Over the last decade, Stephen Hurd has distinguished himself as one of the leading voices in urban praise and worship music and his songs “Undignified” and “Lead Me To The Rock” are sung at faith gatherings around the globe. Now, he’s preparing to release his most ambitious project yet, O That Men Would Worship, his sixth CD and the first on his own Hurd The Word recording label. He’s designed the new CD as a tool to inspire men to take on a greater leadership role in church worship services. Recorded live at The First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, MD where Hurd is the Minister of Music, the collection is scheduled to hit retail stores on March 20, 2012 via a distribution deal with Central South Distribution, Inc.
 
“My goal is to get men and especially men of color to realize that worship is not a feminine sport,” Hurd says. “In this season, I feel we should come together and lift up a sound that has the power to change families and strengthen communities and help brothers to get a glimpse of what real worship is. I think when men see other men worship it gives them freedom to worship without feeling emasculated.”
 
Joining Hurd for this manly worship experience are Verity Records artist Jason Nelson, Christian pop artist Anthony Evans and Minister Deonte Gray who is a member of the 7 Sons of Soul vocal group. Hurd created an all male sextet of singers to back certain songs and a coed group called Extol to back the CD as a whole. Aside from co-writing most of the songs, Hurd produced the fifteen track set alongside up-and-coming producers Kenny Shelton and Anthony Brown. Celebrated producer Steve Ford, who’s worked with acts ranging from Phyllis Hyman to Richard Smallwood, created the lush string arrangements while the in-demand Phil Lassiter (John P. Kee, Marvin Sapp) delivered the hearty horn arrangements. “It was the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” Hurd says of the recording. “There was no drama. Everybody was excited to be there and came with the attitude of what can I do to make this impact?”
 
Although, Hurd began recording albums in the late 1990s, his first national CD release was 2004’s A Call To Worship (Integrity Music) that featured the Caribbean-styled radio smash, “Undignified.”  The 2006 My Destiny (Integrity Music) CD featured the hit singles “Great Praise (The War Cry)” and “Destiny” while his 2008 Top 10 Stellar Award winning CD, Times of Refreshing. (Integrity Music), featured the radio single, “Amazing.” Visit www.hurdthewordmusic.com for more information on Hurd.

Oprah Winfrey successfully returned to the type of exclusive celebrity interviews that were the bread and butter of her syndicated daytime talk show. Last night’s special 90-minute edition of Winfrey’s new OWN primetime series Oprah’s Next Chapter, which featured her exclusive interview with Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina and her family, drew 3.5 million viewers, the largest audience ever in OWN’s 14-month history. In women 25-54, the special posted a 3.1 rating and was up triple digits vs. Oprah’s Next Chapter‘s season average.

The Sunday interview was so popular that Oprah ran it for 2 days after the originally aired.

Bobbi Kristina was remarkably strong in from of the cameras, telling Oprah that she can still feel her mother’s spirit telling her “I Got You.”  

Bobbi Kristina was asked about growing up in the spotlight and whether it took a toll on her, along with many other questions that let the world know the nineteen year old was maturing. 

The tougher questions about the night Whitney Houston died were left to Houston’s manager and sister-in-law Patricia Houston.

Patricia, who’s married to Whitney’s brother Gary, said in her appearance on Oprah’s Next Chapter Sunday that while the “handwriting was kind of on the wall” that the embattled Grammy-winner would suffer a premature death, the events of Saturday, February 11, still resonated with deep and shocking pain.  

Houston’s brother Gary joined the tail-end of the conversation and spoke about the signs and growing up as Whitney Houston’s big brother.

You can watch the interview in the videos below.

GRAMMY Award nominated Christian pop/rock band Royal Tailor announces the launch of a national “Get Schooled” campaign. Geared to junior high, high school and college campus this fall the campaign aims to encourage young people who may otherwise feel hopeless or trapped by their circumstances.

Having toured the country, experiencing firsthand the plight of today’s youth-kids influenced by corrupt media messages or suffering in unhealthy home environments who turn to self-mutilation as well as drug and alcohol abuse-Royal Tailor feels a burden for this generation.

“The core of the issue is that kids are living a life void of vision,” says Royal Tailor’s Tauren Wells. “The Bible says that without vision people perish or cast off restraint. It’s time that we stop allowing pop culture to cast vision for our kids and give them a vision of who Jesus is and who they are in Him. That’s at the root of this campaign; it’s our response to what’s happening in our culture today.”

