*ASON: ‘I WANT TO BE A VOICE FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT’
By Bob Marovich
A profile of the young Christian rapper who ‘was backsliding pretty fierce’ when he attended a Tonex concert and ‘felt like the Lord was speaking to me. I heard Him saying, 'I want you to do this.'’ Now, he says, as his fourth album, The Future Is Now is being released, ‘being a youth pastor means for me to be a voice, to help answer questions such as how does a marriage work? How do you go out and have fun and still be a Christian? How can you be prosperous in your finances, as a believer? I want to be relevant.’

*Bob Marovich’s Gospel Picks

THE NEVELS SISTERS, It’s My Time--The Nevels Sisters--April, Debra, Gail and Veneice--have what it takes to be the new Clark Sisters. Individually and collectively talented and adorned with style, the sisters sparkle on their major label debut, It's My Time.

 

SHREE NEWMAN-ISABELL, Life of a Worshipper--Recorded live at the Gallatin Campus of Long Hollow Baptist Church, Life of a Worshipper is the debut CD for singer-songwriter Shree Newman-Isabell, the Tennessee native known as Nashville's "best kept secret."

 

TALLIE ROGERS, Try Jesus--Tallie Rogers, sister of quartet singer Pastor Tim Rogers (of Tim Rogers and the Fellas), was recently introduced to a wider gospel audience on the power of her indie single, "Try Jesus." Try Jesus is the album from whence the single came and, like the namesake single, it packs a great deal of punch into a short period of time.

HART RAMSEY, My Next Heartbeat--The popularity of jazz keyboardist Hart Ramsey's debut CD, Charge It to My Heart, surprised even the artist himself, and undoubtedly played no small role in encouraging him to release another album, the appropriately titled My Next Heartbeat. Pastor Ramsey's sophomore project finds him exploring similar smooth jazz territory in company with vigorous and highly-polished, studio-quality musicians. Vocalist Robert Moe's easy Jeffrey Osborne tenor brightens the songs he leads on the album.

PUCHI COLON, Vertical Praise Live--Puchi Colon and his ensemble are the Miami Sound Machine of Praise & Worship. On their latest release, Vertical Praise Live, they demonstrate why. An aggressive brass section and a veritable orchestra of percussion instruments underlay Colon's handsome baritone that, in its understatement, is ideal for the salsa style he makes his own. The lyrics are soothing, but the musica urges listeners to get up and dance in the spirit

*Gospel News & Notes

We honor four Gospel Warriors who crossed over at the end of 2011: GENE VIALE, LISA E. BURROUGHS of the Richard Smallwood Singers, BARNETT WILLIAMS, ARCHIE SWINDELL, JR. of the Swindell Brothers quartet.