WoW Gospel 2006

Word Entertainment/Verity Records/EMI Christian Music Group/Zomba Label Group

By Rene Williams

Wow Gospel is a perennial favorite for gospel music lovers. Touting the year’s best songs and artists, the compilation is a mainstay on the Billboard Top Gospel charts and frequently goes gold or platinum. The collection of music for 2006 is no exception. Wow Gospel 2006 is just that….wow! It’s an amazing collage of hits from gospel’s top labels. A joint venture of Word Records, Verity Records, GospoCentric Records, EMI Gospel and EMI Christian, the 2-disc CD includes 2005’s hottest artists like Fred Hammond, Mary Mary, Kierra “Kiki” Sheard, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, J Moss and Kurt Carr. This year’s edition celebrates the strong gospel culture of “Chi-Town”. Some of Chicago’s most notable musicians and singers are included such as Donald Lawrence, Smokie Norful and Joann Rosario.

Darwin Hobbs opens the first set with his riveting praise song, Glorify Him. Perfect for the church service opener, the tune flaunts Hobbs’ incredible vocals as he gives honor to God. Continuing with the sound of up-tempo praise, Marvin Sapp enters with his jam, Do You Know Him (Trendsetters Mix). The hot gospel club mix is a great merge of dance and praise. Tye Tribbett & G.A., known for their high octane performances, include their hit, No Way, followed by a Kierra “Kiki” Sheard favorite, Let Go (The Godson Concept) from her remix project, Just Until. Another EMI Gospel artist steps up to the mic on Disc One of WoW Gospel 2006. Myron Butler & Levi delivers their powerful song, Set Me Free. The song is a fascinating mixture of urban rhythms and godly adoration. Two of gospel’s favorite pairs make appearances, too; brother-sister duo Anointed includes their song Gonna Lift Your Name On High and the sister twosome Mary Mary adds their mellow track, Save Me. Popular songwriter, producer and singer Detrick Haddon lends his vocals to the churchy, inspiring God Didn’t Give Up.

Some of gospel’s best-selling artists also provide their songs. Fred Hammond, one of the few artists to sell more than 500,000 units in the genre, sings his deeply moving song, I Will Find A Way. Smokie Norful, the best-selling gospel artist for 2005, croons on the worshipful God Is Able. The beautiful melody and the lyrical simplicity make this one of the many highlights of Wow Gospel 2006. Stellar Award winners Donald Lawrence and J Moss sing two of their finest songs, I Speak Life and We Must Praise, respectively. CeCe Winans’ Purified, Joann Rosario’s I Hear You Say, Nicole C. Mullen’s Without You and Antonio Neal’s The Only One also make the cut on Wow Gospel 2006.

Disc Two begins with Donnie McClurkin’s church anthem, I Call You Faithful. The song that encourages congregants to sing to God about His awesome traits is followed up by the high energy, GRAMMY-nominated track from Hezekiah Walker & LFC, Lift Him Up. This CD set gives listeners some traditional and some contemporary and showcases brand new artists and those who are part of the history of gospel music. Paul Robbins, a newcomer, sings his Mariah Carey-penned and produced song, I Pray and new artist Darlene McCoy lends her pretty vocals to an Antonio Neal-written song, Fallen In Love. Other new gospel performers debut on Wow Gospel 2006 as well. American Idol’s George Huff offers his signature song, A Brighter Day and Micah Stampley contributes his catchy song, War Cry. Veterans of gospel music are also represented. Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard, members of the ground-breaking group, The Clark Sisters, present their songs, too. Dorinda delivers her gratitude-laden track Great Is The Lord and Karen sings her declarative song, Authority, from her brand new project, It’s Not Over. From the influential and vocally defining group, The Anointed Pace Sisters, LaShun Pace, imparts her hit, For My Good. The Mighty Clouds Of Joy, who have been singing for decades, hit us hard with their traditional track, House Of The Lord.

In addition to other mentioned groups, choirs are certainly present on Wow Gospel 2006 with the inclusion of The Kurt Carr Project with God Great God, The New Birth Total Praise Choir with God Is and The VIP Mass Choir featuring John P. Kee with Bread Of Heaven. Tonex & The Peculiar People join with contemporary artist Kirk Franklin on the hyperactive cut Since Jesus Came. Ted & Sheri showcase their Donald Lawrence-penned track, Celebrate as gospel instrumentalist Ben Tankard gives us his rendition of The Commodores back-in-the-day hit, Jesus Is Love. With over 30 memorable songs to choose from, WoW Gospel 2006 provides the best gospel music has to offer.

Feedback - Rene Williams is a freelance writer for Gospelcity.com, GTM Magazine and Charisma Magazine. She also is the author of the Gospel News Update, a bi-weekly e-zine about what's happening in the Christian music industry, and the D.C. Gospel News Update, a weekly newsletter about gospel events in the Washington, D.C. area.