Worship Leader, Songwriter and Recording Artist Freda Battle has launched her new independent label Peace-O-Mind Music and inked a national distribution deal with leading independent distributor Central South Distribution. Freda Battle & The Temple Worshippers with Friends will release their long-awaited new CD, HOW GLORIOUS AND EXCELLENT IS OUR GOD available in stores and online June 12 via this exclusive partnership. Marketing, promotion and publicity efforts will be handled by the J. Hardy Agency.

Freda Battle & the Temple Worshippers returns to the music scene with their first CD in six years. HOW GLORIOUS AND EXCELLENT IS OUR GOD, which was recorded and streamed live in Boston at Morning Star Baptist Church, where Battle serves as a worship leader proves that she still has more to offer the Gospel music community.

From the high church energy of the title cut “How Glorious & Excellent Is Our God” and the Brazilian infused tune “150 Praises” to the passionate reflection of “His Presence Is Here” and the refreshing latin-flavored praise and worship song “Oh How I Love”, this striking 13-song collection, which features guest appearances from Dove Award-nominated and Stellar Award winning worship artist Stephen Hurd, Rodney Posey, and Bobby Perry (of Bobby Perry & R.A.I.N), is evidence not merely of a collection of great singers, but seasoned ministers.

Other notable songs include “Bless the Name of Jesus”, which is creating quite a buzz among praise and worship teams across the country featuring rising Washington, DC based singer Michael White, who also penned the song. Additionally, a live version of global worship anthem “Here Is Our Praise”, as featured on Battle’s sophomore studio CD HERE IS OUR PRAISE and GMWA: LIVE IN MILWAUKEE CD was recorded.

Vicki Mack Lataillade, who is considered one of the most powerful women in Gospel music and has broken artists such as Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr and Trin-i-tee 5:7 says, “I have loved Freda Battle since forever! She is the real deal! If you see Freda Battle in her full anointing, you will never be the same!

Freda Battle & the Temple Worshippers are gearing up for promotional stops in support of their forthcoming release throughout the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions beginning in Philadelphia Memorial Day weekend. To book Freda Battle & The Temple Worshippers at your church, event, or conference and for radio servicing and media interviews contact J. Hardy Agency at 615-596-2203.

TRACK LISTING:

1. How Glorious & Excellent Is Our God featuring Rodney Posey
2. 150 Praises
3. House of the Righteous featuring Bobby Perry
4. Bless the Name of Jesus featuring Michael White
5. We Enter Your Gates
6. Great & Marvelous God
7. Praise and Worship Break featuring Stephen Hurd
8. Oh How I Love
9. Oh How I Love (reprise)/ I Have To
10. I Need Your Presence
11. His Presence Is Here
12. Here Is Our Praise featuring Rodney Posey (Live Version)
13. I Win (Bonus Track)

BeBe Winans, a critically acclaimed, inspirational R&B and gospel vocalist, best known as a member of the celebrated Winans family dynasty, has signed with Razor & Tie. BeBe Winans’ new album, America America, which honors our nation’s heritage, will be released by Razor & Tie on June 19th, 2012.

Cliff Chenfeld, co-owner Razor & Tie, comments, “BeBe Winans is one of our country’s great singers and he has made a timely, necessary record that will speak to all Americans. It is a brave, powerful statement. We are very proud to be working with BeBe.”

Winans is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer, including his Grammy for co-producing the song “Jesus Loves Me” on Whitney Houston’s smash film soundtrack from ‘The Bodyguard.’ He has achieved wide notoriety both as a solo artist and as part of the hit-making duo BeBe & CeCe Winans (the first brother and sister duo to be awarded a prestigious Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame). He is also a noted actor who has appeared on the stage (in the Broadway production of ‘Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple’) and screen (2003’s ‘The Manchurian Candidate’). As a solo artist, BeBe Winans has sold 1 million albums.

“I am very excited about this new partnership with Razor & Tie,” Winans said. “They understand who I am as an artist and what I’m trying to achieve with America America. I appreciate their business model and look forward to working closely with them to bring this new record to the widest audience possible.”

America America, Winans’ seventh solo release, is comprised of nine classic songs including “America The Beautiful,” “Lift Every Voice,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” all imbued with his soul-stirring touches. Winans also wrote three new songs for the album — the beautifully hopeful title track and first single, “America America” (which will feature a touching companion video directed by David Warshauer [Katy Perry, Black Eyed Peas]), the upbeat “We’re The United States of America,” and the poignant “Ultimate Sacrifice,” dedicated to our troops.

