The Overflow (Gospel News Roundup): Mary Mary, Lecrae, Dorinda Clark Cole, & More

Published: Sunday 15th Feb 2015 by Rashad

Ever keen to broaden our musical scope, recent months have seen That Grape Juice venture into a number of new musical landscapes including, most recently, gospel.

Spearheaded by well-received interviews with gospel singers Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Twinkie Clark, Fred Hammond, Kierra Sheard, Dorinda Clark Cole, Israel Houghton, Marvin Sapp, Micah Stampley, Joshua Rogers, J. Moss, and Jonathan McReynolds, TGJ is now offering readers ‘The Overflow’ – a collection of the top gospel-themed news stories from the week.

Tuck in below for the latest news on Lecrae, Dorinda Clark Cole, Mary Mary, Dewayne Woods, Charles Jenkins, and more :

TV Trailer: ‘Mary Mary’ Season 4

We are less than three weeks away from the return of WeTV’s hit reality show ‘Mary Mary’!

As if anticipation for its reboot hasn’t already reached a feverish pitch, the women’s network is looking to ramp it up even further by unveiling its season 4 teaser.

Before seeing episode one in its entirety on March 5th, look above to see a trailer of The Marys in action.

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Erica Campbell Readies Re-Release of #1 Gospel Album ‘Help’

2014 proved itself to be quite the year for Mary Mary‘s Erica Campbell.

For, as if blasting to the #1 spot with her debut solo project ‘Help’ wasn’t enough, the songstress entered 2015 with 10 whopping Stellar award nominations (read more about that here) and a Grammy win for ‘Best Gospel Album’ at last week’s ceremony.

Now, continuing her winning streak, the gospel diva readies a re-release of her top-selling debut in the form of ‘Help 2.0.’ Featuring two new tracks – ‘I Luh God’ and ‘More Love’ (heard below) – fans looking to get their hands on the new project will have their wishes fulfilled on March 31st when it hits shelves.

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Lecrae Launches Nationwide Tour After Second Grammy Win

It must be great to be Lecrae these days.

For, much like Erica Campbell (who tapped the rapper for her album ‘Help’s title track), his 2014 was filled with a series of highs including seeing his release ‘Anomaly’ become the first and only faith-based album in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200.

Now, with last week’s Grammy win for ‘Best Contemporary Christian Song/Performance’ in tow, the hitmaking rapper is ready to hit the road again in support of his history-making project. See below for the dates and venues for the next leg of his ‘Anomaly’ tour:

Lecrae ‘Anomaly’ Tour

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New Songs: Dorinda Clark Cole – ‘Use Me’ & ‘That Name’

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We are just days away from the brand new album from That Grape Juice‘s favorite gospel diva Dorinda Clark Cole!

Titled ‘Living It,’ the album is due to hit shelves on February 17th, just one day after the legendary Clark Sister makes her reality show debut aboard Oxygen’s ‘Preachers of Detroit’ (a spinoff of hit show ‘Preachers of LA’).

Kicked off by the well-received ‘You Are’ and ballad ‘Bless This House,’ fans who need a little more convincing should tuck below to hear two dynamic tracks from the set, courtesy of our buds at GospelPundit.

Check out ‘That Name’ and ‘Use Me’ here:

‘Living It’ is Cole’s 5th solo studio album and follows 2011’s ‘I Survived.’ Click here to order on iTunes.

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New Video: Preachers of Detroit – ‘My City’ ft. Karen Clark Sheard & Deitrick Haddon

Speaking of ‘Preachers of Detroit,’ check out this amazing ode to the “Motor City” featuring the cast of the soon-to-be-hit Oxygen series.

Helmed by ‘Preachers of LA’/Detroit native Deitrick Haddon, the tune “My City,” shines with amazing performances by Dorinda Clark-Cole, her legendary sister Karen Clark Sheard, J. Moss, and many more. See it all above.

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Charles Jenkins Unveils New Album Cover

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Pastor Charles Jenkins is marching right to the top of charts with his new top ten single ‘War’!

The first single from ‘Any Given Sunday,’ the follow up to his chart-topping ‘Best of Both Worlds’ (featuring his signature song ‘Awesome’), the new project boasts guest appearances from John P. Kee, Beverly Crawford, Byron Cage, Jonathan McReynolds, and more.

Look for ‘Any Given Sunday’ to hit shelves on March 17th.

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Newcomer Norris EJ Jackson Has Fans Buzzing Over His Newest Single ‘When He Made Me’

Norris Jackson III, better known as EJ, is a Chicago-bred singer and songwriter who has already shared the stage with artists such as Paula Cole, Jonathan McReynolds, and more. Writing songs for nearly 10 years, the talented singer/songwriter lists an array of musical acts as influences from the The Beatles to Brandy.

Now, hoping to reach heights similar to those of his musical heroes, the singer/songwriter unveils ‘When He Made Me.’ Speaking on the song, Jackson shared:

“The civil right’s movement was deeper than equality. It was about people’s freedom to walk into their purpose, and live the life that God created them to live, being denied, which left them with low self esteem, limited opportunities, low income, and the inability to establish an identity. Those same problems have been passed down through the generations, and still exist to an extent today, which is why I wanted to encourage people through this song to walk into their purpose!” – Norris EJ Jackson

Get into it below:

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Dewayne Woods Storms Billboard Gospel Album Charts With New Release ‘Life Lessons’

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Gospel crooner Dewayne Woods shines as the week’s top solo artist debut with his newest album ‘Life Lessons.’ Released this week after a nearly 4 year long absence from charts, the album was kicked off by the ever-so-jamming “Friend of Mine,” featuring Anthony Hamilton and Dave Hollister.

Crashing into the #2 spot on Billboard’s Top Gospel Album charts, see how everyone else in the top five fared as well:

Various Artists – “WOW Gospel 2015”

Chart position: #1

First Week Sales: 8,331

DeWayne Woods – “Life Lessons”

Chart position: #2

First Week Sales: 1,616

Various Artists – “Billboard #1 Gospel Hits”

Chart position: #3

Weekly Sales: 1,357 / Total US Sales: 5,743

Fred Hammond – “I Will Trust″

Chart position: #3