Top 20 Gospel Songs of 2009

above video:
concept video for “Just Wanna Say”
Israel Houghton; The Power of One (Integrity/Columbia)

excerpt from “Top 50 Gospel Songs of 2009″
courtesy of PRAYZEHYMNOnline.com

In 2009, gospel music lovers continued to reach out to familiar faces to keep gospel music interesting on radio. There were the hits of Donnie McClurkin, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Mary Mary and Israel Houghton, and even pleasant entries from a forgiven J Moss and Fred Hammond. Then there were the oldie-goldie remakes: new to some, familiar to a few. Glimmers of hope (Shari Addison, Russell Leonce) even restored some hope of a gospel revival. But gospel’s brightest spot, a tribute to the 30-year old contemporary gospel hymn Oh Happy Day, featuring over a dozen of familiar pop and gospel acts, even dimmed in the eyes of the industry-controlled media and failed to connect with longtime gospel supporters. See, gospel music is a very old genre but it remains small - even with the heavy support of millions who sing the music on Sunday mornings. On the Internet alone, gospel music continues to be controlled by the big wig labels - from the ever-popular Christian web sites all the way down to the blogs. And if there’s any kind of revolt to the old system, there’s very little change that’s done (just ask EJ Gaines, the Gospel Pundit, about his protest against the Stellars). Even with all of this, independent artists rose up and actually helped restore some of the beauty of gospel’s brilliant past. Maybe the little guys might be the genre’s last and only hope to an aging musical genre.

20. Melvin Crispell & Testimony
“REAL”
from He’s Able (IMOK Gospel)
Marinated in a walking bass and those obvious Hezekiah Walker connections, Melvin Crispell debuts with a joyful noise. High energy action from Testimony And Mo’Horns’ soulful arrangements add extra spice to the performance. It’s just what the popular songwriter needed for his just-due debut.

19. Donnie McClurkin
“YOU ARE MY GOD AND KING”
from We All Are One: Live in Detroit (Verity)
So what if the song is recycled goods (first heard on the Tommies’ Real album). It’s still a far better version and an excellent transportation to the Live in London experience.

18. Voices of Citadel
“HALLELUJAH TO THE LAMB”
from Won’t It Be Wonderful (Syntax/Music Blend)
Punchy Brooklyn contemporary gospel, scribed by Butch Heyward, highlights the latest radio single for the Voices of Citadel. A trip back to innocent choir gospel set to an irresistible set of modulations.

17. Melinda Watts
“HAPPY”
from People Get Ready (Razor & Tie)
Ironically resembling Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” Melinda Watts pushes out a great dash of breezy pop on “Happy.”

16. Shari Addison
“ONE MORE SUNNY DAY”
from Shari Addison (Zomba Gospel)
Whenever Donald Lawrence starts to polish up on his song writing craft and he releases something resembling his early ‘90s ballads, be prepared to be blessed. “One More Sunny Day” sounds like a reprise of “I Walk With the King.” As for Addison, she sounds like she’s been singing gospel like this for ages.

15. Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, MY BROTHER”
from What Have You Done, My Brother? (Daptone)
In the spirit of the Staple Singers’ message songs, Naomi Shelton and her Dap-tone gang blows her bluesy juke joint soul into a timely selection sparking up a mighty clarion call to servanthood.

14. BeBe & CeCe Winans
“CLOSE TO YOU”
from Still (B+C/Malaco)
Nothing more than an uncredited Patti LaBelle loop (“Love Need and Want You”), BeBe & CeCe’s big return is best summed up as breathy, mellow Quiet Storm teases. It worked.

13. Adrianne Archie
“ALL I NEED IS LOVE”
from Heart Soul Mind & Strength (LinQ Productions)
A definite standout on her 2009-released independent project, “All I Need Is Love” is bursting with disco beats and a sweet assertions of Adrianne Archie’s neo-soul associations. Even with the lyrics’ double meanings, the musical experiments here - tightly sown in mainstream dance pop - illustrate once again that gospel radio is missing out on some golden opportunities.