Royal Tailor’s contribution is a 60-minute, high-energy, performance-driven presentation at schools nationwide that inspires students to dream and to break the cycle of dysfunction in the world around them. The plan is to visit four different schools in a single city from Monday through Thursday. The week would culminate in a Friday concert where all students are invited.

“We want them to realize that thoughtlessly following the trends of pop culture will leave them with a pale pallet that will paint nothing more than a dingy future,” says Wells. “We also want to remind them that there is hope when they feel hopeless…that they have a future and it doesn’t have to look like their past.”

The band recently recorded a video appeal to fans on indiegogo.com to help them raise funds to launch the first tangible expression of this campaign, a four city tour – which the band hopes can become nationally impacting. The band’s goal is to raise $200,000 by April 8 which would ideally fund up to a 64-school-tour impacting approximately 16 cities (an estimated four schools per city) starting with the band members’ hometowns of Battle Creek, Mich., Decatur, Ill., St. Louis, Mo. and Giles County, Va.

Visit www.indiegogo.com/Royal-Tailor to view the video and to learn more about how you can contribute. Also follow Royal Tailor’s fundraising progress on Twitter at www.twitter.com/royaltailor.

About Royal Tailor:
With a contagious blend of pop, R&B, hip hop and rock, Royal Tailor is a high-energy band and music ministry reaching out to a new generation of students suffering from symptoms of a visionless life. The four-member band – made up of Tauren (lead singer), DJ (guitar), Blake (bass) and Jarrod (drums) – met while in school in Indianapolis and began to hone its sound while playing for churches and youth groups around the country. In just under two years, Royal Tailor has performed more than 300 shows, including playing at the Nashville GRAMMY Chapter’s Block Party stage alongside artists including Old Crow Medicine Show and The Civil Wars.

Royal Tailor released its debut project, Black & White, June 7, 2011. Produced by Aaron Lindsey, Chuck Butler, and Daniel Kinner, Black & White showcases Royal Tailor’s distinctive musical blend, highlighting influences that range from Bruno Mars to Maroon 5 to Michael Jackson. The result is 11 high-energy tracks that make audiences want to dance, pray, shout and sing along. The album received a 2012 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album and produced Royal Tailor’s first No. 1 radio single “Make A Move.” The CHR hit is now vying for adds at Christian AC radio as well, with many stations on the song early including JOY-FM in St. Louis who called it “one of the most requested songs on the air.”

Most recently, Royal Tailor wrapped a 30-city fall “Sounds of Hope Tour” and is presently out with Casting Crowns on the 44-city “Come To The Well Tour.” For more information on Royal Tailor, please visit: www.RoyalTailor.com, www.facebook.com/royaltailor or follow the band on Twitter at www.twitter.com/royaltailor

Lexi, the media personality for Inside Inspiration on the syndicated “Yolanda Adams Morning Show,” and the TV personality / Host on the Word Network’s “The Lexi Show,” releases her highly anticipated single, “Burn It All Down” today at All Digital Outlets. (Malaco Music Group)

Yolanda Adams says, “It has been a while since the masses had a chance to savor the sweet angelic sounds of Ms. Lexi!! I must say that this single has been long awaited. She has not disappointed us with the dynamic original “Burn it all Down”. This single is poised for every format and genre of entertainment. This ground-breaking single is and will continue to be a blessing for years to come. I’m ready for the entire project!!! Love you dearly Lexi. Your Big Sis Yolanda Adams”

“Burn It All Down,” is a vivid portrayal of Lexi’s personal journey to restoration and serves as a blueprint to all believers who aspire to have an unadulterated relationship with God.

“Burn It All Down” exemplifies Lexi’s new wisdom, persona, style, growth, admiration, worship and spiritual outlook. Like never before, you will witness through song how she has overcome tremendous personal adversity and her maturation as an artist and woman of God which is nothing short of amazing. “Burn It All Down” will bless and inspire you into a place of worship and praise drawing you back to the place when you first believed and received HIM! A new life, a new wholeness – Burn It All Down leaving only God’s truth! Listen to the song below.

Marvin Sapp’s new CD & DVD I WIN hit stores April 3, and the CD can be pre-ordered now at iTunes, Amazon.com and Walmart.com. The project, recorded live at Evangel Cathedral outside of Washington, D.C., is the artist’s first CD since the passing of his wife MaLinda – who died of colon cancer in 2010. As such, it is also the first live CD recorded outside of Sapp’s Grand Rapids, Michigan, hometown. Still, I WIN is indeed a musical triumph, with 10 brilliant tracks that reinforce Sapp’s sentiment that “because I endured, I won.”

