Youthful Praise Kicks Off Summer Tour
Nashville, TN– Stellar Award nominated contemporary choir Youthful Praise and their energetic worship leader, James JJ Hairston begins their tour following a sensational live recording that rocked the house in their hometown of Bridgeport, CT. The album, “Resting On His Promise”, kicks off their tour and has sparked a wave of excitement within the gospel community.
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Smokie Norful- Live
Since dominating adult contemporary and R&B radio with his bonafide crossover ballad hit “I Need You Now,”, Smokie Norful survived one-hit wonder status and even impressed the Academy by taking home a Grammy win for his 2004 album Nothing Without You in the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel category. Yet it is relevant to add that the coolness of Norful’s career and his relevance on the charts has simmered down some since his goldmine hit. On Live, Norful rediscovers the most popular trend in gospel music by using the live audience to once again build up his army of supporters. Taped at Memphis’ Canon Center, Norful isn’t a total stranger to the live atmosphere. In an effort to meet the surging demand of Norful’s quickly-growing fan base, he recorded the ten-track EP, Limited Edition, months after I Need You Now. Being a full-time pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Romeoville, IL also benefits him with interacting with his audiences. But the singer/songwriter isn’t as seasoned as a Donnie McClurkin or John P. Kee in a live audience. He stumbles over words and his thoughts during his introduction of “Justified” and he appears to be in rare form only when the music is going. Even his introduction of Heather Headley on the project lacks the oratorical emphasis it deserves.
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Holy Boy- Out Of Time
At first glance, one might think Holy Boy was just a gospel experiment that surely had R&B superstar Usher in mind. He sure has the looks, the charming smile and the baby-face. But while gospel has always been one step behind the latest craze in pop culture, it’s still never too late to try something refreshing using kiddie-bop sensations and a smidgen of personality. The Mobile, Ala native, born Herbert Woods, is the latest in the gospel-meets-urban saga stepping into the familiar avenues of R&B heartthrobs Usher and Chris Brown hoping to make urban gospel sound more sensational than being an underground movement. And with a name that sounds as if it had leaped out of the pages of Marvel Comics, Holy Boy is sure to rally up a rousing set of kids interested in his urban-pop infused gospel message on his Fontana/Universal debut Out Of Time.
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