5 comments about New Season.

1. This CD is one of the best gospel CDs ever produced. The lyrics and arrangemens are so uplifting and timely...! What a wonderful God-inspired production! It has flavour for everyone - Latin, Reggae, Soul, Contemporary,Classical... it is just a wonderful blend of worship, praise and is a powerful spiriutally uplifting compilation! I would recommend this as a gift to anyone, any time and any year - the music is so timeless! So apt for President-Elect Obama too! - "it's a new Season, it's a new day - fresh anointing flowing my way... it's a season of power and prosperity...it's a new season coming to me!" I dedicate that track to the First Family!
   
   I recommend the track 'Suddenly' which sums up for me the joy and emotion I felt when Barack Obama made history on Nov 5 2008! It is just wonderful!
   
   May God continue to bless Israel and New Breed with inspiration and all who listen to this album! You will not be sorry you bought it!



2. This is a fabulous CD for those who love free worship. 2 selections not to be missed are, "There's A Liftin' Of The Hands" and "You've Won My Affection". There is a nice flow to the CD, leading you through praise and worship. Shipping and communication with the vendor were just as promised. Don't miss out on this one.



3. I bought this cd for my mother who is an Israel fan, and she loves it! She plays the album in her car, and she worships while on her way to work. I actually purchased two of Israel's cds at once, and she can't get enough of either.



4. This is absolutely awesome!!! If this doesnt get you up and going, praising, shouting, dancing, and crying, nothing will!!!



5. I bought this album because my 2 1/2 year old daughter loved one of the songs by Israel on another worship CD. We are thoroughly enjoying the upbeat, and worshipful songs and she loves to dance to the "halleluja music"!

1 comments about The Miracle of Hope.

1. Brooklyn Tabernacle has always interspersed personal testimonials in their videos and DVDs. But this release stands out the most.
   
   I have a relative who is behind bars now, and it has changed the way I view prisoners. While I can never condone any crime, I have a better understanding of prisoners who find Christ.
   
   The musical presentations (not performances) are done with professional ease and spiritual reverence.
   
   The rendition of Richard Smallwood's classic, "Total Praise", near the end even brought the choir director, Carol Cymbala, to tears. In fact, the singers get so caught up in the spirit while they are ministering that they forget about the cameras. It's real worship focusing on real issues and real people.
   
   It's your choice if you want to buy it. But if you do, you will not just thank me- you'll thank God for his blessings.

2 comments about Absolute Modern Worship for Kids.

1. As a parent of profoundly autistic twin boys, who have the capability of repeating phrases and parts of songs LOUDLY and without regard to where they are (be it school or a basketball game, the grocery store, library, etc.) this CD has been a Godsend. Literally. Now they sing about God everywhere and no one can stop them =)=) Rock On!



2. This is a great CD for children and adults. I love listening to it with my children!

3 comments about Spontaneous Praise, Vol. 1.

1. Great music! Love the quality of the recording. I would recommend this CD to anyone!



2. Spontaneous Praise Vol. I is absolutely, postively, fantabulous. Your heart and soul will be lifted everytime you listen. Just can't say enough. You'll have to experience it for yourself.



3. All I can say is that this is Norman Hutchins at his best. His ministry continues to bless many the world over. This project has a little bit of everything, from the down home traditional (It's Your Season, He's Been Good) to the praise and worship (Your Love Is Amazing, along with tracks eight through ten). With guest appearances by Pastors Timothy Wright and Daryl Coley, this is a musical treat for the true gospel lovers.

2 comments about To Heaven U Ride.

1. Perhaps the most overlooked talent out there, Michelle has been singing and playing for over twenty years now. Immensely powerful voice that can also be delicate and beautiful. She is very motivated and uses her voice to speak for others who have no voice. This CD, To Heaven U Ride, is a really rockin' soulful gospel album - recorded live with great soundboard quality sound. Many people haven't heard of Michelle (which is a shame) and I think that is because it is hard to put a label on her. Sometimes it is bluegrass, sometimes it is rock, it may be folk, it may be gospel, but her strong, soulful voice always commands attention!



