-Kay — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:18:34 +0000

Can’t you see I’m striving for his favor and his purpose

My temple is his resting place while I give him my service

Verse 1

God is working on me

Opened my eyes now I see

Reconstructing my body

Now the urge I had is deceased

My haters came and then faded

God sewed up my head

Filled his Word in heart

Smoothed out all of my scars

I’m persuaded

I’ll let nothing

separate me

from his lovin

Life or death

Height nor depth

Will not sway me

Away from him

Chorus

I gave it up

Ain’t goin back there no more (4x)

Verse 2

Some of you lookin at me

Cause you can’t believe what you see

He can do the same for you

But may have to fall on your knees

Some of your friends can go

Gotta learn how to just say no

Hide his word in your heart

And get your brand new start

I’m persuaded

I’ll let nothing

separate me

from his lovin

Life or death

Height nor depth

Will not sway me

Away from him

Chorus (2x)

Cant’ you see I’m striving for his favor and his purpose

My temple is his resting place while I give him my service

Gotta keep it clean

Gotta keep it holy

And real

Adlib thru end of song

He’s fixed me and I’m never going back

Can’t do it

I’m a lover of righteousness

And I wont disappoint him

Greater is he in me

Than he that is in the world

What does it profit a man

To gain this whole world

And then lose his soul

Got too caught up in me

Messed and I lost my peace

Too cute for the will of God

Singing with a sin filled heart

I know I’m too real for you

But there will be no god before me

The wages of sin is death

With God your need’s will be met

God I thank you for it

For my second chance

If any man be in Christ

He is a new creature

Old things are passed away

And behold all things become new

I gave it up yeah

Chorus

2009 – My Music Review

A-Kay — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:12:19 +0000

This year we had quite a few good releases. I actually subscribed to more gospel blogs in order to be exposed to new music. So this year I bought the following in no particular order:

Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love

“Already Here” and “All I Need – These two singles should be enough to push you to purchase this cd.

BeBe & CeCe – Still

There are a lot of great tracks on this album, but the one that stands out for me is “Grace.”

Fred Hammond- Love Unstoppable

I love love love this cd. There is only one track that I don’t care for. It’s full of praise and worship to God and it doesn’t get much better than that. The songs are so simple. If you are looking for easy songs for your choir next year, then take a listen. Go ahead and buy this if you haven’t already.

Coko – Winner In Me

I liked 10 out of 12 tracks. Once again this is not a bad thing. I must say that my favorite is “May Be My Last Time.” Another good one is “Make a Way” – it has more of a CCMish sound. It’s different, but I like it.

J Moss – Just James

I caught on to this one pretty late, but it’s a great cd. One of faves on here is “Holy One” as well as “Anointing.”

Mali Music – The 2nd Coming

First of all I had a hard time finding this cd but I finally found it. The style of music is different but it is quite enjoyable. The dude can sang and his range is amazing. My top two would be “No Muzick” and “Conqueror.”

New Breed – Generation Love

Generation is a praise & worship cd. It mixes contemporary gospel with just a lil’ bit of old schood and contemporary christian. “How He Loves” is one of the best covers that I have heard yet. One of the other songs that I always listen to “I Receive.”

William McDowell – As We Worship

This is the ultimate must have for praise and worship. If you want to go to a deeper level in your worship experience, then you should get this album. My absolute favorite on this set is “I Give Myself Away” and “Give Us Your Heart”. The whole project is so anointed and highly recommended.

Gospel Truth Presents Gospel Mix, Vol. 3

Gospel Mix is a compilation cd of various artists from one label. If you are looking for new gospel music, then this is a great way to get exposure to a few different styles. This is the cd that introduced me to Earnest Pugh’s “Rain On Us.” Another one of my favorites on there would be “Love Like That” – it has an old school flavor, but I like it.

In January…

A-Kay — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:11:01 +0000

Over the next few weeks you will see a few changes to this blog. I want to change the focus slightly to meet the needs of aspiring gospel artists. Gospel artists need resources and a place to go to bounce ideas and receive advice.

Some of the new features may include the following: interviews, song critiques, song writing, self-promotion, etc.

This has been a great year and I am looking forward to the many blessings that will occur in 2010.

Did You Know????

A-Kay — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:12:23 +0000

That Anthony Hamilton’s wife can sing…I mean really sing.

Let me introduce you to Tarsha’ Hamilton. Her name is pronounced like Tar-Shay. I saw the list of performers for the 2010 BET Celebration of Gospel and noticed that the Hamilton’s were scheduled to perform. Since I hadn’t heard anything about her, I wanted to see if I could find a music clip on the web.

I found what I was looking for and more. Tarsha’ McMillian Hamilton released a gospel album last year and it sounds quite nice.

Where to find Tarsha’:

-www.myspace.com/tarshamcmillian

-twitter.com/Tarshanicole

-tarshamhamilton.com

J Moss – “Just James”

A-Kay — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:46:06 +0000

So I just picked up the J. Moss cd, “Just James”. I don’t know what I was waiting for – well actually I do. I read “The Beginner’s Guide to the Gospel Music Industry” by Monica Coates, which is a great book. Anyway, in the book she talks about how you should actually purchase hard copy albums if they are available. Album covers provide a lot of information for the aspiring artist. Don’t understand it? You should really get the book.

Enough of my side bar. The J Moss album, “Just James” is good. There are 10 tracks and I probably like about 8. The other two just aren’t my style, but that’s just me.

Hot Tracks: “I Gave it Up” and “Anointing”
If you have a choir or praise team, I would definitely check out “Holy One” and “Sweet Jesus”.
One of my favorites – “So Into You” because it’s a love song to God and and it has a dramatic intro.