12. Phillip Carter & SOV
“I LOVE THE LORD”
from Songs from the Storm (SOV Ministries)
Even though Phillip Carter may need to be placed on house arrest for the large amounts of solicitation he and his marketing team are responsible for, “I Love the Lord” is still too hard to ignore. It easily makes this list for keeping traditional gospel in the forefront and for working a quartet drive around familiar hymn lyrics.

11. Israel Houghton
“SAVED BY GRACE”
from The Power of One (Integrity)
Using the funky rawness of Minneapolis funksters The Time, Israel pulls out his most impressive jumpy gospel tune since “You Are Good.”

10. Smokie Norful
“JUSTIFIED”
from Live (EMI Gospel)
After a while, most of Smokie Norful’s singles start to bear a familiar pattern. “Justified” strangely bears the familiarities of “All I Need,” but its rocking vamp - sporting Norful’s preachy exhortations and the juicy gospel choral support (“Not guilty”) keeps the song from being just another copy and paste session.

9. Russell Leonce
“WHY I LOVE YOU (GOT TO TELL YA)”
from Culture of Love (Camari)
On what sounded like the perfect gospel entry for Musiq or John Legend, Russell Leonce proves undoubtedly that he’s just the voice for this kind of grown-up R&B gospel. Who said that gospel can’t sound glorious and sexy at the same time.

8. Donald Lawrence & Co.
“BACK II EDEN”
from The Law of Confession, Vol. I (Verity/Quiet Waters Entertainment)
Living on top of the world. Even in the midst of a turbulent recession, this song at least made you feel rich during the entire song. Reality kicks in after the song ends.

7. Vanessa Bell Armstrong
“GOOD NEWS”
from The Experience (EMI Gospel)
VBA does justice on this overlooked Aretha gem. The best part included Donald Lawrence’s “prayer still works’ tag and Armstrong’s gutsy gospel belting.

6. Malcolm Williams & Great Faith
“I REPENT”
from In Your Glory (Malcolm James Music)
In the middle of all these feel-good victory/favor radio jingles, it’s always good to take a detour into a song selection that feels like a honest, natural confession. Malcolm Williams channels all of his skills into this pop-chiseled masterpiece. It’s probably his best effort to date.

5. Israel Houghton
“JUST WANNA SAY”
from The Power of One (Integrity)
On this rocking single, Israel Houghton takes a bit of reggaeton, merges it with Myron Butler’s 2005 single “Set Me Free” and a little edgy rock perched with zapping synths and brash drums. End result: something loud, fresh and phenomenal for gospel.

4. Mary Mary feat. Ne-Yo
“GOD IN ME”
from The Sound (Columbia)
If Kierra Sheard couldn’t drag in the crossover appeal, Ne-Yo could. A special remix featuring the R&B household favorite transformed this club banger into one of the heftiest donwloaded ringtones ever. Not to forget the star-studded red carpet celebrity extravaganza captured in the glittery concept video.

3. BeBe & CeCe Winans
“THINGS”
from Still (B+C/Malaco)
Wordiness can be a challenge to a song’s set of lyrics but the contemporary beats and an ever-melodic chorus gets the best of BeBe & CeCe’s “Things.” It’s a short track, but one that conjures up those feel-good emotions once inhabited in “Celebrate New Life.”

2. Israel Houghton feat. Mary Mary
“EVERY PRAYER”
from The Power of One (Integrity)
It could have been disastrous - just knowing how radical Mary Mary and Israel Houghton are on their upbeat, flashy tracks. But Houghton’s impeccable song writing matched with heartfelt vocal performances proves why the song is worthy of a Grammy.

1. Whitney Houston
“I LOOK TO YOU”
from I Look to You (Arista)
Depending on who you ask, “I Look to You” may or may not be an authentic gospel song. It is definitely inspirational – and certainly packs enough spirituality to get gospel radio airplay. Still, gospel lovers had no real contest in accepting this beautiful ballad into their sacred iPod playlists.

J Matthew Cobb is the editor-at-large of the Birmingham-based online publication PRAYZEHYMN Online.com. He is also a contributor writer and music critic for SoulTracks.com and UrbanhamFaith.

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