Gospel Fall Lineup 2008

As usual, plan to expect a drove of gospel album releases to hit retail this fall.

It seems like the gospel music industry prepares to toss out their very best releases, like Sweep's Week and Season Premieres hit the tube, during the fall. This year should be no exception.

The first project already getting major coverage and media support comes from John P. Kee and his beloved VIP Music and Arts Seminar convention. Live in Miami, featuring guest appearances from Earnest Pugh, Fred Hammond and LeJune Thompson, hits shelves nationwide on September 2. Expected radio favorites will be Kee and Lowell Pye's duet on "I'm Covered" and the infectious "Yes, We Can." Ain't it a strange coincidence that the song bears the same theme of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign. The album will be released on Verity Records with distribution from Zomba.

On the same day, Verity plans to drop Revealed; the highly talked-about album release from Deitrick Haddon. In just two years, Haddon related projects including Tyscot's Together In Worship (2007) and Damita's No Looking Back (2008) . With production from Tim & Bob, Blaze, Baby Dubb Campbell and gospel veteran Percy Bady, Revealed will serve as the tenth album release from the hip-hop/urban gospel singer. And with mesmerizing cover art and photography, Haddon is bound to shake the industry with his blueprint of urban crossover gospel. The album, originally meant to drop August 19, will finally be released nationwide online and in retail stores on September 2.

Gospel's sweethearts Mary Mary will also reveal their latest musical experience - their fourth studio project - with The Sound. A follow up to their 2005 critically acclaimed effort Mary Mary, The Sound finds sisters Erica and Tina Campbell stretching their wings into realms rarely explored in gospel music. The disc melds the group’s love of truth-grounded gospel, mixed with patches of R&B, pop, soul, jazz, electronic/techno and then some. “We consider ourselves to be unpredictable,” Tina says. “We like to think that we’re innovative and original so you cannot figure out what our next move is and you can’t really define our ability or what you think the expectations are.” The lead single, "Get Up", has already been released to gospel and R&B radio and can be downloaded off of iTunes. The album - featuring production from Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell - officially drops on October 14 on the Columbia and Integrity Media music label.

Other noteworthy releases we will be sure to follow up on include:

September 16, 2008
Dottie Peoples
Do It
(DP Muzik Group)

September 23, 2008
Sean Simmonds
It's Over
(Xist Records/Tyscot)

September 30, 2008
Paul Porter
A New Day
(Light Records)

September 30, 2008
Terry Dexter
Listen
(Penny Gang's Records)

September 30, 2008
Take 6
The Standard
(Concord Music Group)

October 14, 2008
Stephen Hurd
Times of Refreshing
(Integrity Gospel)

October 28, 2008
Bishop Paul S. Morton & the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Mass Choir
Cry Your Last Year
(Light Records/Tehillah)

October 28, 2008
Kierra Sheard
Bold Right Life
(EMI Gospel)

['08: NEW AND IMPROVED]
New Releases (July - Dec 08) [Nuthinbutgospel.com]
Summer Sizzlers of 2008 [PRAYZE Report]
Word Products, released Fall Quarter [Word Distribution]