Gospel

TaRee – Crazy Love the EP

February 28th, 2012   4 Comments »

TaRee1I asked a while ago if we could consider describing music by the way it sounds and feels, rather than by popular categories. I was reminded of that discussion post when I heard TaRee’s project, Crazy Love the EP. TaRee clearly makes Christian music but as soon as I heard it, I thought it also had a soul and alternative feel. The northeast Ohio native relocated to Nashville, Tennessee and has played with a variety of artists including Conya Doss, Eric Roberson, Marvin Winans, and April Nevels.

Crazy Love the EP presents the good news that I love with a style that appeals to my fondness for live music. I asked TaRee about the impression she wants the EP to leave on listeners and she said “Ultimately I want to leave them with the impression that the message of hope is real, not a cliche. There is real, tangible hope in Christ for every situation of doubt and brokenness. I want to impart a piece of the mind-blowing, unconditional ‘Crazy Love’ of Christ I’ve come to know.” I don’t think we could have ever expected a genre label to describe her music that way and I’m glad for the opportunity to share her music with you. For those of you who are new or unexposed to gospel music, TaRee’s work is a great place to start. Check out my favorite song from the EP, All We Are below.

TaRee – All We Are

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Kenny DeShields – I Love You (I Do)

October 19th, 2011   No Comments »

Kenny DeShields has been hard at work on new music. While we wait on the release of his album, check out this video of him performing I Love You (I Do) for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch LISTEN music video series, which showcases talent in the St. Louis area.


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Gimme 5 Sunday Best Contestants

September 11th, 2011   No Comments »

As we get ready to watch the season finale of Sunday Best, let’s remember these prior show contestants.

Crystal Aikin – Even Me
Jessica Reedy – God Has Smiled on Me
Jessica Reedy – Put It on the Altar
Le’Andria Johnson – Sunday Best Medley 1
Le’Andria Johnson – Sunday Best Medley 2

Gimme 5 Sunday Best Contestants

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Reflection: BeBe & CeCe Winans – Relationships

July 21st, 2011   No Comments »

RelationshipsThis morning a friend and I were talking about BeBe & CeCe Winans and I remembered that I started my cd collection with their 1994 album, Relationships.

I remember the day very well. It was a Friday and I had just cashed my first summer job paycheck. I rushed to the record store, convinced that I was ready to switch from purchasing cassette tapes to buying compact discs. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the average cost for a cd was $18! That was very expensive for my shoestring budget but I bought the Relationships album because the song titles looked like they would sound good. (There were no listening stations back then. I think I may be telling my age with this story.)

The album was as good as it looked. The more I listened, the more I loved it. Even though that was over fifteen years ago, each song is still very special to me. If you’ve never heard the album, I highly recommend it. It’s great music and much cheaper now. Check out one of my favorites below called Love of My Life.

BeBe & CeCe Winans – Love of My Life

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Michelle Lang & Still Water

July 15th, 2011   No Comments »

MLSWMichelle Lang & Still Water (MLSW) uses contemporary blends of r&b, hip hop, and soul to spread God’s word. The Seattle-based indie group is comprised of nine members (Michelle Lang, Koniko Turner, Robert Baker, Amber Donaldson, Nicole Anthony, Trenescia Bellinger, Kenny Mahone, Jeremy Dawson, and James Best). Their latest album, Obnoxious was released in 2009 and although the word obnoxious is often used to describe things that are offensive or unpleasant, the group has managed to give the word a very positive connotation. As shown in the two songs below (Oh What Grace and Stand), MLSW delivers messages that display their appreciation and reverence for God. Oh What Grace is a wonderful worship song and Stand is a great celebration song that definitely appeals to fellow believers. Check them out below and look for their 2006 release, Paint.

Oh What Grace

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Stand

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Jessica Reedy – Put It On the Altar

July 8th, 2011   No Comments »

Jessica Reedy has released another single from her upcoming album, From the Heart, which will be available on September 27th. Jessica co-wrote the new song, Put It On the Altar with Tony and Nakeia Homer. Check it out below.