“The inspiration for America America is the time we are living in,” Winans explains. “Sometimes, we forget that we are all Americans. At sporting events, when the national anthem is sung, everyone stands — black, white, rich, poor — everyone.”

Tour dates with Dave Koz beginning in June and continuing throughout the summer will be announced shortly. The pair worked together on the title track of Koz’s 1999 release, The Dance. Winans is expected to perform songs from America America as well as highlights from his impressive career.

Winans’ poignant memories of his dear friend and frequent musical collaborator Whitney Houston will be shared in his upcoming book, The Whitney I Knew (Worthy Publishing). The book will be in stores on July 31, 2012. No one can forget the emotional performance and moving eulogy Winans delivered during Houston’s nationally televised funeral.

BeBe Winans is the latest addition to independent label Razor & Tie’s expanding roster that includes artists from various genres. The New York City-based label is one of the fastest growing independent record companies in the United States, and has garnered both Platinum sales and Grammy awards in its 20-year history.

Gospel Rapper P. Lo Jetson
2012 Most Powerful Voices Gospel Competition Winner

The winner receives:

• The opportunity to perform at the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Power Weekend at a prominent New York venue (One lucky voter in the contest also won a trip to the event.)
• $5,000 worth of music equipment from Roland, which manufactures and distributes electronic musical instruments
• $2,500 from Light Records
• $2,500 travel stipend for the trip to New York
• A digital single produced and distributed by Light Records
• Personal coaching session with a renowned Light Records artist
• National recognition on GMC TV

Congratulations goes out to Marvin Sapp who spent his second week in a row at #1, once again holding off Christian rapper Trip Lee.  But this week is all about new-comer Tim Bowman Jr., who debuted his new album titled Beautiful at the #8 spot. 

Also making strong debuts is Elder Goldwire McClendon who spends his first week on the charts at #22.  Stephen The Levite debuts his new project “The Last Missionary” at #20.

Check out the rest of the top 10:

1 | Marvin Sapp – I Win
2 | Trip Lee – The Good Life
3 | WOW Gospel 2012
4 | JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise – After This
5 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
6 | William McDowell – Arise
7 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
8 | Tim Bowman Jr. – Beautiful
9 | Smokie Norful – Once In A Lifetime
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

Star Song Music presents Mighty To Save – Today’s Biggest Praise Songs, a compilation of 10 of the Church’s best-loved praise and worship songs, May 8.

Featuring top-selling artists and worship leaders with combined total sales of more than 21 million units, Mighty To Save includes Jeremy Camp’s “Everlasting God,” written by Brenton Brown and Ken Riley; Kutless’ arrangement of Marc Byrd and Steve Hindalong’s “God Of Wonders”; the Billy James Foote-penned “You Are My King (Amazing Love)” by Phillips, Craig & Dean; and the Tim Hughes classic, “Here I Am To Worship,” among other favorite selections.

In addition, the project showcases Hillsong Live’s recording of the title cut. Penned by Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding, “Mighty To Save” received the 2009 GMA Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year and is currently the second most-sung worship song in U.S. churches, according to Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI).

Mighty To Save – Today’s Biggest Praise Songs also includes the modern hymn “In Christ Alone,” performed by Newsboys. Written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, “In Christ Alone” has been recorded by numerous artists and is one of the most popular songs in churches around the globe today.

Retailing for $7.99, Mighty To Save – Today’s Biggest Praise Songs is distributed by EMI CMG Distribution.

Mighty To Save Song Listing:
01. Mighty To Save – Hillsong Live
02. Everlasting God – Jeremy Camp
03. Holy Is The Lord – Chris Tomlin
04. God Of Wonders – Kutless
05. In Christ Alone – Newsboys 
06. Jesus Messiah – Erin O’Donnell 
07. You Never Let Go – Matt Redman
08. You Are My King (Amazing Love) – Phillips, Craig & Dean
09. Here I Am To Worship – Tim Hughes 
10. Glory To God Forever – Luke Brown

About EMI Christian Music Group:
Established in 1994, EMI CMG is the world’s largest Christian music organization and includes EMI CMG Distribution and EMI CMG Publishing in addition to EMI CMG Label Group and EMI Gospel. It is part of EMI Music North America which is a part of EMI Group. For further information, please visit www.emicmg.com.

