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Brian Courtney Wilson - So Proud
Re-Enters HG20 |
 Without
a doubt, Brian Courtney Wilson is one of gospel's best new
balladeers. His soulful way with a song places him alongside
fellow sacred crooners Bebe Winans and Rev. Paul Morton.
So Proud is Wilson's second CD (technically so: a
Deluxe Edition of his debut, Just Love, contained
previously unissued material). The front cover sports a
photo of Wilson as a toddler, a retro set of cans on his
head and a facial expression of startled but intense
curiosity at the sounds contained therein.
The photo and the title track set the tone for a CD rife
with between-the-lines autobiography. Wilson looks back and
chronicles the emotional rollercoaster of his musical
journey, and especially the faith it took to keep moving
forward, with Sunday morning-style lessons for the listener.
So Proud is steeped in rejoinders to “be still and
know.” For example, “He Still Cares” reminds us that God
never forgets His own, that “joy is coming in the morning/In
fact, joy is here.” “Storm in Mind” offers confidence that
the human spirit is stronger than any setback, and “Closer”
is a “message to the faithful” that God’s help is always a
prayer away.
The best song on the CD – better even than the clearly
autobiographical single “So Proud” – is “Grab and Hold.”
Written by Wilson, “Grab and Hold” is a simple, lovely and
lyrically effective ballad on the importance of holding
tight to one’s faith during all times, especially in times
of need. It comes closest to Wilson’s remarkable “All I
Need.” I can hear other artists covering it in the future.
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Andraé
Crouch shares the story behind 'Let the Church Say Amen
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 Andraé
Crouch’s “Let the Church Say Amen” is climbing the
charts and was # 14 last week on Billboard’s Gospel Songs
chart. The song is getting heavy airplay on stations around
the country, including D.C.’s own 104.1 Praisedc. In a
conversation with the living legend before his album
release, Crouch revealed how the song was born.
“Let
the Church Say Amen” is featured on the Grammy®
nominated CD, The Journey and Marvin
Winans sings lead on the song. Crouch says Winans was a
natural choice. “The Winans have been some of my
favorite people and Marvin certainly has a real
anointing and when he preaches and sings,” He says,
“he’s a great interpreter of my music.”
How
did Crouch choose that title? “I’m a pastor, I say ‘let
the church say amen’ and that settles it, everything has
been said, you know, it’s like we have to agree with
God, Crouch said. But the Grammy® award winner, who has
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, revealed that the
song means so much more. The singer experienced
multiple losses in his life. His mother passed away and
his father died a year later. If that weren’t enough,
his brother, who became pastor of the church founded by
their father, died four months after taking over the
church.
At his brother’s funeral the loss of so many loved
ones weighed heavily on him.
“It seemed like at the service for my brother the
devil just threw them all in my face. ‘Now what are
you going to do, your brother died?’ But I kept
saying ‘praise the Lord’ but yet I was hurting so
bad nobody knew. You know, I wrote “Through it All”,
I’m supposed to understand anything that God is
doing or what He does. Even though I’m sad, I can’t
look sad.”
During the funeral, the minster said, 'let the
church say amen’, and told the church to lift their
hands and praise the Lord. It was a difficult
moment for Crouch. “My hand was so limp, I couldn’t
even hold my hand up and I told the person that was
sitting next to me, ‘will you hold my hand up?’ and
I was saying ‘amen, praise the Lord’ and that’s
where the seed was first sown of that song.”
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Weekly Gospel Music News on HG20 |
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Larry W. Robinson and The Gospel News Updates. Each
week Larry reports on the Hottest Gospel News from your
favorite artists. rry W. Robinson is a
speaker & media personality whose mission through the use of
through media interviews, lectures, conferences, webinars,
tele-seminars, online products and programs is connect you
with the People, Places & Ideas to help you live a
Purposeful, Productive & Prosperous Life. Larry has
informed, inspired and ignited millions of listeners and
viewers globally. His achievements as
an
international media personality have established him as one
of the most notable and inspirational public figures today.
Check out Larry's interviews with Gospel Artists at
gospelinterviews.com
Music News Courtesy of
Gospel
Interviews.com
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