Sunday Best Songbirds Soaring This Fall Season

Happy New Release Tuesday Family!  It’s a new day, and I am indeed blessed to be here 🙂  After some disturbing occurrences last mid-week, both the passing of songstress Vesta Williams and the unjust execution of Troy Anthony Davis, I was in great need of prayer and food for my soul.  So I am overjoyed that at long last the first project from Jessica Reedy, season 2 Sunday Best finalist and 1st runner-up, has arrived.  Her new CD, From the Heart (Light Records), was released today and stations around the globe are playing the single “Put It On The Altar.”  I am a Jessica fan, as I love a singer with a strong bottom and her range is wicked (she transitions from high alto to low tenor with flawless precision).  So, okay maybe wicked is not the best slang term for a Gospel singer but you know what I mean!  What I love most about this woman is that she is a fighter.  She went to the Sunday Best audition actually to support a friend, and nine episodes later she is runner-up and on her way to a gospel recording contract.  It wasn’t all smooth sailing though.  As with many music communities, the gospel community is a divisive one and Jessica drew a lot of critique (and criticism) for her style.  She isn’t the traditional, belting, gospel stylist (like season 2 winner Y’anna Crawley, mentioned for comparison sake only since I’m also a fan) and had to roll with a lot of punches because of it.  I am glad Jessica was able to deal with the pressure and move forward.  I hope her CD sells amazingly well!  Check out the song Dr. Love, featuring former Bad Boy Records first lady Faith Evans.  A video link for the beautiful ballad, “Always,” is below.

And in case you missed it The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson (Music World), debut album from Le’Andria Johnson (season 3 winner), was released on September 6th and has been sitting at #1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Album Chart.  The album was also number one on Amazon’s Hot New Gospel Pre-sale Chart.  Le’Andria has an awesome testimony, as she has talked about her struggle with alcohol abuse after winning the show, as well as being a Hurricane Katrina survivor.  Who can forget her Sunday Best audition, when she arrived wearing jeans and flip-flops with socks (she didn’t have much left after flood) and one judge admitted she almost didn’t take her seriously until she began to sing?  Just goes to show the old saying about “not judging a book by its cover” applies in every circumstance; in short we don’t know what folk are going though so don’t assume.  Okay, off my soapbox, but make sure to check out the song “Cast the First Stone” on her CD!

Le’Andria will also be releasing a Christmas album later this year so be on the lookout.  Check out a link for a live performance of her single “Jesus” below.  That’s a wrap family, until next thought!  Thomasena

Jessica Reedy “Always” link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIvuK1SIba4

Jessica Reedy Sunday Best performance “Brighter Day”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCjcpmXkkqY

Le’Andria Johnson “Jesus” live performance link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq26RvYkr18&feature=related

Le’Andria Johnson Sunday Best performance “Endow Me”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0tR6YCm8F0&feature=related

(Note: Sunday Best video courtesy and copyright of BET Network.  All other video is the property of owner as listed on YOU TUBE.  MusicMoviesThoughts makes no ownership claims for videos listed.)