In 1985 a number of music artists gathered together to form USA for Africa and recorded the song “We Are the World“. Ever since then, the music community has been know to come together to create a song to respond to tragedy or some type of social issue.

After 911 and Hurricane Katrina, I was looking for the Gospel community to come together to record a song, but it never happened. I’m not saying that Gospel artists were obligated to create a song for these events. I know that many artist made numerous contributions to many of the parties affected by these incidents. I must admit, songs like “We Are the World” and “We’re All in The Same Gang” set a certain level of expectation in my mind.

The Gospel Music Channel is reporting that a number of Gospel artists have come together to record a song in response to the earthquake in Haiti. During this past weekend, while in town for the Stellar Awards, Kirk Franklin spearheaded the efforts to record a song entitled “A Song For Pain”. Joining Kirk on this project are many other well-know Gospel artists like Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, Donald Lawrence, BeBe & CeCe Winans, David & Tamela Mann, Natalie Grant, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Bishop Paul Morton and many more.

I personally love collaborations. I hope this ends up being one of the highest grossing songs of all time! I don’t know when the release date is, but I will definitely keep you posted.

I am fully aware that one song will not magically change what is going on in Haiti. However, the money that is raised will help. I commend each of these artists for utilizing their gifts and talents to benefit those in need.

What do you think? Do you think this is a good way for these artists to make a contribution?

I am proud to bring you an exclusive sneak peak from BeBe & CeCe Winans’ new CD entitled Still that will be released on October 6. Check out the soul stirring track entitled “Still” and let me know what you think.

Double click the arrow below to hear “Still”.
[audio:Still.mp3]

Want more BeBe & CeCe Winans? Check out the Still album sampler. This video features new images of BeBe & CeCe set to soundtrack clips from the new album Still. Enjoy!

Get the entire Still album or download a couple of tracks on:
iTunes
Amazon.com

It has been 15 years since we last heard from BeBe & CeCe Winans as a duo. To be honest with you, I really didn’t appreciate BeBe & CeCe’s music 15 years ago. I had great respect for them. However, at the time, I was a young choir director and my biggest concern was finding music for my church choir to sing. BeBe & CeCe’s music didn’t fit that bill.

Now, I’m much more mature and my total outlook on Gospel music is different. I recently listened to BeBe & CeCe’s latest release entitled Still. After listening to the CD, I ended up having a different appreciation for the music that I neglected years ago.

A friend of mine labels BeBe & CeCe (the duo) as extremely ambiguous. You can listen to many of their songs and not know who they are singing about. Since they are BeBe & CeCe we know that they are singing about God. However, someone who is not familiar with them can easily be led to believe that they are singing about a man or a woman. Personally, when I listen to Gospel, I prefer the message to be clear. However, I am mature enough to listen to their lyrics and make the proper connection.

If you were a BeBe & CeCe fan in the past, then you will absolutely love Still. It is everything we are accustomed to hearing from BeBe & CeCe plus more. Most of the tracks were written by BeBe. Mervyn Warren, Mario Winans and Warren Campbell each produce tracks on the album, so the production and instrumentation is high quality.

Aside from not having the words “God”, “Jesus”, or “Lord” in them, the songs “Still” and “Close To You” have very good messages that speak to our connectedness with the Lord.

The album Still also included  a couple of guest appearances by Marvin Winans and Mary Mary. They lent their voices to the songs “Things” and “Let It Be” respectively. Both songs were very well done and the vocal performances did not disappoint at all.

A Quick Note to CeCe Winans Fans
CeCe Winans has been a solo artist for the last 15 years. During that time her style has evolved and she has developed a unique following. In my opinion, the CeCe Winans you have been hearing over the last couple of years is different from the CeCe Winans you’ll hear on the Still album. I’m not saying that one is better than the other.

Still does not have an emotionally charged ballad like “Alabaster Box” or high energy songs like “Pray” or “Hallelujah Praise”. The tracks on this album are much more laid back and mellow.

The Bottom Line
Like I said before, if you loved BeBe & CeCe Winans 15 years ago, you will absolutely love Still. Overall, I think this is an extremely solid project. While I found some of the rhythms to be similar in sound, the messages are positive and uplifting. Fifteen years from now I don’t think we’ll be referring to Still as a timeless CD. However, if you buy it, you definitely will not be disappointed.

Get your copy of Still by BeBe & CeCe Winans HERE. Let me know what you think about the CD once you listen to it.