“Just James” Sampler

Aspiring Gospel Artist – Forever Forward

A-Kay — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:27:51 +0000

Questions were answered by Derek Gibbs of Forever Forward.

Who is Forever Forward?

Forever Forward consists of:
Tisha Hunter – singer/soloist, Fela James – singer/soloist, Nia Middleton – singer/soloist, Pam Saunders – singer/soloist, Nedelka Prescod – singer/soloist, Eric Williams – background singer,
Judy Thames – background singer, Kim Lannear – background singer, Kevin Brightman – Co-Founder/Music Composer/Songwriter, Derek Gibbs – Co-Founder/Songwriter/Music Composer/Vocal Arranger

How did the group come together?

Forever Forward started in 2001 after Kevin Brightman and I finished a 3 year Co-Musical Director post at Creative Light Spiritual Center in New York City. The songs we wrote while we there were had proven very helpful to many of the church members as well as became staple songs in churches we visited during that time. Both Kevin and I attended LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts (formerly known as Music & Art High School).

Most of our friends are very talented people – such as Tisha, Fela, Nedelka, Judy and Kim. Tisha and Pam sang together on a few projects and later Pam was invited to join us. Nia worked with Kevin on a few Jazz projects and he invited her to come along. Eric Williams and I both worked together in Television Production and I invited him to join us.

What was your recording experience like?
The recording process was a learning experience. As I stated before, I am a TV Producer. Having worked in News, Talk Shows, Music Videos and Music Television, I am very comfortable working in a studio setting. However, producing people to tell a story with their voices would have been difficult if I didn’t work with such a high caliber of talent.

Kevin did a lot of the leg work and found the original professional studio we worked with at the beginning of the project. The challenge with the first studio was that some of the equipment was out of date and that made it hard to take the masters to other facilities. We then moved on to a home studio. It was a “handy man special” complete with a Home Depot “Do It Yourself” recording booth built in a bedroom in an apartment building. Most of the songs were done in that studio. We then moved to another home studio where we completed the project.

I love the freedom that comes with home studios experience. I was more relaxed and was able to be more creative in the studio. However, you need an engineer with “know how” in order to work a home studio like a professional one or otherwise it can be very frustrating experience. It is definitely a process we will do again.

Describe your experience as an independent artist.

There is so much to say about being an independent artist. I have come to find out that it is truly a full time job promoting the group. Again, working in TV, I had a department to do the outreach and all I had to do was be creative and produce. In this situation, Kevin and I are the creative team, the street team, the promo department, the publicity team, the bookers, the managers as well as the producers.

My advice to independent artists and producers is “If you don’t fully believe in your project, DON’T DO IT!” I think many people may think that once the “baby” is born – everyone will just love it. The will love it if they can see it and hear it and know it exists. And to get it out there takes a lot of work. I am grateful for the small team of brainstormers and foot soldiers we have and I thank them as often as I can.

With all that said, I love doing this work. I believe in this project, in this group and in our vision. We have been working at this on this project for nearly 10 years now and it is finally bearing fruit. It will make the next projects a much simpler process.

What was the inspiration for your project “All Is Well”?

The inspiration for the project “All Is Well” was simply that. ALL IS WELL! People seem to really be suffering these days for whatever reasons and the climate is ripe for healing. Both Kevin and I want to demonstrate that there is a Divine, Infinite Presence (God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha or whatever you want to call it) that lives in each and every one of us and we can access it through meditation, our prayer work and in fellowship with people of like mind. This Presence desires to express itself as us and show us that we are unique beings each with a calling that can only be done by us.

We are here to reveal the Glory of God and the Universe supports us and God loves us. These songs work with people of any belief system and are all inclusive by infusing the principles of the New Thought Ancient Wisdom with energy music and teachings of traditional Christianity. Forever Forward is made up of people of all walks of Spirituality with the common bond that “God is good”. If we can show people that there is so much more that brings us together than separates us, our living shall not be in vain.

What are the group’s short term plans? Future plans?

Forever Forward’s plan from this moment on is to become a staple in the Inspirational/Gospel community assisting in creating a lane for us and groups like us in this industry.

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The music of Forever Forward can be purchased at ITunes, Amazon, Cd Baby & DigiStation.

Visit Forever Forward at www.foreverforward.com

Aspiring Gospel Artist Feature

A-Kay — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:03:12 +0000

How can I be featured as an “Aspiring Gospel Artist”?

The Requirements

The aspiring gospel artist should be a singer or rapper (solo/group) that loves the Lord. Your music should reflect the God kind of life. You must submit a picture, answer a few questions and give us a link to your music.

If you are interested simply send an email to peachpost@gmail.com with “Aspiring Gospel Artist” in the subject line. Also include your name and where I can find you (link to your website, MySpace, YouTube, etc) and then I will reply with questions that I would like for you to answer. Answer the questions with as much detail as possible. Submit your answers and pictures and you are all set.

Atlanta West Pentecostal wins Choir Competition

A-Kay — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:56:22 +0000

Congratualations to Atlanta West Pentecostal!!!!! They won the “How Sweet the Sound Choir Competition”. This choir has won various awards, but this year they has been named the “Best Church Choir in America”.

JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise in Atlanta

A-Kay — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:03:00 +0000

JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise will be in Atlanta for the Spelman/Morehouse Homecoming. Homecoming church service will be held at Spelman University on Sunday, October 25th at 10am.

Click the link below to hear one of my faves from Youthful Praise.

Awesome Wonder – ft. Troy Bright (w/Stephen Hurd) – Youthful Praise