The first single, “My Testimony,” is quickly approaching the #1 position at Gospel radio. “It is a transparent, introspective look at what I came through and how, in the midst of it all, I still maintained and am maintaining my faith,” Sapp says of the single, which he co-wrote with Aaron Lindsey. “I think that’s the difference…it is about how I realized that if it had not been for God being there in the midst of everything, I would have been taken out. ‘My Testimony’ is more about me sharing how I got through it, not just that I got through it.”

The title track is a soul-stirring ballad that declares “I am an over comer/I know I can conquer anything/with Jesus I am an over comer/I can win…” The song was written by newcomers Brittney A. Wright and Joshua A. Lay.

A few new songwriters are showcased on I WIN, because Sapp issued a call via Facebook and Twitter for song submissions. He listened to more than 2,000 songs before finding a few that represented the tone of this CD. “I think part of my assignment is to give unknown writers and opportunity to be heard on a national scale,” says Sapp, who has always given a chance to up and coming songwriters. “My prayer is that their names and work will now become a little more prominent.”

An impromptu medley of hymns that Sapp launched into during the live recording provides a special treat on the CD. “The Hymns Medley” opens with “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and then finds Sapp shifting between Andrae Crouch’s classics “Bless The Lord,” “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus” and “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power,” concluding with “There’s Power in the Blood” and then a mini-sermon that demonstrates why Sapp says he is a preacher who happens to sing: “Because He’s brought me out of some stuff, I’ve got a right and a reason to give God some glory,” Sapp squalls, his voice stretching throughout the cathedral as the church audience screams its agreement. It is an authentic church moment captured on CD. “I grew up on hymns, and my mom taught me almost every hymn I know,” says Sapp. “When we were doing the recording, the hymns medley just happened. We were transitioning between songs, and I just started singing hymns. It wasn’t supposed to go on the record; it was just things I grew up listening to from traditional hymns to Andrae Crouch. And we just went back and forth and people were blessed by it and I enjoyed doing it,” says Sapp of the medley.

I WIN is Marvin Sapp’s 9th solo recording. He first hit the national stage in 1990 as a member of the groundbreaking group Commissioned. The group disbanded around 1996 and Sapp launched his solo career. After a string of Top-Ten radio hits and a considerable following in Gospel music, Sapp saw unprecedented mainstream success in 2007 when a song that started out as a spontaneous moment of worship became a runaway hit at radio. The song, “Never Would Have Made It,” went on to become the #1 most played song of any genre at radio, and was the first Gospel song to sell 1 million ringtones. The rest, as they say, is history.

Under the leadership of Bishop Allen T.D. Wiggins, Senior Pastor of The Hope Church and architect of Hope Center West, a new model program has been created to establish economic partnerships which promise to enhance community infrastructure lasting for generations to come.

With groundbreaking scheduled for summer 2012, Hope Center West (www.hopecenterproject.com) was recently unveiled as a long-range plan to provide resources that will produce hundreds of jobs and convenience for better health and wellness in Washington Shores.  During the first stage of development, a Walmart Neighborhood Shopping Center will be built, with nearby banks, restaurants, entertainment hubs, and several retail establishments.

“We’ve steadily worked to expand opportunities for economic development, housing, education, and spiritual enrichment through our ministry,” notes Bishop Wiggins. “By addressing critical issues that will engage and prepare our communities to become more market driven, we are securing a vision of economic growth and creating connectors that emphasize greater progress while fulfilling the needs of “the whole man,” Bishop Wiggins further states.

Hope Center West is quickly becoming a blueprint for economic development in urban America. Current improvements and progressions to date include the acquisition and rehabilitation of housing complexes for hundreds of families, and a professional/retail market space that accentuates the importance of local businesses. Some of The Hope Church service offerings include programs for ex-offender women, food distribution of meals and groceries to more than 10,000 community families, and spiritual enrichment activities for individuals and families.

About Bishop Allen T.D. Wiggins

Bishop Allen T.D. Wiggins is a native of Daytona Beach, Florida and has served as Senior Pastor of The Hope Church, in Orlando, Florida for ten years.  He is also co-founder and saxophonist of the world-renowned gospel/jazz duo, Allen & Allen. With spiritual wisdom and a heart for helping underserved communities, Bishop Wiggins continually partners with key business, ministerial, and civic leaders that work to bring long-term sustenance to urban cores. Bishop Wiggins is also involved in outreach ministries across the country, and is available for speaking engagements and interview opportunities.  

