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Band of Horses Jamey Johnson John Reilly. music performances Railroad Revival Tour United States Willie Nelson

Railroad Revival Tour tickets on sale, early bird tickets and bonus EP available for limited time

Railroad Revival Tour is proud to announce today that tickets are on sale for the 2012 American tour. For the second installment of the annual traveling music celebration, RRT has enlisted Willie Nelson & Family, Band of Horses, Jamey Johnson and John Reilly & Friends. Limited early bird discounted tickets are on sale now at www.railroadrevival.com and on the official sites of Willie Nelson, Band of Horses and Jamey Johnson.
Railroad Revival Tour is an experience that transcends typical music tours and glorifies the historical romance between music and trains under the setting of the great American landscape. This one-of-a-kind U.S. train tour travels town to town aboard 16 vintage 1940s railcars, setting up open air pop-up concert venues in parks and fields adjacent to the railroad tracks where they stop. 
While the tour reminds us of times past, the ticketing process is unequivocally modern. Counter to standard practice, tickets are sold without service fees and fans are rewarded for early purchase with lower prices. Every ticket purchased includes a commemorative laminated boarding pass with an instant download of a four-song tour EP featuring music from each of the tour’s artists. This EP includes “Knock Knock,” the new single from Band of Horses. Upgraded ticket packages are available offering collectables and benefits such as a limited edition poster from Nashville’s legendary Hatch Show Print and a private viewing area at the venues.
In addition, ticket holders will be admitted to the Railroad Revival General Store, where new and classic albums from tour artists are available in digital, CD and vinyl format at steep discounts. “Big Easy Express,” Emmet Malloy’s documentary of the 2011 Railroad Revival Tour, is also available for purchase at a very special price. Ticket, film, music and merchandise sales are powered by Topspin Media, with marketing services provided by Topspin Creative Services.
The Railroad Revival Tour has a variety of hotel and ticket packages available on the site for Duluth, Old Town Spring, Tempe, San Pedro and Oakland as well. For upcoming Railroad Revival Tour announcements and additional info including a historical timeline of railroads in America from the first locomotive to the Railroad Revival Tour, check out railroadrevivaltour.com.
Follow the tour on Facebook at www.facebook.com/railroadrevival and on Twitter @RailroadRevival.

Categories
jazz music Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performances tulsa United States

This Weekend – Jim & Jeannine’s Gig List in Tulsa

Jim & Jeannine’s Gig List – For Live Jazz Lovers

Brought to you courtesy of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

FRIDAY

Olivia Duhon with Frank Brown on guitar, Ron Adams on bass and Jimmy Karstein on drums – Ciao Primo Room, 3308 S. Peoria, Friday night, 9:00 to midnight.



SATURDAY


Angie Cockrell and Mark Bennett – Tropical Restaurant, 49th & Memorial, Saturday night, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Mike Cameron with Adam Ledbetter on keys, Jordan Hehl on bass and JJemar Poteat on drums – Ciao Primo Room, 3308 S. Peoria, Saturday night, 9:00 to midnight


SUNDAY


Multi-instrumentalist and composer Ryan Tedder has made his name in Tulsa as a stellar sideman, playing with bands throughout the city. Now he is headlining his own show at the Jazz Depot, Tedder will rock the stage with all styles of contemporary jazz, including original compositions. He will b e joined by Steven Schrag on piano, Calvin Knowles on bass and Nicholas Foster on drums as well as Sarah Maud and Stephanie Oliver on vocals, Miles Ralston on vocals and guitar and Tim Shadley on bone – Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. 1st St. Upper Level, Sunday afternoon, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., free covered parking


Nathan Wright – Smoke on Cherry Street, Sunday night, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Cynthia Simmons – Ciao Primo Room, 3308 S. Peoria, Sunday night, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. – Cover $10

TUESDAY

Jazz Depot Jam Session- Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Tuesday night, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Come play or come listen – FREE

Kings of Music, a 7 piece band that plays every Tuesday for ballroom dancing – Moose Lodge, 11106 E. 7th Street, Tuesday night, 7:30 to 9:45.


