Dove Awards Nominations are In!

Ladies & Gentlemen, here it is: the Dove Awards nominations are in! For all those who are wondering, the Dove Awards are given by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and are traditionally held in Nashville, TN. Think of it as the Christian version of the Grammys. Here are the nominees:

Song of the Year:

“All of Creation” by MercyMe

“Beautiful, Beautiful” by Francesca Battistelli

“Get Back Up” by TobyMac


“Hold My Heart” by Tenth Avenue North

“Lead Me” by Sanctus Real

“Let the Waters Rise” by MIKESCHAIR

“Love Came Calling” by Triumphant Quartet

“Our God” by Chris Tomlin

“Sometimes I Cry” by Jason Crabb

Male Vocalist of the Year

 Doug Anderson
 (not pictured)

Chris August


Jason Crabb


Brandon Heath

Israel Houghton


Marvin Sapp


Chris Tomlin


Female Vocalist of the Year

Audrey Assad


Francesca Battistelli


Natalie Grant


Britt Nicole


Janet Paschal


Kerrie Roberts


Laura Story


 Group of the Year

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Gaither Vocal Band

Sidewalk Prophets

Tenth Avenue North

MercyMe

MIKESCHAIR

NEEDTOBREATHE


New Artist of the Year

 

Audrey Assad
Chris August

Forever Jones
John Mark McMillan

No Other Name


Kerrie Roberts

Kristian Stanfill



 

Artist of the Year

Francesca Battistelli

Jason Crabb

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Natalie Grant

Marvin Sapp

TobyMac

Chris Tomlin




So...who will win? Tune in on the Gospel Music Chanel (gmc) on Sunday, April 24th (Appropriately, Easter Sunday) at 7:00 PM. Sherri Sheppard (Yes, she of "The View") will be hosting from the Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA (the first time it's been held there). Click the above link for the full list of nominees.

All About Love

Happy Valentine's/Single Awareness Day everyone! (Hope that includes everyone.)

In honor of this special day, I give you a list of  some great love songs sung by Christian artists. This is by no means an exhaustive list; feel free to add any more in the comments!

1. "Bless the Broken Road" by Selah: You may be more familiar with the Rascal Flats version, but you never heard the song like this.
2. "Godsend" by dc talk: When they weren't professing to be "Jesus Freaks," they show their sensitive side in this song.
3. "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman: I've been listening to this song for years and would never peg this as a romantic song. However, since the love between a man and a woman should reflect the love between God and His church, I have a better understanding about it.
4. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer: Yes, they are a Christian band. Prepare to be sent back to the 90s!
5. "When God Made You" by Newsong and Natalie Grant: Probably the perfect wedding song in my opinion!
6. "By Heart, By Soul" by Avalon: With help from Aaron Neville, the lyrics fits any type of relationship.
7. "Last Flight Out" by Plus One: Although the band broke up in 2004, this song is one of their best loved singles.
8. "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant: From the "Queen of CCM" herself! She ruled the 90s with this song.
9. "How Do I Love Her" by Steven Curtis Chapman: Considering he released an album called "Love," of course he'll be here twice. And nothing's more romantic than a man praying to God about loving his wife.
10. "He Was Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz: Want a good romantic story. Here's a song about a relationship from beginning to end (I dare you not to cry at the end!)

Grammy 2011 - Tribute to Aretha Franklin

As promised...the Aretha Franklin tribute, featuring Gospel artist Yolanda Adams!

The 53rd GRAMMY Awards - Aretha Tribute

Almost done with my Grammy Coverage! Here's an interview CBS did with the lovely singers who paid tribute to Aretha Franklin last night. Among the group is Gospel singer Yolanda Adams. The actual performance is coming up next, so stay tuned!

Pretel Best Gospel Performance

Here's a video announcing the Grammy winner for Best Gospel Performance.

Pretel Best Gospel Song

Here's the video announcing the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song.

Pretel Pop Contemporary Gospel Album

Here's a video announcing the Grammy winner for best Pop Contemporary Gospel Album.

Pretel Rock Rap Gospel Album

Here's a video announcing the Grammy Winner for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album.

Pretel Contemporary RNB Gospel Album

Here's a video announcing the Grammy Award winner for Best R&B Contemporary Gospel Album.

Billboard Report: Week of February 19, 2011

 For once, "I Believe" isn't number 1! This week it falls to #2 on the Gospel Songs charts.

Christian Albums: "Until We Have Faces" by Red

• #2 Billboard 200
• #1 Rock Albums
• #2 Digital Albums
• #1 Independence Albums 
• #1 Alternative Albums

Christian Songs: "Your Love" by Brandon Heath

• #23 Heatseekers Songs

Gospel Albums: "WOW Gospel 2011" by Various Artists

Gospel Songs: "Nobody Greater" by VaShawn Mitchell

• #98 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Grammy Winners

Boy, that was fast! As soon as I started searching, I found all the winners in the Gospel categories on the Grammy website. Here they are:

Best Gospel Performance: "Grace" by BeBe & CeCe Winans

Best Gospel Song: "It's What I Do" by Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: "Hello Hurricane" by Switchfoot

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "Love God. Love People." by Israel Houghton

Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: "The Reason" by Diamond Rio

Best Traditional Gospel Album: "Downtown Church" by Patty Griffin

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: "Still" by BeBe & CeCe Winans

Congratulations to all the winners!

Grammys are on...Are you watching?

Gospel legend (at least in my mind) Yolanda Adams is singing a medley of Aretha Franklin songs with Christina Agulara, Jennifer Hudson, Florence from Florence + the Machine and Martina McBride. Her presence with the group is a shout-out to Franklin's Gospel beginnings. I'll post the full performance later, along with the complete list of winners for the Gospel categories.

James Fortune & Fiya & Shawn McLemore & Zacardi Cortez - I Believe

Here's the song that's been on the top of the Billboard Gospel charts for months (since I started this blog). I hope this song brings some encouragement to your day!

Francesca Battistelli - "This Is The Stuff "

This is the first single from Francesca Battistelli's new album, "Hundred More Years" (March 1, 2011). Personally, it reminds me of another happy sounding song, "Hey Soul Sister" by Train. Hope everyone likes it!

Billboard Report: Week of February 12, 2011

 Seriously..."I Believe" has A LOT of staying power!

Christian Albums: "Wow Hits 2011" by Various Artists

• #79 Billboard 200

Christian Songs: "Your Love" by Brandon Heath

• #22 Heatseekers Songs

Gospel Albums: "Church on the Moon" by Deitrick Haddon

• #65 Billboard 200

Gospel Songs: "I Believe" by James Fortune & FIYA featuring Zacardi Cortez & Shawn McLemore