YOLANDA ADAMS | CHRISTMAS WITH YOLANDA | ELEKTRA (soundin like Ja Rule) The princess of Gospel drops a full collection of soulful Christmas music. Released in 2000 - Christmas with Yolanda offers all of the Christmas standards as only Yolanda can do it - full of passion, soul and anointing! *clears throat and looks back to see who's coming* I'm not a Yolanda Adams fan but she did her thing. One listen to Carol of The Bells (my favorite Christmas song)/What Child Is This Medley had me hooked.
KIRK FRANKLIN & THE FAMILY | CHRISTMAS | GOSPOCENTRIC This is the CD that started it all for me. I don't think anyone put a "stank" on Christmas music the way Kirk Franklin and the Family did on this project. Aww tell the truth - you know you won't stuttin a Christmas CD until this one came out! LOL! Favorites on this disc include: Now Behold The Lamb (If she don't eva sang no mo), Jesus Is The Reason, Go Tell It On The Mountain, There's No Christmas Without You, and Silver & Gold (remix)
JAMES HALL/WAP | JAMES HALL CHRISTMAS | CGI RECORDS What do you get when you place James Hall and WAP in the studio? You end up with a unique combination of original and popular Christmas tunes with arrangements that are strictly James Hall! Yep-some of your Christmas favorites get a gospelly (dat aint a word!), jazzy, fulla vibrato make-over LOL! This project also features solo spots from some heavy-hitters that include Melonie Daniels, Ayanna George and WAP soloists that we all know and love Tunesha Crispell and Katrina Spence. Hall even throws his hat in the ring on the jazzy What a Miracle. If you are a JH & WAP fan - this is a must for your collection. Favorites include: What A Miracle, Sweet Little Jesus Boy, The King Has Come and Away in a Manger.
WHITNEY HOUSTON | ONE WISH | ARISTA Do you know Diane? Do you? lol! I know the saints are wondering why I'm reviewing Whitney -- well I reviewed Kelly Price last year and I'm gonna do Whitney this year. Get over it! :c) No seriously -- one listen at tracks 1, 10 & 11 you'd know that even though Whitney is known for a lot of things here lately -- she came up in the church and you can hear that "churchy" sound in some of the songs presented on this disc. Who Would Imagine A King and Joy To The World are from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack but they make another appearance here. Karen and Kierra might have to watch out because Bobbi Chris and Whitney got a lil duet thing goin on too. Check it out!
NORMAN HUTCHINS | JDI CHRISTMAS | JDI RECORDS How is it that this lil independent label can make so much noise in the Gospel Music industry? From Norman Hutchins, Alaska Mass Choir, right on up to Pastor Woodrow Hayden - JDI Records is a force to be reckoned with! The CD opens with the slammin single He Has Come and never backs down. One of the highlights for me was hearing one of my favorite female vocalist Nikki Potts on Joy To The World. No, that's not Aretha Franklin on Silent Night - that's DeNetria Champ (a featured soloist on several JDI Releases) - calm down! LOL
TD JAKES PRESENTS | FOLLOW THE STAR | EMI GOSPEL Only Bishop TD Jakes could assemble a stellar line-up of singers and drop such a collection of music as this Follow the Star project. Dorinda Clark Cole leads the title cut as Bishop Jakes shares dialogue with his son Dexter. Mary Mary adds a lil flava to things with Gift of Love. Smokie Norful drops a wonderful version of O Holy Night and the 3 Wise Men Medley by Cooke, Dixon & Young (formerly known as Three Mo Tenors) is priceless. Check it out!
JOHN P. KEE & NEW LIFE | SPECIAL CHRISTMAS | VERITY Do I need to mention that this is my favorite gospel artist? I think y'all know that by now. LOL! You know I was pressed back when this project was released. Sittin around on pins and needles waiting for its release date. The funny part about this project is that you could spin some of these songs all year long. The CD opens with the hype number Celebrate. This is classic John P. Kee right heah. Vanessa Bell stops by on Tell Me A Story and there's an all-star cast on Oh Holy Night (Shawn McLemore, Drea Randall, Erick Matthews, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and more).