WEDNESDAY


Jazzwich – Lunch and Jazz with 7 Blue, Oklahoma Jazz Depot, Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.


Annie Ellicott with Mark Bruner and Shelby Eicher – Full Moon Cafe, Wednesday night, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.


7 Blue – Hey Mambo, 114 N. Boston, Wednesday night, 7:30 p.m.


THURSDAY


Mike Cameron and Scott McQuade – Main Street Tavern, 200 S Main, Broken Arrow, Thursday night, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Categories
jazz music Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performances Ryan Tedder tulsa United States

Composer Ryan Tedder performs on Sunday, July 29 at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Jazz Depot

At 5 p.m. Sunday, July 29, 2012, as part of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Summer Series, multi-instrumentalist and composer Ryan Tedder delivers a mix of new original music and imaginative arrangements. The performance is at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Jazz Depot, 111 E. First St., in Tulsa, OK.

Tedder, a Tulsan multi-instrumentalist/composer, has been performing professionally for 10 years.  Proficient in R&B, reggae, classical, Latin, rock, and jazz styles, he has played with local Tulsa bands Citizen Mundi and the Jetset Kings as well as having performed a wide array of studio work.  Prior to receiving his bachelor of arts degree in music, Ryan played bassoon, bass clarinet, and saxophones in several University of Tulsa theatre productions, most notably “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Carnival.”  In addition to his freelance career on woodwinds, Ryan also has been teaching guitar, piano, and music theory lessons for two years at Oklahoma Music Academy. 
To enjoy the jazz, order your tickets online or call Bettie Downing at (918) 281-8609. Ticket prices are $15 for general admission, $10 for members and seniors, or $20 for reserved table seating. For more information, go to http://okjazz.org.
Categories
Chicago Illinois kingdom records music new releases releases Shekinah Glory Ministry United States

Shekinah Glory Ministry to “Surrender” up a new CD on Sept. 25

A dozen years in, the Chicago-based ensemble known as Shekinah Glory Ministry (SGM) continues to dominate and set the standard for urban praise and worship music. They’ve made chants such as “Praise is What I Do” and “Jesus” universally known tunes that choirs around the globe sing every Sunday morning. With five RIAA gold and platinum record and video certifications behind them, this coterie of psalmists, minstrels and banner-wavers are poised to strike gold again with their fourth original CD, Surrender (Kingdom Records), scheduled for a September 25, 2012, release.

Recorded this past April at its home church, Valley Kingdom Ministry International near Chicago, SGM delivered another set of soul-stirring original songs that kept the capacity audience on its feet most of the night with hands lifted towards the heavens in praise. The closing tune, “Surrender”, summed up the evening’s theme. SGM’s leader, Phil Tarver, with a heartfelt plea, prayed openly for God to break his spirit and give him a contrite heart prior to launching into the majestic declaration. “Lord, break me again until the tears pour out”, he whispered into his microphone. “Tonight the Lord says don’t throw in the white towel but wave the white flag,” he challenged the congregation as he implored it to look up and, “tell Him [God] I surrender to your purpose, to your plan, to your way.”

The 13 tracks all deal with some variation of concession to God’s will whether by turning one’s trials and tribulations over to Him on the up-tempo, Afro-Cuban seasoned  “By Faith” or yielding to a call to worship on the dance-flavored, “Come On”. Aside from Tarver who leads three songs, there are several new SGM voices such as Brandon Alsberry, Joan Olander, Monique Miller, Jason Robinson and Danielle Nightingale Cargo who leads the new radio single, “Champion.”

