JASON NELSON
"I Shall Live"
Indepedent

The warm vocals of this marvelous talent blessed us indeed on his clean-produced independent project, "I Shall Live"; a collection of praise-and-worship oriented songs that flow from urban to contemporary gospel. And while many of the nominees all have revealed great depth to their voices, Nelson stands out strongly with his unique ability to flow through the musical background and finding the right songs to fit his defined vocals. He does bear vocal resemblances of Marvin Sapp, but there's more character and depth to filter through. He's warm, relaxed, cool and can be very exciting. Songs like "Know It's Alright", "Don't Take Your Joy", "Thirsty" and the infectious R&B swing of "Don't Need A Reason" are evidence of Nelson's extraordinary skills.

Nominees
Daniel Austin ("On My Mind")
Norman Hutchins ("Where I Long To Be")
Dave Hollister ("The Book Of David-Vol. 1, The Transition")
Earnest Pugh ("A Worshipper's Perspective")

LUCINDA MOORE
"Lucinda Moore"
Tyscot

Lucinda Moore made the doubters hush their fuss with her exceptional debut project. She works through an uncanny variety of songs flowing from praise-and-worship to funky contemporary gospel. Yet she comes out a winner for delivering passionate and convincing vocals from one end to the next. Songs like "Balm In Gilead", "Praise Him", "Jesus Is Real" and "Holy" all prove that Moore is a big kid now and is well on her way to becoming a mainstay in the gospel arena. Patti LaBelle revealed great strengths on her latest project, but was overshadowed greatly by all of her album's special guests - making Moore the right choice in this category.

Nominees
Kelly Price ("This Is Who I Am")
Judith Christie-McAllister ("In His Presence - Live!")
Vickie Winans ("Woman To Woman: Songs of Life")
Patti LaBelle ("The Gospel According To Patti LaBelle")

ANOINTED PACE SISTERS
"Return"
Tyscot

The Pace Sisters know they can sing...but now the gospel galaxy definitely know they can sing with their recent release of "Return". A bold, climatic experience filled with lovely melodies, gorgeous harmonies and a basketful of pleasant memories created from each of the sister's solos and the delightful musicianship. Their fresh approach to updating a few areas in their ministry caught many by surprises, but it also proved how creative and artistic they really are. One good listen to "The Words You Said", "Contentment" and "High Praise" and you will strongly agree that these sangin' sistahs were the group to listen to in 2006.

Nominees
Men of Standard ("Surrounded")
Darrell McFadden & the Disciples ("I've Got A Right")
Myron Butler & Levi ("Set Me Free")
Virtue ("Testimony")

DARNELL DAVIS & THE REMNANT
"Psalms of the Remnant"
FS Music/MVP

All of the candidates are winners, but Darnell Davis took his listeners down a enjoyable ride full of cool, intricate and polished choral beauty. "Psalms Of The Remnant" revives the compelling excitement of unforgettable groups like the Whitfield Company and the Thompson Community Singers, while using a unique brand of updated contemporary gospel for the musical background. The mix is truly noteworthy. Hype cuts like "I'm Yours", "That's Love" and "It's In Jesus", along with strong ballads like "Holy" and "Show Your Glory" are excellent on this talented group of singers and prove that music designed for choirs are here to stay.

Nominees
Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers ("Finale'")
Malcolm Williams & Great Faith ("Walking In My Destiny")
Mt. Ararat Baptist Church Music Ministry ("Called To Relationship")
Voices of Citadel ("No Joy, No Strength")

DARNELL DAVIS & THE REMNANT
"Psalms of the Remnant"
FS Music/MVP

TYRONE BIRKETT WITH PAULA RALPH-BIRKETT
"In The Fullness Of Time"
Convergence Music Group

Can we have a tie? Yes, especially since both projects were excellent presentations from extraordinary independent artists. What's so hard to believe is how the indies actually stood up against the industry vets. Birkett's jazzy project, "In The Fullness Of Time", captures a number of versatile moods while delivering one of the best entrees of contemporary jazz heard in gospel music. Darnell Davis & the Remnant soar with their electric suite of bouncy gospel and studio production that deserves a standing ovation. It may be hard to believe that this category couldn't have a single winner, but we are pleased to know that the independent artists this year worked very hard to gain the world's attention. Job well done.

