July - September 2006 FREE The Lord's Notes Lord Before Us Productions QUARTERLY Newsletter ~ Special Convention Edition ~ CD /DVD Reviews (extended...) New Direction "Send The Praise" New Direction is back with an Awesome Project, and they kept the same style - good Choir Music Lead single "Peace" is just the beginning, check out: Fill Me Up, I Got It, Hold On, Shower Down and Nothing Without You they are all sure to be hits for them, check it out Today... 7/10 21:03 Where did these Boys come from, but more assuredly - we know where they are going, to the Top! With Vocals and Dance moves in tow, they are No Joke - in and out the Studio, PAJAM has some Stars on their hands. Hits include: Spiritual Bizness, I'm Sorry, One Love, Been There, Sweet Spirit, and How Long... 7/10 Andrae Crouch "Mighty Wind" (Uncle) Andre and the crew are back with a nice surprise with this project, and with Guests like - Fred Hammond, Crystal Lewis and Tata Vega, to name a few; how can you go wrong. Cuts include: I Was Glad, Jesus Is Lord, and Holy - you got get it... 7/10 Madea Goes To Jail (DVD) Is it just Us, or is Tyler Perry getting better with every project. Although we seen this one LIVE in Los Angeles, it was worth the viewing just for the Extra footage alone... First you will cry as Madea is behind Bars, then you'll Laugh as she cuts up in Jail, then you'll Rejoice as the story comes to a Happy ending. Pick this one up for someone who's been down lately - after watching it, they won't be... 8/10 In Your Interest - Dr. Calvin Bernard Rhone "Just Think About It" I am thankful to live in a nation with such wonderful liberties. May they ever be preserved, and may we always remember that we must give account for using them. My heartfelt thoughts of healing and restoration go out to Tonex and any other artist who may be wounded at this time. I encourage all artists to know your calling and stay focused on the caller. You can only drown when you take your eyes off the One who Called You. And if you begin to sink, cry out to Him. His extended hand will always be there. Grab hold; don't let go. Stay in the race. The reward is given to those who finish. The water has its own rules. No matter who we are, the regulations abide. Know what you are diving into. Develop your skills to swim in deep water. Many have drowned even on the shallow side of the pool. Actually, God's favor is upon us all. Let no one rain on your parade, as the late Rev. James Cleveland use to say. Connected: Dr. Calvin Bernard Rhone, CalBerRho@aol.com What's New? The Clark Sisters are back, stronger than ever... If you were in Houston, TX for their LIVE Recording - then you know what we're talking about; if not - you missed it... Look for it in stores early 2007. Well it's official Beverly Crawford has a New Label home - JDI Records, famous for hit makers like Norman Hutchins, Chester D.T. Baldwin and Denetra Champ; owner James Roberson sees nothing but success for Bev & JDI; and after finalizing a Distribution deal with Sony Red;; the sky's the limit. Vickie Winans is about to make history with her Woman to Woman: Songs of Life project dropping on August 8, recorded partly Live on May 12 and Studio - this project will feature songs of Healing and Celebration for everyone. Vickie's plan is to sell 1 Million copies before it's release; well if her fans has anything to say about it; she will... 21:03 & J Moss have new releases that are going to blow your mind, first 21:03 is just unbelievably talented (Singing / Dancing), they have it all; plus Production by PAJAM... J Moss new project will feature a more laid back style then from his previous release, look for it to be the talk of the industry... Ricky Dillard & New G are gearing up for a Fall Live Recording, we'll keep you posted on the date and location - if it's half as good as "Unplugged..." then you know Church will be had by all... We mourn the passing of 4 of the Gospel Industry's finest men: Dr. Charles Fold, Billy Preston, Roy "Mr. Malaco" Wooten, and just recently George McClinton Jr. (So. Cal GAG), these men touched us all and will be greatly missed; live Life like it's your last time;; so there will be No Regrets. Look for new releases from Micah Stampley, Shawn McLemore, iROCC, Earnest Pugh, LaShun Pace, LAVA Ministries, Fred Hammond, Coko, and John P. Kee. Catch CeCe Winans & Donnie McClurkin on tour this Fall... Finally, we happy to announce a New Gospel Category has been added to the Grammy's - Best Rock or Rap Gospel, hats off to LaTanya Pegues for her continued efforts to further Gospel Music. Now if you are not a Member of NRAS - National Academy Of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. - (www.Grammys.com), Join TODAY so Our Vote can count... Artistly Speaking w/Min. Lamont Bradley ~ Guest Artist: Min. Malcolm Williams ~ LB: Malcolm, thanks for sitting down with us... When did you start in Gospel Music? MW: No Problem... I started directing at the age of 6 (Malcolm Williams & The Girls) LB: What was the first song you ever wrote, if you remember it... MW: Yeah I remember, it was "Feel The Spirit" (few notes sung), man you couldn't tell me nothing... LB: Tell me about your experience with Mark Hubbard and United Voices... MW: Mark is cool, I really developed my directing and songwriting skills with them (1991-2001)... LB: When did you start Great Faith, and how many projects do you have with them... MW: Voices of Great Faith started in 