Kingdom Records is a leader in African-American praise and worship music with hits such as Shekinah Glory Ministry’s 2001 breakthrough smash, “Praise is What I Do”. The million-selling SGM is not a choir. Instead, it’s a dynamic ensemble of psalmists, minstrels, and banner bearers who perform “under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Their Hebrew name means “the glorified presence of God.” Their CDs Praise Is What I Do (No. 5 peak Top Gospel Albums) and Shekinah Glory Ministry Live (No. 3 peak Top Gospel Albums – 103 weeks on the chart) were both certified gold in 2005 and 2008 respectively. They also have three gold or platinum DVDs to their credit and their 2010 CD, Refreshed By Fire, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. For information, go to www.kingdomrecordsinc.com.



Categories
educaion jazz Jazz Connect conference Jazz Forward Coalition Jazz Times music New York New York City United States world

Dates for Jazz Connect Conference at APAP|NYC 2013 announced

On January 10-11, 2013, in New York City, the Jazz Connect conference will bring together a broad range of elements and constituencies of the jazz community in a series of workshops, panels, plenaries and special events, all dedicated to expanding the worldwide audience for jazz. Organized by JazzTimes and the Jazz Forward Coalition and supported by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), this hands-on interactive conference aims to share best practices, provide tools to empower individuals and organizations, and establish a voice for jazz.
  
The jazz industry and community has been looking for a time and place to aggregate since the spring of 2009 when the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) folded. Various entities have been convening around APAP|NYC, the world’s largest networking forum and marketplace for performing arts professionals, but until now there has not been an overall tent for the entire jazz community to share its resources and collective power.
  
An initiative to create a stand-alone jazz confab began with APAP|NYC 2012, with multiple sessions over the course of six days, including: an all-day DIY seminar hosted by JazzTimes, a welcoming address, a series of pecha-kucha presentations (short visual presentations) from innovators in the field, three panels at APAP and a culminating town-hall session presented by the Jazz Forward Coalition. The Jazz Connect organizing committee decided to adapt the model further to create a focused event dedicated to the jazz community in 2013.
  
Peter Gordon, co-founder of Jazz Forward Coalition, president of Thirsty Ear Recordings and one of the conference’s organizers, sees the gathering as a well-timed opportunity for jazz to shape its future.

 “Though we live in uncertain times, market disruption is also market opportunity,” he says in a news release. “As the music industry positions itself to be part of the massive reorientation of how people discover, consume and experience music, jazz is left to decide whether to be part of the revolution or be left behind. We have assembled a vast number of thought leaders to guide, cajole, shape and give inspiration for jazz culture to thrive in the coming years-mapping a strategy to take jazz from an often marginalized genre to a well-known powerhouse.” 
  
The 2013 Jazz Connect Conference will have two full days of panels, workshops and presentations, featuring artists and professionals from all over the globe. Lee Mergner, publisher of JazzTimes and also an organizer of the conference, says that although the industry has changed since the days of the JazzTimes Convention and the IAJE Conference, the importance of bringing people together to discuss issues and best practices remains. “We’ve seen a real seismic change in the jazz industry, with more artists, organizations and companies operating with less resources,” says Mergner. “It’s become a much more DIY genre, and now more than ever, jazz people need to get together face-to-face in order to deal with all the challenges they face-from new models for touring to the effect of changing technologies.”
  
The Jazz Connect conference, held during the day at the Hilton New York Hotel and Sheraton New York Hotel, will also feed into the nighttime performances of Winter Jazzfest. “It’s important that the jazz community connects with the world at large, whether that be general music listeners or the mainstream media,” explains Mergner. “Winter Jazzfest has become a hotbed for both new and established artists to showcase their performance chops. And it’s attracted new and younger audiences to the music.”
  
In addition to the two full days of sessions preceding APAP|NYC, Jazz Connect will assist with programming of sessions during APAP|NYC 2013 addressing issues related to the community of arts presenters about how they interact with the jazz genre.
  