2. This is just a terrific recording capturing Michelle Shocked in a beautiful performance in gospel mode. It'll be a treat for both old fans and those discovering her anew. Top notch musical performances couple with strong material and wonderful vocals. Joy emanates from this recording.

No comments about Greatest Hits (2008).

5 comments about Gospel Goes Classical.

1. Let's be real. I know Classical, and I know Gospel. The two can't really blend without a LOT of work.
   
   This CD is a wonderful attempt at it. It really is a blessing to own it. I picked it up by chance, because I wasn't the biggest Juanita Bynum fan, but I was extremely interested in hearing what happens when you mesh two of my favorite genres.
   
   The first song (Ride On King Jesus) is the most classical the CD gets to be honest, but that's okay. The rest of the album is simply wonderful praise and worship songs that are backed by an orchestra. Highlights are Psalm 121, Don't You Worry, and Your Love Never Fails.
   
   I was a little thrown off at first by Juanita's "Spoken Word" which appears throughout a few tracks. This lady has some serious pipes, and you BETTER listen... or else it seems. But God truly gave her a timeless message that I didn't want to hear initially, but one that is now embedded in my Christian walk. "When you didn't want to be kept, God stepped in... right on time" she shouts in the reprise of the song "Psalm 121". Thank you, Jesus! How right she was!
   
   Jonathan's tracks are BEAUTIFUL. He has a smooth, simple voice. Doesn't throw in too many modern vocal acrobatics, and gets the message and the emotion seemlessly to the listener.
   
   I think it's definitely worth the buy. Even if it isn't the best music CD, or the best attempt at merging Classical and Gospel, it's worth it for what God said through Juanita that night. I've purchased it for myself and others, and I have yet to hear one person tell me that they weren't moved by this album



2. Every performance was phenomenal! Every song was filled with love and the Presence of God! Excellent job - Dr Henry Panion III, Jonathan Butler and Prophetess Juanita Bynum! Highly recommend! A+++++



3. This is a beautiful CD. Two of my favorite artist on the same CD?...WHAT A BLESSING!!! Whoever decides to purchase this will also be blessed. I love it. Recommended with a smile.



4. Super CD. I had originally bought this as a retirement gift for someone in my ministry. After being told it blessed her, I purchased it myself. I have become a Juanita Bynum fan. After hearing this I later purchased 2 others for a friend and relative.



5. Juanita Bynum is truly an inspiration. I pray that God continues to bless her as she touches people with her music.

5 comments about ...Twenty-Five....

1. This CD brings almost all of the ladies that have ever been a part of "Sweet Honey..." together. It is great to sit back and just listen to the music flow together. This CD and their "Sacred Ground" CD hasn't left the player since I got them!



2. I have had the honor of hearing SHIR, live for the past 3 years, since I have been a student here at FAMU. And I have been moved completely out of my seat each time. I actually felt the music in my heart, like my heart was the drum, my blood was the harmonious rhythm that flowed, and eyes that view their grace as they sang, was the entrance that allowed my insides to rumble the moment they open their mouths. I would like to encourage SHIR, to continue to provide the world with what I consider REAL music.



3. sweet honey in the rock does it again with an uplifting , thought-provoking, inspiring, beautiful collection of music. i found the use of percussion on "we are the ones" and "run" to complement the beautiful vocals very nicely. these two and others such as "sound bite from beijing" and "greed" are refreshingly thought-provoking in a positive way compared to much "popular" music i have listened to. their version of bob marley's "redemption song" is also very impressive



4. As a big fan of Sweet Honey and owner of virtually all their CDs, I was disappointed with "twenty-five." While still delivering beautiful harmonies, Sweet Honey have written songs that are a bit more pop-ish than earlier works and the strongest songs seem to be the ones with more concentration on the solo singer rather than the innovation that comes with the group making melodies a cappella. If you're looking for a great Sweet Honey CD, go to some of their stronger works, such as: Selections 1976-1988, Sacred Ground, and In This Land.