Fantasia Barrino, American Idol season 3 winner, and her manager Brian Dickens, were recently exonerated from accusations that they took $15,000 fromHarvest Family Church and failed to honor a scheduled appearance at the place of worship.

In March, Barrino and Dickens made headlines after Matthew Herman, Music Ministry Team Organizer for Harvest Family Church, made accusations about the singer’s absence from a scheduled appearance.

“Fantasia’s Manager agreed on the $15,000 contract and then magically became unavailable. Just like he’s done with other people in the past,” Herman tweeted in March. “I only dealt with Fantasia’s manager because she won’t do business without him. Very unfortunate. Such a sad career for her with him.”

Dickens, president of BD Management, publicly responded to the accusations after they were made by Herman.

“These accusations are without merit and are false. BD Management and Brian Dickens have been completely ethical and professional in every interaction with The Harvest Family Church,” Dickens’ representatives told The Urban Daily in March. “Additionally, Mr. Dickens has never met or communicated directly with Mr. Herman. Mr. Dickens is devastated by these false and unfounded accusations from Mr. Herman.”

Months after Dickens said he would seek legal action against Herman, the employee of Harvest Family Church in Fayetteville, NC., offered an apology to Fantasia and her manager on Twitter.

“On March 14,2012 I posted false and harmful statements about Fantasia’s manager Brian Dickens, BD Management and Fantasia to my @Matthewwrites twitter account. Neither Fantasia’s manager Brian Dickens or BD Management ever confirmed an appearance date for Fantasia to appear at the Harvest Family Church,” Dickens tweeted on Friday.

He continued: “Neither Fantasia’s Manager Brian Dickens or BD Management were ever paid by or took any money at any time from Harvest Family Church. I regret that certain blogs picked up on my statements and added to them to create additional misstatements about Mr. Dicks and BD Management.”

On the heels of her recent GRAMMY® and multiple Dove Award wins, acclaimed worship leader Laura Story‘s first book, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?, has entered its third printing in less than two months. Released in March by Freeman-Smith, a division of Worthy Publishing, the popular 30-day devotional is based on Story’s #1 song, “Blessings.”

The 2012 GRAMMY® Award winner for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song, “Blessings” received trophies for Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the recent GMA Dove Awards. Story, who took home a total of four Dove Awards, was also named Songwriter of the Year. In addition, she was recently nominated for three Billboard Music Awards, which will be presented later this month.

Comprised of 30 daily devotions designed to draw readers into a deeper understanding of God’s sometimes mysterious gifts,What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? features Story’s personal reflections garnered from her own journey. In addition, the book includes prayers, quotes from influential Christian leaders, and journaling pages for readers to recount how blessings have impacted their own lives.

“We are thrilled to see Laura’s book enter its third printing in such a short time,” says Ron Smith, vice president and deputy publisher, Freeman-Smith, a division of Worthy Publishing. “What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? has already proven to be a powerful resource for those seeking to grasp God’s blessings in the midst of pain, as readers from around the world resonate with Laura’s honest reflections about her own struggles. We believe this will be an important book for many years to come.”

Written and recorded by Story, “Blessings” was a #1 hit at Christian AC and Inspo radio last year, in addition to topping the iTunes Christian/Gospel Top Songs chart for 28 consecutive weeks. The song is featured on her critically acclaimed Fair Trade Services release, Blessings.

Story is involved in music and women’s ministry at Atlanta’s Perimeter Church and is currently featured on the Girls Night Live Tour with Mandisa. For further information on the tour, visit www.girlsnightlive.com. Story and her husband, Martin, are expecting their first child-a daughter-later this year.

Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., is a privately held company whose mission is helping people experience the heart of God. Worthy is an independent voice in Christian publishing, managing editorial, marketing, publicity, sales and distribution from its home offices in Brentwood, Tennessee. Worthy focuses on a boutique list of new books each year, crossing a broad spectrum of genres, including fiction, Bible study, current events, devotionals, biography, leadership, specialized Bibles, as well as spiritual and personal growth.

What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? ($11.99) is distributed to retail outlets nationwide by EMI CMG. For further information, visit www.worthypublishing.com