“One of our missions is to be a convener of the various performing arts,” says Mario Garcia Durham, president and CEO of APAP. “APAP|NYC has hosted similar platforms for theater and dance in the past, and we are dedicated to be a support system for jazz, one of the country’s classical art forms and a unique expression of American identity. The 2012 Jazz Connect gathering was a stellar success, and we want to continue to support jazz professionals and practitioners.”
  
Admission to the Jazz Connect conference is free. The Jazz Connect conference is organized by a committee of industry professionals, including Marty Ashby, Sara Donnelly, Erika Floreska, Peter Gordon and Lee Mergner.
  
For more information about the Jazz Connect conference, call (617) 315-9154 or e-mail jazzconnectnyc@gmail.com.
Categories
Adam Richman food Las Vegas Nevada television travel United States world World Food Championships

Mitch’s Travel: Bally’s Las Vegas set to host the first-ever World Food Championships on Nov. 1-4, 2012


The World Food Championships (WFC) announced today a partnership with Bally’s Las Vegas as the official host of the four-day food festival and cooking competition. Additional events will take place at Paris Las Vegas and Caesars Palace, all at the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip. Television’s Adam Richman will play host to the festivities Nov. 1 through Nov. 4.The alliance will transform the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Boulevard into a food epicenter with unrivaled competition and culinary experiences, when food champions from across the United States will compete for fame and fortune.


With a total prize pot of $300,000, the World Food Championships will feature seven categories: BBQ, Chili, Burger, Sandwich, Recipe Championship, Side Dish and Chef’s Challenge. Each of the seven category competitions will take place at Bally’s Las Vegas on Nov. 2 and 3. Throughout the competitions, several People’s Choice and VIP opportunities will occur near the Strip and at Paris Las Vegas. On Nov. 4, the ultimate food battle, where each of the champions from the seven categories will go head-to-head for the main prize purse, will occur at a Final Table in front of the iconic Caesars Palace. This showdown will be judged by a panel of seven celebrity/culinary judges, including WFC spokesman Adam Richman, star of the Travel Channel’s “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” and “Man v. Food: Nation,” and author of “America the Edible” and the upcoming “Quest for the Best.”


“The World Food Championships is unlike any culinary event Las Vegas has ever seen and we feel that Bally’s Las Vegas is the ideal location,” said Mike McCloud, president of Trybe Targeting, the company producing the four-day event. “WFC is the ultimate food showdown, and in a city known for world-class food and entertainment, there is no better place to host this event. “

“Bally’s Las Vegas is the perfect home for the inaugural World Food Championships,” said Jeffrey Frederick, vice president of food and beverage for Bally’s Las Vegas. “Right in the center of the Strip, Bally’s partnership with the World Food Championships will give guests the opportunity to taste a wide variety of America’s favorite dishes from amateur and professional chefs. The competition will transform a section of Las Vegas Boulevard, with events spread across three resorts, creating one of the largest food competitions this city has ever seen.”


For more information about events, opportunities or competitions at The World Food Championships, visit http://www.worldfoodchampionships.com.

Categories
california Donald Vega jazz Los Angeles music new releases Nicaragua releases Resonance Records United States

Pianist/composer Donald Vega blends jazz, classical and Latin influences on “Spiritual Nature”

While pianist Donald Vega is beginning to draw attention in jazz circles as Mulgrew Miller’s successor in the Ron Carter Trio, he makes a bold statement as a composer and bandleader on Spiritual Nature. Joined by the regal rhythm tandem of bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash, Vega explores the marriage of jazz, Latin and classical music on his auspicious Resonance Records debut. 

“It’s a dream come true,” says the 37-year-old pianist in a news release regarding the opportunity to record with McBride and Nash. “Spiritually, this is my dream trio.”