Jonathan McReynolds

May 23rd, 2011   No Comments »

JonathanMcReynoldsThe goal of Finding the B-Side is to help you discover the best in neo-soul, r&b, jazz and gospel music. It’s a process that I never get tired of, especially when I find music from artists like Jonathan McReynolds. I heard his song No Gray for the first time over the weekend and after listening to it 3 times in a row, I purchased it and played it for my small test audience. I knew their reaction would be one of instant approval, but I had no idea I’d get these types of responses:

 
“I love his voice. I was hooked on the first few notes.”
“I don’t know why I hadn’t heard of him before now.”
“He’s definitely a winner.”
“Phenomenal. So on time, for so many reasons.”
“His songs seem to speak exactly what I feel.”

Don’t just take our word for it though, check out No Gray and Lovin’ Me from The Very Unofficial EP of Jonathan McReynolds and follow him at the links below. As a bonus, here’s his live performance of No Gray.

No Gray (feat. Nate Graham)

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Lovin’ Me

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Catching Up With Gerard Bonner

May 19th, 2011   1 Comment »

Gerard2Gerard Bonner is the founder and host of Bonnerfide Radio, the leading online radio station for inspirational music. Bonnerfide Radio delivers programming with an unmatched level of quality and creativity that more than lives up to its tagline of “Radio the way it’s supposed to be”.

Bonnerfide Radio is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and listeners can subscribe to the show on iTunes for free. Such access has resulted in traffic from 47 states and 55 different countries. Awards for Internet Radio Station of the Year seem to be a perfect fit for Bonnerfide Radio, as it won the GMWA Crystal Mic Media Award and has been nominated twice for a Stellar Award in that category. Bonnerfide Radio’s programming recently expanded to include two new segments, LoveLudes with Tre Thomas on Mondays and Women Listen with YannyYan, ShariLachelle, and Mysti on Wednesdays.

Gerard recently announced Bonnerfide Radio’s first international partnership with M-Brio Music and M.E.X. Magazine. Bonnerfide Radio will feature a new program called UK FIYAH, which will be hosted by M-Brio Music founders Adam and Matt Brooks to present the hottest Christian and gospel music from the UK and Europe. In return, Gerard will bring the top 10 US hits to London by contributing a monthly column in M.E.X. Magazine.

In addition to Bonnerfide Radio, Gerard hosts The Gospel Beat, which airs in Pittsburg, PA and New Haven, CT and Brotha Live, a radio talk show with Jesse Duckworth and Jamil Willis that discusses issues that face Christian men. If that doesn’t keep him busy enough, Gerard also operates Bonnerfide Photography, which has covered several events including BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel, the Stellar Awards, and the Hero Tour featuring Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary.

While Gerard’s many successful ventures are certainly impressive, perhaps the most inspiring thing about him is that he often encourages others to pursue their dreams as well. We had a great conversation, where he shared how he started Bonnerfide Radio, how he prepares for the episodes, and the new partnership with M-Brio Music.

Mimi: What three words would you choose to describe the Bonnerfide brand?

Gerard: exciting, innovative and groundbreaking

Mimi: Your tagline is “Radio the way it’s supposed to be”. How did you determine what radio is supposed to be and how it should be delivered?

Gerard: That’s a good question. I kinda went back to my childhood. I remember being glued to mainstream radio because radio would take chances and introduce new artists and styles that you hadn’t heard before. So, as we look at what radio has kind of morphed into these days, in pretty much any genre, you find the same kinda folks that end up dominating the airways. So, the goal was to really make radio fun again and give a platform to people who aren’t normally heard because the independent music scene, as I’ve seen over my career, has always been the place where new and the exciting music takes place. It’s nothing against what’s mainstream but it’s always that independent undercurrent that really shapes the next direction and next wave of music. So, that was the idea and design behind it. read more »

Gimme 5 Fred Hammond Songs

March 15th, 2011   No Comments »

Fred HammondThis week’s Gimme 5 playlist is going back to gospel with Fred Hammond. Hope it gives you a good pick me up today. Check it out below.

Gimme 5 Fred Hammond Songs

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Jessica Reedy – God Has Smiled on Me

February 3rd, 2011   3 Comments »

JReedyGreat news! Jessica Reedy has just released her version of God Has Smiled on Me, the song she performed on Season 2 of BET’s Sunday Best and during the recent Stellar Award Nominations. Check it out below and purchase it from iTunes.

God Has Smiled on Me

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