Nominees
Nolan Williams ("inSpiration")
Malcolm Williams & Great Faith ("Walking In My Destiny")
Daniel Austin ("On My Mind")

VOICES OF CITADEL
"No Joy. No Strength"
MusicBlend Records

An album that will certainly make you clap, shout, dance and...shout some more. "No Joy, No Strength" leans on the sanctified, churchy sounds of James Hall and Melvin Crispell and exposes the gospel music community to the Voices of Citadel; a church located in New York and is pastored by Dr. Kevin Bond. Their style is truly reminiscent of the rich traditions of Benny Cummings, Isaac Douglas and the Institutional Radio Choir. Cuts like "You Get The Glory", "The Lord Is Right There" and the jubilant "That's What He's Done" all share a wondrous bond full of exciting traditional gospel grooves and help to elevate the status of classic gospel back to the forefront.

Nominees
Norman Hutchins "Where I Long To Be"
Darrell McFadden & the Disciples "I've Got A Right"
Timothy Wright/N.Y. Fellowship Mass Choir II "Let's Celebrate (He Is Risen)"
Darius Brooks Presents The Reunion "Live In Chicago - Side A"

DAVE HOLLISTER
"The Book Of David, Vol. 1: The Transition"
GospoCentric

Here you have a wonderful collection of urban R&B grooves from a number of renowned producers - nailing the kind of music Dave Hollister is known for singing. The transition into gospel doesn't appear to be that difficult for the popular R&B crooner, but we can see through the lyrics how tough it really was for him. He opens up about his struggling marriage, a painful divorce and about some of the choices he's made in his life on this personal testament while rejoicing in hope and faith in God; unlike most urban gospel collections. "What Do You Do" is probably the strongest urban single of 2006, while songs like "Help Me", "Nothing But God" and "So Many Scars" showcase Hollister's earnest desires to be faithful to Jesus Christ.

Nominees
Kierra "KiKi" Sheard "This Is Me"
Men of Standard "Surrounded"
Fred Hammond "Free To Worship"
Virtue "Testimony"

JUDITH CHRISTIE-MCALLISTER
"In His Presence - Live!"
Judah Music/Artemis

And she does it again. "In His Presence - Live!" is another stellar collection of exciting, infectious and roof-raising praise-and-worship crafted from Dr. Judith Christie-McAllister. The production, handled by Michael Bereal, is still fresh and works well on blazing cuts like "Bless The Lord Oh My Soul", "Rain!", "To Our God" and "My Confession", while the warmth found on "One Thing" and "We Sing Your Praises" prove that worship music can be fun and anointed at the same time.

Nominees
Earnest Pugh "A Worshipper's Perspective"
Martha Munizzi "No Limits"
Stephen Hurd "My Destiny"
Jason Nelson "I Shall Live"

MARIAH CAREY
"Fly Like A Bird"
Columbia

R&B, adult contemporary and even pop radio rejoiced over this inspirational power ballad. And with its majestic build-ups, comforting lyrics and Carey's convincing and soaring notes, this song aims to please. It was also hard to miss this track since her performance at this year's GRAMMYs, with Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Choir providing background support, let many of the viewers actually witness how serious she is about her faith in God. The song catapulted on the playlists of mainstream radio and became a favorite with gospel listeners; ultimately proving that gospel still is on the move.

Nominees
Dave Hollister "What Do You Do"
Tye Tribbett & G.A. "Victory"
Virtue "Follow Me"
Mary Mary "Yesterday"

ISRAEL & NEW BREED W/ GERALD ALBRIGHT, MARCUS MILLER AND LALAH HATHAWAY
"Silent Nocturne" from "A Timeless Christmas"
Integrity Gospel

The creative spark of this wonderful arrangement explains the combustion great talents experience when working together. Jazz MVP's Marcus Miller and Gerald Albright excel on the musical backdrop of this Christmas rendtion of "Silent Night" and is seasoned greatly with sumptuous, earthy vocals from Lalah Hathaway and Israel Houghton. So awesome is this version that, even though it was tailormade for the holidays, it's worth playing all year 'round.

Nominees
Kenny Lattimore and Chante' Moore "Make Me Like The Moon"
Patti LaBelle and Mary Mary "Anything"
Coko with Faith Evans, Fantasia and Lil' Mo "Endow Me"
Andrae' Crouch with Fred Hammond "O Give Thanks"

EARNEST PUGH
"A Worshipper's Perspective"
Crystal Rose

Earnest Pugh's debut started out as an independent release. Then Crystal Rose decided to re-release to the world - in hopes of generating major feedback and support. The idea proved to be a worthy investment. Pugh presents a praise-and-worship concert with a flavored gospel appeal and dazzles listeners with "Praise 'Em (In The Meantime)", "So Much", "He's There", "Speak To Me" and the awesome rendition of "Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up". And his voice is highly impressive and refreshing. Expect Pugh's face and voice to be around for a long while.

Nominees
Lucinda Moore ("Lucinda Moore")
Daniel Austin ("On My Mind")
Bryant Barnett ("I'm New")
Darnell Davis & the Remnant ("Psalms of the Remnant")