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.

This week no major shakeups in the Top Ten took place.  WOW Gospel 2012 still holds the number 1 position, with Le’Andria Johnson still on its heels at #2.  

Fred Hammond and James Fortune flip flop with Fred Hammond taking over the #3 spot with his latest ‘God, Love, & Romance.’  

The greatest gainer in the Top 10 is Le’Crae coming in at #7 after being on the charts for an astounding 75 weeks. 

Outside the top ten, rising  Genita Pugh is selling strong and garnering greatest gainer recognitions by Billboard.  Pugh’s album ‘My Purpose’ is number 17 on the charts.

The Rest of the Top 10: 

1 | WOW Gospel 2012
2 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson
3 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
4 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
5 | William McDowell – Arise
6 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
7 | Lecrae – Rehab
8 | Kirk Franklin – Hello Fear
9 | Various Artists – Joyful Noise Sountrack
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

This week look out for the debut release of new artist Shereka McGrew.  The talented new artist drops her self-titled release March 13th.

Atlanta based indie hip-hop label Reach Records is excited to announce their first official showcase at the 2012 South by Southwest Music Conferenceand Festival (SXSW) in Austin, TX, where thousands will converge for music, film and technology. The Reach Records showcase will be taking place on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at La Zona Rosa (612 West 4th Street Austin, TX 78701) at 9pm and will feature performances from their incredible roster of artists includingLecrae, Trip Lee, KB, PRO and Andy Mineo.

“The Reach Records showcase is one you do not want to miss,” states Ben Washer, CEO of Reach Records. “We are excited about the opportunity to showcase our incredible roster of artists and unique message at one of the largest music festivals in the world.”

In addition to fans having an amazing time, Reach Records will be giving away three (3) sets of studio grade Beats by Dre headphones and two (2) Final Four Championship tickets.

Started in 2004, Reach Records launched with hip-hop phenomenon Lecrae, who was featured on BET’s 2011 Hip-Hop Awards cyphers, which also featured Estelle, Soprano and Nitty Scott. Now with a full cache of artists, Reach Records’ artists have successfully landed on the Billboard charts and toured all over the world. For more information on Reach Records and their artists log onto www.reachrecords.com

Comedian, Actor, Writer, and Radio Personality, Akintunde is set to kick off his “2012Rebirth of Comedy Tour”, just as his new DVD, “Akintunde Live – The Truth, The WholeTruth, and Nothing But” (Arrow/No Joke/Universal) hits major retail outlets. This yearwill mark the third consecutive year for the Rebirth of Comedy Tour, which is a part ofthe No Joke Entertainment/Rebirth of Comedy Brand.

In addition to the tour, the R.O.C. banner includes a daily radio comedy segment (airing on 40+ stations nationally), and DVD series of which Akintunde’s latest DVD (and his first since signing with ArrowGlobal Entertainment) will serve as the first installment. The tour will also feature thewinner of No Joke Entertainment’s 2012 Search For The One stand up comedy talentsearch. Last year’s winner St. Vick was featured on the 2011 schedule, and will return for dates on this year’s schedule.

Currently, Akintunde is in the midst of a 20 date stint on the “Acquire The Fire Tour”.  In May, he will return for the 4th year on “The Creflo Dollar Change Tour”. This year’s tours will mark Akintunde’s 10th appearance on a national tour in the past 5 years.

In addition to a busy booking and tour schedule, Akintunde recently appeared on The Stellar Awards Gospel music awards ceremonies, and in October co-hosted (along with Gospel music duo Trinitee 5:7) The Stellar Awards Nominations Concert live on GMC.

Earlier in 2011, Akintunde wrapped a 2 season stint as Writer and Producer on BET’s “The Mo’Nique Show”.

Visit Akintunde at www.akintunde.net 

Season five Sunday Best hopefuls prepare to audition beginning this month, and we are learning more about this years show.

Gospel star CeCe Winans has been added to the show along with Yolanda Adams. Coming back will be Donnie McClurkin.

This is CeCe Winans first time as a judge on the show, and Yolanda Adams second time in the shows short history.

With the edition of CeCe Winans we’ve learned that the sisterly duo Mary Mary will not be judging this year for the show. It will be interesting to see if the show has the same dynamic without the very blunt Tina Campbell of Mary Mary.

After-all, it was Mary Mary that was largely responsible for bringing back season 4, after the show was reportedly dropped from the BET line-up. Shortly after social networks blew up with disappointment, BET announced that the show had been picked back up.

Now in 2012 we will see Donnie McClurkin, CeCe Winans and Yolanda Adams look for another Sunday Best on the heels of last years winner Amber Bullock. Bullock was in an epic battle for the title of Sunday Best with Andrea Helms.

Both Bullock and Helms received record deals with Music World Gospel. Amber Bullock’s album ‘Thank You’ rested on Billboards Top 10, and Andrea Helms just released her debut CD March 6th.

Click Here to see audition schedules for Sunday Best season 5.

This week, Music World Gospel continues its rise on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart with two albums in the Top 10, three titles in the Top 15, five titles in the Top 20, and six albums in the Top 25. GRAMMY® Award winner, Le’Andria Johnson remains in the Top 10 with two titles: The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson and The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson Deluxe Edition at #2 and #6 respectively. Brian Courtney Wilson’s So Proud lands at #14 and Amber Bullock’s Thank You moves up to #16 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. Also, Juanita Bynum’s Diary of Juanita Bynum 2 moves up to #19 and Vanessa Bell Armstrong’s Timeless moves up to #24.