 The core trio is augmented by guitarist Anthony Wilson, violinist and label mate Christian Howes, tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard, trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos and trombonist Bob McChesney on Vega’s sophomore outing (following 2008’s self-producedTomorrows, which also featured drummer Nash).
Classically-trained in his native Nicaragua, Vega emigrated to Los Angeles at age 14 and began learning the language of jazz from mentor Billy Higgins at The World Stage and later with bassist John Clayton at the University of Southern California. Bassist Al McKibbon, a member of Dizzy Gillespie’s band of the late 1940s, subsequently took the young pianist under his wing and schooled him on the bandstand on the finer points of bebop. Vega met drummer Nash while working in McKibbon’s trio in Los Angeles. For Spiritual Nature, Vega imagined pairing Nash with bassist McBride, whom he had met in 2007 while attending The Juilliard School in New York. 

“The idea of having this tasty drummer with this killing bass player was so interesting,” he says. “But for them to get together in one place, it’s very rare because they’re both so busy. And when we finally got together, the music just played itself, like magic.”
Throughout Spiritual Nature, Vega shifts the configuration from trio to quartet to quintet, providing plenty of scintillating moments along the way. He kicks it off with the aggressively swinging, hard boppish “Scorpion,” which showcases his voicings for trumpet and sax on the frontline and also features an outstanding drum solo from Nash.

 “I love writing harmonies,” says Vega, “but most important to me is the melody. I always want it to be singable.”

 Ron Carter’s “First Trip,” which originally appeared on Herbie Hancock’s 1968 Blue Note classic, Speak Like a Child, is rendered here as a jaunty swinger underscored by Nash’s brushwork, McBride’s walking bass lines and featuring Wilson on guitar. “My attitude here was, ‘OK, Herbie’s version was so incredible, nobody’s going to do it better than that. So let’s just have some fun with it.'”
The album concludes with a loose, highly interactive trio rendition of Benny Golson’s classic ballad “I Remember Clifford” that is underscored by Nash’s signature brushwork and McBride’s contrapuntal approach to the bass. “All the other tunes on the album were heavily arranged,” says Vega, “so we wanted just one tune where we don’t have to read, we don’t have any arrangement, we just play. Benny Golson’s writing is great and we all knew this tune, so the idea was, ‘Let’s just go in and play.’ And you can hear that kind of looseness on this track.”
Backed by such a formidable lineup, Vega makes a giant leap as a composer-arranger and bandleader in his own right on Spiritual Nature.

Categories
Billie Holiday Canada education jazz Justin Time Records music new releases Ranee Lee releases vocals

Ranee Lee presents “Deep Song: A Tribute to Billie Holiday” via remastered CD

Ranee Lee is a true Renaissance woman. In addition to a career as a jazz singer that has taken her to stages in front of her fans around the globe, Lee is also a songwriter, award-winning actress, children’s book author, and jazz educator. Despite that resume, Lee actually got her start as a dancer. In an interview with Peter Kerr of The Montrealer, she said, “I was dancing with an Afro-Cuban touring dance troupe. We were in a small town in Ontario, and had to extend the length of our performance to fill the time allotted for the show. I was chosen to sing some songs with the band to fill that time, and the audience loved it!”
In the ’60’s Lee worked as a singer in Toronto while also taking up the drums and saxophone to make herself more marketable. She eventually moved to Montreal and got her on-stage big-break portraying Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Lee won a Dora Mavo Moore Award for her portrayal of the jazz legend, and thus the recording of Deep Song soon followed; “the mystique that is Billie Holiday is akin to the free spirit of a summer breeze blowing in many directions, sometimes disturbing, often refreshing, always beguiling. 