1994, disband in 2003, and along came Great Faith in 2004... LB: And the projects? MW: I'm getting to it - "Gotta Make It" 1999, "Renew Me" 2002, and "Walking In My Destiny" 2006 LB: What do you want to come out of "Walking In My Destiny"? MW: I just wanted to make a good Church record, and I think we did that... For God to get the Glory! LB: Who would you like to work with in the Future? MW: Aretha Franklin, Dorinda Clark-Cole (or any of The Clark Sisters), Dottie Peoples... LB: Any last words for your Fans and our Readers... MW: Be Real to Yourself - Nobody can do You but You! - Malcolm Williams & Great Faith "Walking In My Destiny" In stores now (Rated 7/10) - Event Reviews (In Short...) West Angeles Pre-Memorial Day Midnight Musical - 5/28/06: Started a little late, but the Praise & Worship from West A's Praise Team made up for it, MC - Wendy Turner kept the saints hype. Some of the guest highlights were: Onisha, L.A. Young Adults of GMWA, Youth Choir from Bakersfield, Testimony, Unveiled, and more... The packed crowd stayed til a little past 12:30AM, overall this event was good; but could have been a little better organized... Shervonne Wells Live Recording - 6/3/06: SMALL VENUE, and Packed out was this Studio live recording. After a little comedy routine (by MC - Bro Steve Harris) to keep the peace (cause the saints were Hot and Madd), the recording started. Shervonne looked good and so did her Background vocals, too many good songs to pen-point here, this project is going to put her on the map as a Solo Artist. Look for the release in early 2007. Magic Mountain's Gospel Celebration - 6/17/06: Small crowd this year, but the Saint really came to get on Tatsu - the new roller coaster, as you could really tell from Martha Munizzi's first show, only a few hundred attended; but her second show was packed out. Fred Hammond & RFC hit the stage hard for both their Packed Out shows, in fact - the saints kept singing his songs on the tram-ride to their cars. Hats off to NelJay Entertainment for piecing this event together so smoothly... L.A. Gospel Messengers "Rebirth" Concert - 7/8/06: Where is the Air, is what the saints were saying... The church was packed out and Hot, and the late started didn't make things any better. After a minimal Praise & Worship segment by the choir members in the audience, the event started... Academy Cathedral Praise Dancers were good - as always, and even MC - Lady Rose Neal kept the crowd pleased... The Messengers took the stage with a mini-medley of some of their previous hit songs, but the power and force that we've all grown to love wasn't there... By the time they add the New Members to the fold, the crowd was somber to say the least. Even with the help of Lead vocals by Catherine Rachael, Peggy Scott-Adams wasn't enough to recover the "Rebirth", at best it was a good Church Choir concert... FOOTNOTES Southern California Gospel Announcers Guild (SCGAG) Updates... Newly appointed President (Bro. Steve Harris) and Executive Vice President (Dr. Susie Jones), are in place and things are moving. SCGAG now has VP Chairmen in place to cover such areas as: Promotions (Will Hayworth), Television (Willett Duvall), Internet (Mona Austin), Retail (Monty Emery), Manufacturing (Tanisha Gates), Administration (Dr. Charles Williams), and Print media (Lamont Bradley). These various Chairpersons will report to the executive VP on a Monthly basis on how to better enhance SCGAG. Upcoming events include: Welcome Reception (Sept. '06), Showcase (Nov. '06), BET Gospel Reception (Jan. '06), and West Coast Conference (May '06). For more information, contact President (Bro. Steve Harris) BroSteve95@aol.com. West Coast Connected - and Growing... Sherri Bryant is the newest kid on the Gospel block, with vocals and a style that reminds you of a little Judy McAllister mixed with Vanessa Bell Armstrong, look for her to be in your city soon. Shervonne Wells is a First Lady (ala Bishop Kenneth Wells - Spirit of Love) and a Gospel Artist, that is winning hearts with her strong vocal styles. Look for her soon to be released project on Myson Entertainment, and pick it up! This Kurt Carr Singer is stepping out Solo and not turning back... Contact her at 909-885-5683 for more information... LAVA Ministries Los Angeles Voices of Angels will release their First project "This Is My Story", Independently on Sept. 26, 2006. Featuring the writing styles of Dr. Calvin B. Rhone, Elder Tony Jones, B. Alexander McCargo, Min. Lamont Bradley, Min. John M. Bernard Jr., Min. Michael Hilley. With Songs like "Jesus Died In My Place", "Joy Comes In The Morning", "Oh Lord, You've Been So Good", and "Peace In The Midst Of Your Storm"; this project is sure to be a hit... Check their web site for more information www.LAVAMin.com or call them at 323-993-8581. Lord Before Us Productions would like to thank you for your Support, and remind you that our Bi-Monthly publication is now QUARTERLY. Because of the great demand that is on our Ministry, we decided to Extend the time for you our Advertisers and Readers to be a part of our International Publication. With the Installation of Lord Before Us Records in Summer of 2006, and the release of our First Artists - LAVA Ministries, you can expect nothing but the best from Us in the Future. Join us on November 18, for our 14th Anniversary Celebration/Pre-Winter Workshop; details to be announced... Remember - If the Lord is before You, Who Shall be Against You...