Gospel Urban Soul - Podcast Review

Good evening, folks! I hope you were able to get some good relaxation and fun in this weekend. And that you got your gospel groove on, too!

I just wanted to introduce you to another podcast featuring Gospel music. This time, it's not the traditional church choir style, but actually featuring Gospel with an R&B flavor to it. It's actually called the Gospel Urban Soul podcast, and it's hosted by Herman "Kodah" Albany. He started the podcast in August of 2007 because he noticed that a lot of his peers weren't listening to Gospel music because it wasn't "banging", meaning it wasn't the same type of music they were listening to in their everyday life. Herman knew that there was a group of young artists that were just starting to come out with R&B/Soul flavored grooves that didn't compromise on the "good news" message of God's love for us and His plans for us. The problem was that no radio stations were giving them a platform to perform their music. So, when he heard about the ability to create your own podcast where you could feature your own choices of music and commentary, he jumped at the chance.

In addition to some of the well known names in contemporary Gospel music like Detrick and Damita Haddon and Kierra Sheard, he features independent and unsigned artists on his broadcasts. On his website he gives details on the artists including the song titles, the verses the songs are based on, and a link to the artists personal websites in case you want to purchase some of their tracks and encourage them in their careers.

The one thing, as with a lot of podcasts, is that there's not a regular schedule of uploads of the podcast. As a matter of fact, the latest edition is from November of 2008. But it's about the content that you'll get in the music. I encourage you to check it out, and if you like it, encourage "Kodah" to create another podcast soon!

Have a blessed day!

Kierra Sheard - Bold Right Life - Mini Review

Good afternoon, folks! After yesterday I thought I should share some more reviews of different artists I'm finding out about and enjoying. So here is one of the young up-and-coming "stars" in the urban gospel category, Kierra Sheard.

Those of us that listen to more contemporary gospel music are probably very familiar with her mother and aunts, the Clark Sisters, along with her cousin, J. Moss, who has a production company called PAJAM that also specializes in contemporary gospel music. While the Sisters are well loved in traditional circles, they have been known to take chances in contemporary gospel music, especially Kierra's mother, Karen Clark Sheard. Kierra's previous two albums were definitely geared towards her peer group, with a lot of music that was danceable but also kept the gospel message front and center. With this CD, Bold Right Life, she shows a completely different side to herself both artistically and physically. She's lost 86 pounds in the last year, and has done it in a natural way through diet & exercise. This is sure to please her fans, who have sometimes been concerned with how much weight she was carrying and have wanted to see her get healthy so she can have a long life and a long ministry.

The variety in the song selection also shows more maturity as she grows into adulthood and more independence in how she ministers in music. The best compliment I can give this CD is that you can play it during your private time of worship, but also play it in your car while you're hanging out with your non-Christian friends. The message is not compromised - when you have songs with titles like "Jesus" and "Oh Lord", you know you're not watering anything down - but neither is the hip-hop style of music that Kierra is known and loved for. You can view this clip from her CD and check a little bit of her gift out here.">

Have a blessed afternoon!