The allure of her music washes over you and touches your soul,” reflects Lee in a news release.
Deep Song is Ranee Lee’s tour de force-bringing the singer to the attention of jazz fans and concert producers worldwide for the first time. Originally released in 1989, the album has been beautifully re-mastered, and is now re-issued with two bonus tracks, “Fine and Mellow” and “Ill Wind”. Lee is celebrating 40 years in Montreal, where she has become one of Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists.
An extraordinary and captivating performer whether on the stage or on the bandstand, Lee’s sensuous melodic interpretations are complemented by her notable musician friends, including: pianist Oliver Jones, guitarist Richard Ring, drummer Archie Alleyne, and saxophonist/flautist Richard Beaudet. In addition, Lee is joined by Milt Hinton, Billie Holiday’s own bassist. Hinton writes in the liner notes, “ardent fans of Billie and listeners of all generations will enjoy the unique talent of Ranee Lee on Deep Song. It is a radiant listening experience.” The album confirms Ranee Lee as truly among the elite in jazz today.
Deep Song is comprised of jazz standards made famous by Lady Day, such as: “Easy Living” and “Strange Fruit”, (the latter, a Holiday signature protest song against racism), as well as songs Holiday had a hand in writing and have since become classics, including: “God Bless the Child”, “Don’t Explain”, and “Fine and Mellow”. The album opens with Buddy Johnson’s melancholy “I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone” before transitioning to the jaunty step of “When a Woman Loves a Man” and continuing to cover the breadth of Holiday’s landmark career. Throughout, the power and sensuality of Ranee Lee’s perfectly articulated melody lines deftly honor her predecessor.
Preserving Lady Day’s essence while delivering an experience unique to Lee, All Music Guide’s Scott Yanow said of Deep Song that, “Lee manages to recapture Holiday’s spirit without resorting to mimicry. This tasteful effort has among its highlights ‘When a Woman Loves a Man,’ ‘Crazy He Calls Me,’ ‘Easy Living,’ and ‘Them There Eyes.’ Recommended.” Notable Washington City Paper writer Joel E. Siegel, who also won a shared 1993 GRAMMY® Award for “Best Album Notes” on a Billie Holiday box set, has an ear for Lee’s sound-“Brooklyn-born, Montréal based Ranee Lee retains traditional virtues that most contemporary, jazz-oriented singers, have abandoned: professionalism, humor, discipline, unpretentiousness.”
In addition to the accolades of Deep Song, Lee has made strides in all of her endeavors in the subsequent decades. She wrote, produced, and performed in Dark Divas, a musical and double CD release that celebrates several of the most prominent black female singers of the century, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughan; has acted alongside Billy Dee Williams in “Giant Steps”; hosted the television show “The Performers” on BET in the U.S. and BRAVO in Canada; and wrote and illustrated the children’s book Nana What Do You Say? Inspired by her song of the same name off of the 1994 album, I Thought About You. That album was also the first to be nominated for a Juno Award in the Best Mainstream Jazz Category.
In recognition of her unparalleled musical talent, Lee won the prestigious Juno Award forBest Jazz Vocal Album of the Year, for 2010’s Lives Upstairs, and continues to accumulate well-revered awards and declarations. She was inducted into The Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor, and was given the ACTRA Award of Excellence for Lifetime Achievement. In 2010, Lee received a MECCA nomination for her performance in the Black Theatre Workshop production of “Swan Song for Maria.”
As an educator, Lee has been on the faculty of The Schulich School of Music of McGill University for nearly 40 years, and has also contributed her expertise and talents at The University of Laval in Quebec City for nearly a decade. McGill honored Lee’s contribution to the development of their jazz program with a prestigious award of appreciation in 2007; she also won the International Association of Jazz Education award in 2004.
Ranee Lee has released 10 albums on Justin Time Records, and throughout her career has performed alongside the likes of: Clark Terry, Terry Clarke, Bill Mayes, Herbie Ellis, and Red Mitchell. Lee and her quartet will be performing Deep Song: A Tribute to Billie Holiday at festivals and various venues beginning in mid June.


Categories
Chrystal Rucker EPM Music Group gospel music new releases releases United States

Stroke survivor Chrystal Rucker recovers to release “You Deserve” – available Aug. 14, 2012

Chrystal Rucker (Photo Provided)

For almost two decades, Chrystal Rucker has been the darling of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) denomination where she’s become known for her own spine-tingling renditions of Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow,” Tramaine Hawkins’ “Changed” and Lecresia Campbell’s classic, “Safety.” Then, in 2007 she suffered a stroke at age 35. If she couldn’t sing, she couldn’t work and over the next two years, she fought hard to get back to full health so that she could sing again and take care of her daughter.