DONALD LAWRENCE | HELLO CHRISTMAS | CRYSTAL ROSE Let me admit something - I've had this since 1997 and I just listened to the entire thing preparing this Christmas presentation for the site. Lawrence and Crew are top notch when it comes to choral presentation (cept for that last release hee!) so you shouldn't expect anything less than the best on this Christmas project. This project is straight fire -- I don't know why I didn't listen to it prior to now. The rendition of Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer is bangin! I'on care whatchall say.
GARY MAYES & NU ERA | GO TELL IT | SOUL MUZICK Gary Mayes & Nu Era slammed onto the scene in 2002 with their debut release. They're back with material that even though it has a Christmas theme -- you'll play this one all year long! Quality production, slammin music and killer lead/choir vocals. It's all here! My favorites definitely include Don't Forget The Baby with Nikita Clegg and Go Tell It with Kim Burrell. Don't sleep on none of the tracks though. They're all HOT!
KELLY PRICE | ONE FAMILY (A Christmas Album) | DEF SOUL Kelly need to stop fakin and come on over here on the Lord's side. I'm not sure how many units this project sold or if anybody really paid attention to it at all but this is one project that showcases her awesome gift sho nuff! What are my favorites? Glad ya asked! Go Tell It has to be my favorite cut on the entire project. Ohhhh the way she works the vamp! That's straight church! Other favorites include: Xmas Medley, Messiah Has Come and Oh Come All Ye Faithful. I hear y'all sayin well she's not a Gospel artist - Just Hursh! I betcha didn't even know that Mary Mary, The Williams Brothers, BeBe Winans and Donnie McClurkin stop by to join Kelly on a few songs. Check this CD out! It's worth the money!
VARIOUS ARTISTS | GOSPEL GREATS: CHRISTMAS | VERITY Verity Records has no problems putting together a compilation CD. They've taken material from their previous Real Meaning of Christmas compilations and placed them on a Gospel Greats project and shipped it just in time for the Christmas rush. If you're like me, you probably have the projects that most of these songs were featured on. If not - then you'll enjoy hearing some of your Christmas favorites from artists like John P. Kee, Richard Smallwood, Hezekiah Walker & Fred Hammond.
Christmas 2009 Home 
(soundin like Ja Rule) The princess of Gospel drops a full collection of soulful Christmas music. Released in 2000 - Christmas with Yolanda offers all of the Christmas standards as only Yolanda can do it - full of passion, soul and anointing! *clears throat and looks back to see who's coming* I'm not a Yolanda Adams fan but she did her thing. One listen to Carol of The Bells (my favorite Christmas song)/What Child Is This Medley had me hooked.
This is the CD that started it all for me. I don't think anyone put a "stank" on Christmas music the way Kirk Franklin and the Family did on this project. Aww tell the truth - you know you won't stuttin a Christmas CD until this one came out! LOL! Favorites on this disc include: Now Behold The Lamb (If she don't eva sang no mo), Jesus Is The Reason, Go Tell It On The Mountain, There's No Christmas Without You, and Silver & Gold (remix)
What do you get when you place James Hall and WAP in the studio? You end up with a unique combination of original and popular Christmas tunes with arrangements that are strictly James Hall! Yep-some of your Christmas favorites get a gospelly (dat aint a word!), jazzy, fulla vibrato make-over LOL! This project also features solo spots from some heavy-hitters that include Melonie Daniels, Ayanna George and WAP soloists that we all know and love Tunesha Crispell and Katrina Spence. Hall even throws his hat in the ring on the jazzy What a Miracle. If you are a JH & WAP fan - this is a must for your collection. Favorites include: What A Miracle, Sweet Little Jesus Boy, The King Has Come and Away in a Manger.