5. If you like Sweet Honey In The Rock and even if you haven't heard them, you will love this album.

2 comments about Masterpiece.

1. How wondeerful to be able to continue listening to Anthony Burger. This CD is so enjoyable to listen to.



2. I first heard Anthony Burger on The Gaither Homecoming TV Program. His music on this CD is wonderful. Mr. Burger plays medleys mixing secular and Christian music so beautifully. I plan to order more of his CDs.

5 comments about Amazing Grace.

1. This is the third cd from the recent purchase, and again disappointing. I really think our problem is that we were expecting something of the richness of her recording of "The Power and the Glory", and these are all very different, so maybe we are being too harsh in our judgement of these 3, "Gospels, spiritals and songs" and "The Best of Mahalia Jackson", the last being the better of the three. I don't see these getting much playing and would be glad to sell them at a discount to anyone in Oz, if interested.



2. Amazing Grace was an excellent CD. I bought it as a gift for my mother, and she throughly enjoyed it.



3. Mahalia had just left Apollo when she made these songs. Apollo music was called at that particular time "race records," everything from Mahalia's gospel to Calypso and the list goes on. Naturally Columbia did not know quite what to do with her then. I classify this album as an experimental musical event. It was music alien to Miss Jackson, but after all, she had signed a contract and had a producer over her. In her autobiography she would moan about being forced to sing drivel. She complained about missing her old southern, soulful sound. I've always admired Mahalia for trying new things. She despised the old hit "Rusty Old Halo," but white people loved it then. She, like Nat King Cole, was a cross-over singer at a time when whites dominated entertainment and television. Mahalia used to sing in the fifties and sixties on New York and Hollywood variety hour shows. She complained then about being stuck between clowns and elephant acts. "How am I going to bring out the Message," she would cry. Well, she did. She did for all time. She approached different genres, sometimes with trepidation and anxiety, but she plowed ahead. She was not always satisfied, but she touched the hearts of people without realizing perhaps that she had done so. What a feat! Mahalia has fantastic performances out there: Lincoln Center, Europe, Newport, Percy Faith and so on. Then there are really nice ones with a different twist. I put this one in that latter category. Her voice is marvellous. . . the three star rating I attribute more to the repertoire and vocal backings, dated and pure fifties. You either like it or you don't, but remember that Mahalia was doing her job. I think she did a good job here. The civil rights issues of those times are reflected in some songs here. She was working through history in the form of music, striving to unite people and foster understanding. People nowadays would do well to make that transfer into society today.



4. Before the Legazy's new reproduction came out CBS Special Products, not Columbia Records brought out this superb disc of Mahalia's early 50ies recordings that were not even reissued on LP, long out of print tracks, yes even unpublished songs like the version of Amazing Grace or Somebody Bigger Than You And I, Impatient Heart and Lead On.
   A real 'PRE-LEGACY' from CBS SPECIAL PRODUCTS!



5. Some of the reviewers here reject this album because it's not 'toe-tappin' gospel music, but (pardon me for saying so), they are confused a bit about the genre. This is an album of hymns, not 'spirituals' or what we have come to think of as gospel songs. Comparing 'I Believe,' the most moving of all hymns, IMO, with 'Walk in Jerusalem' is like comparing a gentle road trip through Italy with racing in the Indy 500. Hymns are supposed to be moving, not toe-tapping. Songs like 'I Believe,' one song alone that makes this CD worth owning, are meant to be deep statments of faith. It moves me every time, and I'm an agnostic, and plan to remain so. Don't get me wrong. I love up-tempo songs like 'I'm on my Way.' I just wouldn't compare it with 'Amazing Grace.'
   
   If you love the sonorous, emotionally-charged sound of Mahalia's voice at its best, check out this CD!