 “When you have someone you have to live for it makes all the difference in the world in your healing process,” Rucker says in a news release.
 
After years of appearing on the albums of other artists, Rucker is back in top form and unveiling her first nationally-distributed solo CD, “You Deserve” (EPM Music Group), a brilliantly fascinating collection of heart-wrenching gospel ballads and pulsating praise tunes that hits retail stores and online portals everywhere on August 14, 2012. The 11-track set features the dynamic radio smash, “You Deserve,” which glistens with Rucker’s cascading high notes and squalls. Rucker also reintroduces Tramaine Hawkins’ 1975 classic, “Changed” and delivers a reverential hymn medley of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “Grateful.”
 
Even though she’s a church girl, Rucker shows she has a flair for urban pop on mid-tempo charmers such as “I Am So Grateful,” the jazzy “Nothing Less” and the infectious hand-clapper, “Make Me Wanna.” She creates a contagious joy on the heart-thumping “Come Bless His Name” while channeling the most poised and refined performance of the album on the soaring anthem, You Will Be My God” that shows off heavenly high notes and a tender sound of praise. For more information on Chrystal Rucker and other EPM Music Group artists, visit www.epmmusicgroup.com or www.chrystalrucker.net.

Categories
Emtro Gospel Records gospel music new releases releases Troy Sneed United States

Gospel singer Troy Sneed to release “All Is Well” on August 7

Gospel music lovers are waiting with eager-ears for Stellar Award winner Troy Sneed’s highly-anticipated seventh solo CD, “All Is Well” (Emtro Gospel), to hit stores on August 7. Throughout the winter and spring months, the Emtro label has been teasing fans of Sneed’s radio smash “All is Well” by not making the song available as a digital download until the CD drops. Now, Sneed has another radio hit, “Lay It Down,” that also won’t be available until the CD is released.

“I am so proud of this record,” Sneed says in a news release. “I put everything into it. I didn’t want people to just hear the radio singles. I wanted my fans to be nudged into listening to the whole album because I really worked to make every song a statement and I stretched myself vocally and in terms of the style of the music. I think a lot of people will be surprised.”

No one was more surprised than Sneed that the new single “Lay it Down” hit the Billboard Top 30 within the same week that the MP3 was emailed to radio.



“Troy Sneed has made it happen once again with a powerful inspirational message that’s simple and to the point in this season of life,” says Connye Bryant at WHLW in Montgomery, AL.

The new CD features urban-flavored songs of praise and worship ranging from the jazzy “Song for You” to  “I Know You Hear Me” that recalls R. Kelly’s “U Saved Me.” The `70s soul groove “All is Well” peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, but “Lay it Down” is destined to go all the way to the Top 10 like Sneed’s past hits “My Heart Says Yes”, “Work It Out”, “Hallelujah” and “The Struggle Is Over” which spent several weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart.
 
“Lay it Down” combines an inspiring message of “laying down” life’s problems and a steady Caribbean drum pattern with Sneed’s spine-tingling high notes for an infectious sing-a-long track that’s perfect for the warm summer months. 



“Troy Sneed’s latest record ‘Lay It Down’ has people calling and asking where they can get it,” says Reggie Baker, program director at WPZZ in Richmond. “It is a great follow-up to ‘My Heart Says Yes’ and will be sung on Sunday mornings [at churches everywhere].” 


Mike Gamble, program director of the The Light:  Sheridan Gospel Network adds that, “”Troy has become the inspirational music stylist that delivers powerful words of encouragement in every song.”
 
A special pre-order $7.99 price tag is available for fans that pre-order “All Is Well” on iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/all-is-well/id544798312.  For more info on Sneed, go to www.troysneed.net or follow him at www.Twitter.com/TroySneed.