To date, Music World Gospel has released four CD projects on Le’Andria Johnson including two recent releases: The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson, an EP and The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson Deluxe Edition. The deluxe edition contains the seven songs released on her debut CD plus seven new songs. The seven new songs were released on the EP.

In September 2011, Music World Gospel also released the first installment of The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson which entered at #1 on multiple music charts, including both the Billboard Top Gospel Albums and the Top Christian/Gospel Albums charts. The CD also debuted at #1 on the Christian Music Trade Association’s Current Gospel Overall chart. It spent nine weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. Three months later, the label released Le’Andria’s first holiday CD, Christmas Best.

Brian Courtney Wilson’s new CD project, So Proud, released on February 7, debuted at #1 on both Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and the Top Christian/Gospel Albums chart. Amber Bullock’s Thank You debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and the CD has remained in the Top 20 for over 10 weeks.

Israel Theme Tours is proud to announce that actress, radio personality and award-winning recording artist Jaci Velasquez and her husband Nic Gonzales, frontman for the award-winning band Salvador, will be taking fans to Israel October 21-30, 2012. The 10-day, VIP style tour of the Holy Land will offer fans a vacation experience unlike any other. 

Travelers will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, cruise the Sea of Galilee, explore the ruins of the ancient port city built by King Herod, experience the Western Wall and the ancient city of Jerusalem, float in the Dead Sea, visit Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum), roam the beaches of Tel Aviv, experience baptism in the Jordan River and much more.

Two of Christian music’s best-loved artists, Jaci and Nic will join the tour group each day for a variety of activities, including exclusive fan access and some once-in-a-lifetime performances.

The tour is limited to 50 travelers, and registrations are being accepted now. Fans can reserve their spot by visiting www.israelthemetours.com/jaciandnic.

About Jaci Velasquez
With over 3.5 million albums sold, and 16 #1 radio hits, Inpop Records released Jaci’s latest album, Diamond, in February. Jaci stars in the upcoming films The Encounter and Jerusalem Countdown, and can be heard each day on Salem Broadcasting’s syndicated network show, “Your Family Friendly Morning Show With Doug & Jaci Velasquez,” which reaches more than 1.5 million listeners nationwide. For more information, visit www.jacivelasquez.com. 

About Nic Gonzales
Nic is best known as the frontman for the nation’s premier Latin jam band, Salvador, which has landed numerous Top 10 hits including the smash “Shine” which was named ASCAP’s Song of the Year in 2006. The Dove Award winning and 4-time Billboard Latin Award nominees have toured with Shoutfest, Jaci Velasquez, Rachael Lampa, Third Day and many others. For more information, visit www.salvadorlive.com.

It looks like we could have to wait longer to find out what the Mega-church Pastor Zachery Tims died from. A decision made by the New York City appeals court could delay a ruling until 2013.

Zachery Tims’ mother won a temporary victory Tuesday when the court ruled in favor of her request to keep medical officials from making public the Florida pastor’s cause of death.  

In a decision filed Tuesday, the five-panel New York County Appellate court granted Madeline Tims’ request to prevent the City of New York and the city medical examiner’s office from revealing what killed Tims, who was found dead in the W Hotel in Times Square on Aug. 12, 2011. 

The case was transferred from the NY County Supreme Court in December, when Judge Cynthia S. Kern ruled after about a month of deliberation that there were no laws strictly prohibiting the medical examiner’s office from publicly disclosing Tims’ cause of death, as it does with other high-profile cases. 

The New York City Law Department, representing New York City and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), had agreed to keep the cause and manner of Tims’ death private until Judge Kern had made her decision. However, Madeline Tims filed an appeal on Jan. 11, with the effect of temporarily preventing the City from making that information public. The law department responded with its own claim on Jan. 27, challenging the request and insisting that it was unlikely Tims would be successful in her appeal.

According to court papers filed March 6, 2012, Tims’ motion for an injunction against NYC was granted on the condition that her appeal against the Supreme Court’s decision is filed by July 9.    

Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Sept. 4, and a ruling is expected sometime in 2013, Madeline Tims’ attorney, Ricardo E. Oquendo, told the Orlando Sentinel. 

Oquendo had argued before Judge Kern late last year that since New York City has no right to publicly disclose autopsy reports in full, neither should it be allowed to disclose information contained in those reports – such as the cause and manner of death. Judge Kern decided on the side of the OCME.

The court’s interim decision allows Oquendo to once again argue why NYC must keep Tims’ cause of death quiet, however NYC officials have expressed confidence that Kern’s decision will be upheld.  “We are confident the appellate court will ultimately uphold the previous decision,” Ave Maria Brennan, Senior Counsel with the NYC Law Department, said in an emailed statement. 

Zachery Tims, who founded New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Fla., was succeeded by Paula White as senior pastor of the church he led for 15 years. Although no official cause of death has been provided, Madeline Tims initially told the court that disclosing her 42-year-old son’s cause of death would be an embarrassment to her, his children, and his NDCC congregation.