Category Archives: Popular radio

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Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s Album Release Party Recap for HEART.PASSION.PURSUIT…(PHOTOS+VIDEO)

Hello World,

Friday night, I ventured over to the Dec at The dReam Center Church of Atlanta to check out the album release party for Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s third album HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT. (Motown Gospel). First of all, the dReam Center has moved and grown! A few years ago, it used to be in North Atlanta in a kind of medium-sized industrial building and now it is in large traditional church building just past South DeKalb Mall. Secondly, although Tasha Cobbs Leonard is a multiple Stellar and Dove Award winner and, GRAMMY®-Award winning recording artist, I honestly didn’t expect the onslaught of folk that were trying to get up in the church. The parking lot was full, folk parked in the surrounding neighborhood and an overflow parking lot nearby the mall was getting action too. I ended up parking in the grass and almost got in a tiff with two older ladies who had their eye on the parking spot that I was trying to stake out! LOL. But after that, everything flowed pretty smoothly.

This is the stage/altar area of the dReam Center…Pretty traditional…

So just ahead of me I noticed Shekinah Anderson, who is the best friend of Tiny Harris and a reality star in her own right. Of course, I had to look around for Tiny or T.I., but I did not see them. I also noticed Egypt Sherrod, former radio personality and current realtor and host of HGTV’s “Property Virgins.”

So I’ve never seen a church with this type of sign affixed to the architecture…”Get In Where You Fit In.” Okay…not traditional…

Pastor William Murphy asked everyone to turn on their cell phone lights (so I don’t know how to do that LOL) because in his words, “It’s about to be a ‘lit’uation.” “Light it up and let the world know who Jesus is.”

That’s pretty, huh?

So Pastor Murphy told what I thought was a pretty powerful story about when he first stated the dReam center on Jan. 15, 2006. He said he thoroughly prepared for the sermon he delivered on that Sunday. Although there were roughly 350 people there, only one person joined the church. He said he tried to act like he wasn’t bothered by the fact that only one person joined. That person, however, was Tasha Cobbs. This was years before she recorded her first album, but look at the impact she has had in the name of God since then. It just goes to show that through one person you can impact the world, and you never know who will be that one person! I mean it was standing room only at that church for Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and I saw a few people who were turned away…

Pastor Murphy also shared how Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s album HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT. was recorded nearby where the Interstate 85 bridge in Atlanta collapsed in March and how he thought that was significant as the goal of the album is to build bridges between different races, cultures and ethnicities.

Then it was time for Tasha to saaang….

If you look closely, you can see her hubby Kenneth Leonard, just behind her to the right, looking like he’s supervising everything…Photo Credit: Tonya Reeves & Michael Walker/UMeek Images

I like this photo because everyone’s hands are lifted up, but she is getting down…

Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Kierra Sheard. Kierra is featured on the song “Your Spirit.” So I kept looking around for Nicki Minaj, who is featured on “I’m Getting Ready,” but I guess she wasn’t there…Photo Credit: Tonya Reeves & Michael Walker/UMeek Images

 So this teenager or preteenager (The older I get, the harder it is for me to tell…) came up during the middle of the concert and pressed some money in Tasha’s hands….Obviously, she was moved…Photo Credit: Tonya Reeves & Michael Walker/UMeek Images

And even her fellow singers were moved…

A Holy Ghost dance…

Attorney Phaedra Parks, formerly of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” was there and feeling it…See Pastor Kim of the “Preachers of Atlanta” behind her…

At the end of the concert, Tasha Cobbs Leonard gave an altar call and spoke about the purpose of her album….

Also in attendance were Jimi Cravity, Breona Lawrence, Anna Golden, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Catherine Brewton, Bishop Travis Jennings, Pastor John Gray, Aventer Gray, Y’Anna Crawley, Todd Galberth, Bryan Pierce and more. So I hope you feel like you were there at Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s album release party…

The highly anticipated album, HEART. PASSION. PURSUIT. (Motown Gospel), from multiple Stellar and Dove Award winner and, GRAMMY®-Award winning recording artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard, is available now in stores, and online everywhere.For more information about Tasha Cobbs Leonard visit: www.TashaCobbs.org
Any thoughts?
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Le’Andria Johnson Debuts New Album “Bigger Than Me” in Atlanta! (VIDEOS+PHOTOS)

Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

Hello World,

My favorite “bad girl” of gospel Le’Andria Johnson is back with her new album “Bigger Than Me,” which is available where you buy music as of TODAY! On behalf of RCA Inspiration, she debuted singles from her album in the packed out The Gathering Spot in downtown Atlanta last night, and I was blessed to be able to hear her new music in person. Another gospel great Marvin Sapp said something on his “Unsung” episode on Sunday that I’ve been thinking about since then. He said he is not sure if he wants any more hit songs because they were birthed out of painful experiences. Well, Le’Andria may have at least one hit on her hands because her song “All I Got” is dedicated to her brother Gregory A. Johnson Jr. , who passed away last November. In addition to singing “All I Got,” she also showed the video for the single. Check out the video of her singing a bit of “All I Got.”