To learn more about The Hope Church and Hope Center West, visit www.thehopechurch.org and www.hopecenterproject.com. For additional information contact Mylika C. Morton at 407-291-4673 or email mmorton@thehopechurch.org.

What’s a good recipe for box office and DVD sales success? It seems in 2011, pro-America sentiment mixed with conservative values and faith-centered themes equaled a hit.

This according to an annual study conducted by the Christian-focused entertainment advocacy group Movieguide, which found that in 2011, American audiences preferred movies with strong conservative content and values over movies with liberal or left-leaning values by an almost six-to-one margin. 

The 760-page report claims that films with a conservative or pro-American edge, such as “Captain America,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Soul Surfer,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “Battle: Los Angeles” raked in significantly more box office green than more liberal films like “Red State,” “Super 8,” “J. Edgar,” “Glee” and “Ides of March.”

“People want good to overcome evil, justice to prevail over injustice and liberty to conquer tyranny. They respond to strong heroes and even strong heroines, but they are turned off by radical social engineering and big government programs,” Movieguide publisher Dr. Ted Baehrsaid of the report, which rates movies using several criteria such as “anti-communist content,” “strong biblical morality,” and “strong pro-capitalist content.”

The study also claimed that the stronger the Christian worldview in the film, the more money it made.

Films considered to have a significant redemptive or religious focus such as “Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides,” “The Help” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” made more money in theaters last year than those with a non or anti-Christian core, or a mixed/humanist perspective, including “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” The Hangover II” and “The Rum Diary.” In fact, Movieguide’s report asserts that the Christian-motivated movies, on average, earned four times as much in box office returns – $64.3 million as opposed to $15.9 million.

“Most people dedicated to a particular faith are likely to find the violence, substance abuse, sexual immorality, and mocking of traditional values in most modern movies offensive,” said Megan Basham, entertainment editor at Christian news site, World Magazine. “The rare well-made film that offers the opposite is going to appeal to church-goers of every stripe.”

CLICK HERE to read the full report by ChristianCinema.com  

Rising inspirational star and BET Music Matters artist Mali Music is set to go to Gospel radio this week with two new singles, “The Name”and “Walk On Water.”

Having already established a reputation as a stellar storyteller and dynamic performer within the Christian / Gospel community and the larger music scene, MALI MUSIC has legions of fans worldwide who have shared their passion for his musical ministry.

When talking about his latest efforts, the singer said:

“I am blessed and grateful to share these two songs which I hope will inspire people. ‘Walk On Water’ is a special song that I performed while on tour last year and found that audiences in each city enjoyed the message. ‘The Name’ is a strong song with a important message specifically because the story is about the power of Jesus’ name to my generation.  The song is simple and straight to the point with a groove and vibe that I hope people will appreciate.”

A prolific singer, songwriter and producer, Mali Music began playing the piano at the age of 5 and writing songs at 8. Since being exposed to the industry, he’s performed alongside artists like Dietrick Haddon, Kim Burrell and Tye Tribbett.

He became the first inspirational artist to be included in their Music Matters program and performed on the top-rated 2011 BET Awards, receiving a standing ovation.

You can listen to ‘Walk on Water’ in the video below. 

California’s Saddleback Church worship pastor Travis Ryan releases his debut album, Fearless, through Integrity Music on April 10, 2012. Featuring songs co-written with Matt Redman, Jason Ingram, Brenton Brown, Ben Cantelon, All Sons & Daughters, Dan Bailey and others, the album was produced by Ryan’s band mate, Josh Auer (PAX217). Additional band members Dan Bailey (Fiction Family, Phil Wickham) and Brandon Collins join in to create the resulting melodic, dynamic rock influenced worship on Fearless that shares themes of God’s pursuit of his people (“Chase”), the rise of the church (“Battle Song”) and Holy Communion (“Jesus My Victory”). The first radio single from the album, “Jesus, Precious Jesus,” speaks to the theme of grace.