Do you know Diane? Do you? lol! I know the saints are wondering why I'm reviewing Whitney -- well I reviewed Kelly Price last year and I'm gonna do Whitney this year. Get over it! :c) No seriously -- one listen at tracks 1, 10 & 11 you'd know that even though Whitney is known for a lot of things here lately -- she came up in the church and you can hear that "churchy" sound in some of the songs presented on this disc. Who Would Imagine A King and Joy To The World are from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack but they make another appearance here. Karen and Kierra might have to watch out because Bobbi Chris and Whitney got a lil duet thing goin on too. Check it out!
How is it that this lil independent label can make so much noise in the Gospel Music industry? From Norman Hutchins, Alaska Mass Choir, right on up to Pastor Woodrow Hayden - JDI Records is a force to be reckoned with! The CD opens with the slammin single He Has Come and never backs down. One of the highlights for me was hearing one of my favorite female vocalist Nikki Potts on Joy To The World. No, that's not Aretha Franklin on Silent Night - that's DeNetria Champ (a featured soloist on several JDI Releases) - calm down! LOL
Only Bishop TD Jakes could assemble a stellar line-up of singers and drop such a collection of music as this Follow the Star project. Dorinda Clark Cole leads the title cut as Bishop Jakes shares dialogue with his son Dexter. Mary Mary adds a lil flava to things with Gift of Love. Smokie Norful drops a wonderful version of O Holy Night and the 3 Wise Men Medley by Cooke, Dixon & Young (formerly known as Three Mo Tenors) is priceless. Check it out!
Do I need to mention that this is my favorite gospel artist? I think y'all know that by now. LOL! You know I was pressed back when this project was released. Sittin around on pins and needles waiting for its release date. The funny part about this project is that you could spin some of these songs all year long. The CD opens with the hype number Celebrate. This is classic John P. Kee right heah. Vanessa Bell stops by on Tell Me A Story and there's an all-star cast on Oh Holy Night (Shawn McLemore, Drea Randall, Erick Matthews, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and more).
Let me admit something - I've had this since 1997 and I just listened to the entire thing preparing this Christmas presentation for the site. Lawrence and Crew are top notch when it comes to choral presentation (cept for that last release hee!) so you shouldn't expect anything less than the best on this Christmas project. This project is straight fire -- I don't know why I didn't listen to it prior to now. The rendition of Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer is bangin! I'on care whatchall say.
Gary Mayes & Nu Era slammed onto the scene in 2002 with their debut release. They're back with material that even though it has a Christmas theme -- you'll play this one all year long! Quality production, slammin music and killer lead/choir vocals. It's all here! My favorites definitely include Don't Forget The Baby with Nikita Clegg and Go Tell It with Kim Burrell. Don't sleep on none of the tracks though. They're all HOT!
Kelly need to stop fakin and come on over here on the Lord's side. I'm not sure how many units this project sold or if anybody really paid attention to it at all but this is one project that showcases her awesome gift sho nuff! What are my favorites? Glad ya asked! Go Tell It has to be my favorite cut on the entire project. Ohhhh the way she works the vamp! That's straight church! Other favorites include: Xmas Medley, Messiah Has Come and Oh Come All Ye Faithful. I hear y'all sayin well she's not a Gospel artist - Just Hursh! I betcha didn't even know that Mary Mary, The Williams Brothers, BeBe Winans and Donnie McClurkin stop by to join Kelly on a few songs. Check this CD out! It's worth the money!
Verity Records has no problems putting together a compilation CD. They've taken material from their previous Real Meaning of Christmas compilations and placed them on a Gospel Greats project and shipped it just in time for the Christmas rush. If you're like me, you probably have the projects that most of these songs were featured on. If not - then you'll enjoy hearing some of your Christmas favorites from artists like John P. Kee, Richard Smallwood, Hezekiah Walker & Fred Hammond.