Below are a few pics I took as the video was screened for the audience…

That is a picture of Le’Andria and her brother. Apparently, the video, which was directed by Derek Blanks,  was filmed on his birthday….

Saanging’…

Sometimes you have to sing in the rain…

The last shot was beautiful…

To her surprise,  Le’Andria’s father Bishop Gregory A. Johnson Sr. was in the house. I’m sure it was an emotional night for both of them, but she had everybody laughing when she said she wouldn’t have worn her short shorts if she had known her father was going to be there. I can relate! (And I still I want to know why I’m the only PK I know who can’t sing especially when my father can 🙁  )

Another song she sang “Gone Too Long” is about when you’ve been gone too long from the presence of the Father. Every once in a while, I get rebellious with God and walk away but thankfully, I haven’t got gone that long. And I’m diligently praying for those in my life who have been “gone too long” from God. She sang this song beautifully, but when she invited Zebulon Ellis and her brother Michael to sing the song with her, babaaay…Take a listen for yoself…

And of course, the title cut from “Bigger Than Me.” See below….

Le’andria’s producers Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly of Weirdo Workshop were introduced as well. They have worked with Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Ludacris, Ledisi and legends such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Claude told the audience as they are usually “locked in a studio,” they never get the opportunity to see how audiences respond to an artist in person. He also said that when Le’andria came to their location in Nashville, she had to walk by plaques commemorating all of the artists they have worked with in their career. When she walked by Whitney Houston’s plaque, she told them that was what she wanted. “It wasn’t about her fame though. It was about the effect that a positive female voice can have on generation.”

Chuck and Claude with Gabby Jones of RCA Inspiration….Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

Here is Le’Andria with her father and brothers…Their genes are strong! Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

And for my OWN “Greenleaf” watchers, Le’Andria is on Volume 2 of the “Greenleaf” soundtrack!!! Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

Judging by how folk responded to her performance last night, Le’andria  new album “Bigger Than Me” is fire! Get that!

Any thoughts?

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Gospel Artist Marvin Sapp Reveals Why He Almost Quit Singing On Next Episode of TV One’s UNSUNG Airing TONIGHT!

Hello World,

I was first introduced to Gospel artist Marvin Sapp about 20 years ago by a dear friend who has since sadly passed away from leukemia. I figured if my friend thought he was an awesome artist, I needed to check him out…

But it would be years from then when I became a true fan of Sapp’s music for myself. When “Never Would Have Made It” came out in 2007, I couldn’t go anywhere without hearing that song and I understood why. I think we can all testify that there is nothing we could have achieved without God or the help of someone else. I believe that Sapp was testifying about God, but the lyrics can be applied to anyone who has been a significant support in our lives…Check out some of the lyrics below….

I never, never would have made it
No, I never, never could have made it without you
I would have lost my mind a long time ago
If it had not been for you…

I remember on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 when I was in the sanctuary of Ebenezer Baptist Church, along with the whole and packed church, waiting for the results of that historical election. I heard “Never Would Have Made It” at least three times during the night at the church. Me and the hilarious man sitting next to me didn’t care if we heard that song again for at least a few days. But when it was announced that Barack Obama was elected president, that song fit perfectly. President Obama would have never been elected president of these United States without God! That’s for sure.

All of that to say TV One’s longest-running and award-winning series Unsung, now in its 11th season, will air its latest episode featuring Marvin Sapp TONIGHT at 10 p.m. ET! Check out the promo below!

With one of the most unique voices in gospel music, Marvin Sapp has been spreading the Gospel through song for over three decades. His powerful mix of old-school sensibilities and new school swagger led him to dominate the gospel charts in the 2000s with seven Top 10 hits including the #1 songs, “Never Would’ve Made It,” “The Best in Me” and “My Testimony.”  The Midwestern pastor’s music resonated beyond the pulpit, often being played on mainstream radio and even landing on the Billboard R&B and Hot 100 charts.

But Sapp’s faith would be tested on several occasions – from illness, to personal attacks, to the tragic death of his wife, MaLinda, to colon cancer.

And he almost stopped singing….Check out a clip below about why he almost gospel music behind….

Sapp recently created headlines when he compared the popularity of Jay-Z’s latest album 4:44, in which the rapper reveals his infidelities in marriage, with how the public receives the music of gospel artists…Check out his commentary, which he posted on his Facebook page below…

Do you agree or disagree? Should we look past the imperfect lives of gospel artists and support their music? I think we should in general because not one of us is without sin. But on the other hand, there should be a demonstrable difference between the lives of those of us who have surrendered our lives to God and those of us who haven’t.

Speaking of other gospel artists, also on the Unsung episode, insights from family and friends are provided by Kirk Franklin, Byron Cage, Donald Lawrence, Dorinda Clark Cole, Myron Butler, Aundrae Russell, Marvin Winans Sr., Tyrone DuBose, Karl Reid, and Fred Hammond.

I’ll be watching Unsung with Marvin Sapp tonight! What about you?

Any thoughts?