GRAMMY Award winners Adam Hawkins (Switchfoot, Natasha Bedingfield, 50 Cent) and Chris Testa (Jimmy Eat World, Mat Kearney, The Goo Goo Dolls) mixed and engineered respectively as Kevin Bartley (Red Hot Chili Peppers, B.B. King, Queensrÿche) mastered the album. OneRepublic’s Brent Kutzle also added his talents to “Awaken Us.” The resulting original music from Ryan is meant to inspire people to press on past fear, becoming courageous and marked by God’s boldness.

“The title track, and the whole album, is really a prayer that the church would be 1 John 4:18-There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear,” Ryan shares. “This is a prayer for me and truth that the church must come alive to.”

Aligning his musical ministry pastorally with his church, Ryan is taking the “Fearless” idea into engaging need across the world with his church’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan. The PEACE Plan (http://thepeaceplan.com/) is a massive effort to mobilize Christians around the world to address the issues of spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy by promoting reconciliation, equipping servant leaders, assisting the poor, caring for the sick and educating the next generation.

“We all wrestle with fear on one level or another, and I don’t want that to stop me from engaging the needs all around me, and encouraging others to do the same,” says Ryan. “The PEACE plan is one way we can all get involved to bring hope to a world in need.”

Sharing the message and music of his new album, Ryan will launch the new project with a special Fearless release event at Saddleback Church April 15. At the event, Matt Redman will join Ryan to sing the song they wrote together, “Chase,” and New York Times No. 1 best-selling author and pastor of the church, Rick Warren, will deliver a message.

As a worship leader for Saddleback Church, Ryan has led worship for such organizations as Campus Crusade for Christ, Student Venture, The Purpose Driven Life Worship Conference and at numerous universities. He also spent time as an associate producer for Marantha Music and played with bassist Brent Kutzle, now a member of OneRepublic. Born into a musical family, Ryan’s father wrote songs for Maranatha during the Jesus movement.

Married with two young sons, Travis says, “If I died, these are the songs I would want my children to point to and say: that was my dad; my dad believed that. This is an altar to God.”

The complete Fearless track listing and songwriters follows:
1. Love That Has Won (Travis Ryan, Brandon Collins, Ben Cantelon)
2. Battle Song (Travis Ryan, Brandon Collins, Josh Auer, Dan Bailey)
3. Jesus Precious Jesus (Travis Ryan, David Leonard, Leslie Jordan)
4. The Wrestling (Travis Ryan, Richie Fike, Brandon Collins)
5. Most High (Travis Ryan, Jason Ingram)
6. Jesus My Victory (Travis Ryan, Brenton Brown, Brandon Collins)
7. Awaken Us (Travis Ryan, Matt Redman, Brandon Collins)
8. Fearless (Travis Ryan, Brandon Collins)
9. My Devotion (Travis Ryan, Anthony Skinner)
10. You Are With Me Still (Travis Ryan, Brandon Collins, Caleb Clements)
11. Chase (Travis Ryan, Matt Redman, Brandon Collins)

Kingsway and Integrity Music are the music divisions of David C Cook, a nonprofit global resource provider serving the Church with life-transforming materials. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Kingsway and Integrity Music’s resources are distributed in more than 160 countries and sold worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.kingswayworship.comand www.integritymusic.com.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to attend a series of high-priced fundraisers in Atlanta soon, sponsored by the African-American Leadership Council and filmmaker Tyler Perry.

The March 16th events will be hosted at Perry’s studio with ticket prices from $500 to $2,500 for a gala. There will also be a private reception, reportedly at Perry’s home costing as much as $35,800 per person — although the Obama for America invite lists it at $10,000.

The other invite is to Tyler’s Perry’s home at 8 p.m. The exact address is revealed only after RSVP and will cost a hefty $35,800 a person, and will include a photo with President Obama. Organizers wouldn’t confirm the address, but there are three main possibilities.

Land records show Tyler Perry still owns the 6-bedroom Fairburn home Karyn Greer toured in 2009 even though it’s been on the market for years. His current home on Paces Ferry might look familiar. In 2010, two young women were arrested after a failed burglary attempt. Another possibility is Perry’s newest acquisition, the Dean Gardens. Inside there are 8-bedrooms, as apart of the 58-acre estate which offers plenty of privacy. It’s also housed in John’s Creek, Georgia’s wealthiest city.

The Federal Election Commission shows north Fulton is the right stop for President Obama. He’s already raised $1.2 million in Georgia for this campaign. The biggest chunk, more than half a million, comes from zip codes starting with 303. That includes parts of Atlanta, Dunwoody, and John’s Creek.