A little News...

Good evening! Here's a little bit of news on the gospel front:

*First of all, my man Tonex will be releasing a new CD for the first time in five years! If you're not familiar with him, think of the artist Prince. Now imagine if he incorporated his Jehovah's Witness beliefs in his song lyrics, and put it to a funky beat, be it rock, pop or R&B based. Then multiply that times two. There you have it - Tonex. He has encountered some opposition from more traditional gospel lovers, and part of the reason he may not have recorded any projects is that he may have been taking time to recoup from some personal issues [financial problems, divorce, a spat with his record label similar to what Prince went through]. But now his new CD, entitled "Unspoken", is scheduled to come out in mid-March. That will be one interesting listen!

** The auditions for Sunday Best resume tomorrow in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency from 9-11 am. [Only two hours?] They will then conclude in Washington DC next Saturday, January 31st, again from 9-11am at the BET Studios. How they're planning to audition everyone that shows up in two hours is beyond me, but it should make for some interesting tryouts!

***Rizen, one of the most well-known female gospel trios, has signed to Verity Gospel, and will be releasing a new CD sometime in August of this year. It's been a little bit since their second project, "Rizen 2" came out, and to a certain extent they haven't gotten the recognition that some other female groups have obtained. Their style is more like the gospel quartets than the contemporary sound that other female groups have gone towards. But here's hoping that with a new label might come new support for their project, and as a result, more exposure for this deserving group.

Well, that's it for now. God bless, and have a good evening.

P.S. - Two days until Celebration of Gospel! :)