The Overflow (Gospel News Round-Up): Micah Stampley, Mali Music, Jennifer Hudson, Donald Lawrence, & More

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, Fred Hammond, Kierra Sheard, Dorinda Clark Cole, Israel Houghton, and more, 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 Donald Lawrence, Jennifer Hudson, Paul Porter (with Ruben Studdard & Leandria Johnson), Mali Music, and much more…

Sampler: Mali Music’s ‘Mali Is…’ EP

As reported here , ‘Second Coming’ hitmaker Mali Music is coming with ‘Mali Is…’, a new EP that has already built much buzz and easily serves as one of the most anticipated gospel offerings of the year.

Kicked off with ‘Ready Aim’, this week brought with it an EP sampler to give fans a taste of all that ‘Mali Is…’ brings with it.

Check it out below…

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New Song: Jennifer Hudson feat. Jacob Lattimore – ‘Be Grateful’

‘And I Am Telling You’ wailer Jennifer Hudson may have stunned audiences with her John Legend-assisted live rendition of Walter Hawkin‘s gospel classic ‘Be Grateful’ years ago (as seen here), but now the songstress has taken her awe-inspiring rendition of the tune to record.

Teaming with ‘Black Nativity’ co-stars Forest Whitaker and Jacob Latimore for the first single from the motion picture’s soundtrack, the song shows off Hudson’s ever-present gospel stylings in ways like never before.

The soundtrack, available for pre-order on iTunes starting October 15, and in stores on November 5, precedes the star-studded film that boasts a cast of Hudson, Jacob Latimore, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Tyrese Gibson, Nas, Luke James and more (in theaters November 27th).

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Micah Stampley Unveils New Album Cover

Barely a month separates fans of ‘Corinthian Song’ crooner Micah Stampley and his newest album ‘Love Never Fails’. Set to hit shelves November 12th, the ‘Our God’-led album rings in as Stampley’s Motown Gospel debut and fifth album overall.

Getting fans amped up for its release, Stampley shared the album’s cover and accompanying tracklist this week. See that below:

‘Love Never Fails’ Tracklist

1. We Will Praise You
2. Oh Give Thanks
3. He Love Me (feat Chevelle Franklyn)
4. Our God
5. Love Never Fails (feat Sheri Jones-Moffett)
6. Come to Jesus
7. Destiny
8. The Greatest
9. Let The Church Rise
10. Zion
11. You Raise Me Up ( Bonus Track)

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New Song: Paul Porter ft. Ruben Studdard and Leandria Johnson

Seems Mariah Carey isn’t the only one fond of 80s power rock tune ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’.

The inspirational number has been remade with a gospel twist by legendary crooner Paul Porter (of the Christianaires) and ‘American Idol’ winner Ruben Studdard alongside ‘Sunday Best’ winner Leandria Johnson. The dynamic trio take listeners to task as a soul stirring combination of ‘good sangin’ and transform the secular tune into a message of uplift.

One of many gems featured on Porter’s forthcoming album ‘F.R.E.E.’ (due October 29th), press play below to fall in love with “I Want To Know What Love Is” redone right…

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Donald Lawrence Tops Billboard Gospel Charts With ‘Best’ Album

As reported here, Donald Lawrence lists his latest chart-topper as ‘Best For Last’ – a new album commemorating his 20 years as one of gospel’s top forces. The first volume of the anniversary set swiftly topped Itunes tallies this week indicating it was a shoo-in for Billboard’s top spot upon its refreshing.

That prediction proved itself true as Lawrence’s latest – featuring the likes of Yolanda Adams and R&B divas Kelly Price, Faith Evans, Lalah Hathaway, Coko, landed right at #1 on Billboard Gospel charts this week.

This week’s top 5 listing below (via our buds at The GospelGuru):

Donald Lawrence – “Best For Last”

Chart position: #1

First Week Sales: 13,483

Earnest Pugh – “The W.I.N. (Worship In Nassau) Experience”

Chart position: #2

Weekly Sales: 4,684/Total US Sales: 12,717

Tye Tribbett – “Greater Than”

Chart position: #3

Weekly Sales: 3,113/Total US Sales: 70,675

Tamela Mann – “Best Days”

Chart position: #4

Weekly Sales: 3,062/Total US Sales: 326,322

Tasha Cobbs – “Grace”

Chart position: #5

Weekly Sales: 2,398/Total US Sales: 101,080

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Gospel Throwback Jam of the Week: Anita Baker & The Winans – ‘Ain’t No Need To Worry’