Artists & Music Billboard. DECEMBER 20, 1997 To p Gospel Albums..

ground with the February release of "Woman, Thou Compiled from a national sample of retail store and rack sales SoundScan Art 6 w reports collected, compiled, and provided by l Loosed!," which has since sold upward of 500,000 copies. ilia ARTIST TITLE Following suit was Dr. Beverly "BAM" Crawford, whose á ,T 3 IMPRINT & NUMBER DISTRIBUTING LABEL Harmony Records debut, "The King Is Coming Any Day!," received a warm reception. * * No. 1 * *

Not surprisingly, gospel became more multimedia in its i 1 29 GOD'S PROPERTY FROM KIRK FRANKLIN'S NU NATION B -RITE 90093 28 weeks al No. I reach. There were inroads on Broadway with "This Is My /INTERSCOPE GOD'S PROPERTY Song," which starred Tramaine Hawkins, Cissy Houston, 2 2 6 BEBE WINANS ATLANTIC 83041/AG BEBE WINANS and Shirley Caesar and enjoyed an impressive limited run. 5 54 SOUNDTRACK A' ARISTA 18951 THE PREACHER'S WIFE by Lisa Collins And Al Wash's Tour of Life, which became the most com- O mercially successful tour in gospel history. 4 4 5 KAREN CLARK -SHEARD ISLAND 524397 MI FINALLY KAREN

A YEAR OF MIRACLES: From the miracle recovery of BeBe Winans stepped behind the camera into the role THE NEW LIFE COMMUNITY CHOIR FEAT. JOHN R KEE 5 3 7 Kirk Franklin after his headfirst fall into a stadium orches- of TV producer with the recent taping of his hourlong TV NEW LIFE 43108NERITY ® STRENGTH pit, 14 VARIOUS ARTISTS tra to Ron Winans' -hour life- threatening heart special, "Bringin' In The Holidays With BeBe Winans & 12 40 surgery to the platinum success of God's Property in a feat Friends," while Universal Television snagged Franklin to © TODAY'S GOSPEL MUSIC COLLECTION 10 DONALD LAWRENCE FEAT. THE TRI -CITY SINGERS never accomplished by a gospel 1997 15 5 debut act, was a year produce and star in a comedy series that will bow next year. CRYSTAL ROSE 20178 HELLO CHRISTMAS of miracles. It was a year of affirmation even to gospel insid- B -Rite Records came from out of the blue to score plat- 17 25 OLETA ADAMS HARMONY ers that what they were singing about was just as worthy of inum with God's Property, which slammed onto The Bill- ® 1601 COME WALK WITH ME

shouting about. board 200 at No. 3 with 119,000 units in sales. This was cou- 9 6 85 KIRK FRANKLIN AND THE FAMILY GOSPO CENTRIC 72127 WHATCHA LOOKIN' 4 While labels like Holy Roller and First -Lite Records pled with a high retail profile and premium MTV rotation 18 24 VICKIE WINANS CGI 161279 struggled for airplay and shelf space with acts like Doc its first week out, while also opening doors on high- visibil- 10 LIVE IN DETROIT McKenzie and the Los Angeles Voices Watts, the ity TV shows. THE CANTON SPIRITUALS Of year With a whopping 11,050 in sales the first week D. 9 21 was marked by the domination of gospel's major labels, out, John P. Kee proved he was still a major contender with VERITY 43021 CM LIVING THE DREAM: LIVE IN WASHINGTON D.C. THE MOTOR CITY MASS CHOIR which churned out hit hit in what is his 7 after being termed by latest release, "Strength." A 20% increase in sales across 12 9 INTEGRITY/WORD 68144/EPIC SHOUT IN THE HOUSE WITH THE MOTOR CITY MASS CHOIR some as the urbanization of gospel. It's a trend that contin- the board from artists like Kee, Franklin, Hammond, and 8 8 WILLIAM BECTON FRIENDS COI 161318 ues to spiral upward to a greater level of commercial suc- Caesar is fast making believers out of the industry at large 13 & HEART OF A LOVE SONG cess, propelled by a cadre of image- conscious and highly as well as Christian mainstream retail. 14 14 30 VIRTUE VERITY 43020 VIRTUE stylized gospel acts who've carved out a niche for themselves The have rules of creative expression been rewritten. No FRED HAMMOND & RADICAL FOR CHRIST 15 13 80 while dispelling the age -old notion of gospel as the music of longer are labels afraid to put the full weight of their mar- VERITY 43046 III§ THE SPIRIT OF DAVID choice for one's grandmother. keting behind a record that has "Jesus" in it. Today's gospel 16 16 58 DONNIE MCCLURKIN WARNER ALLIANCE 46297 DONNIE MCCLURKIN With Zomba Music Group's acquisition of Benson in Feb- artists enjoy greater creative bounds and as a direct result HEZEKIAH WALKER & THE LOVE FELLOWSHIP CRUSADE CHOIR 11 30 ruary, New York -based Verity Records (Zomba's gospel have become bolder, more open, and less restrictive in their 17 VERITY 43023 LIVE IN LONDON AT WEMBLEY arm) had become gospel's largest major. Traditional, pio- expressions of faith. That is the biggest growth of all: An 18 20 58 BEBE & CECE WINANS SPARROW 37048/EMI neering labels like Tyscot got creative in order to stay com- industry that has found its force in the collected strength of GREATEST HITS T.. JAKES petitive in their launching of specialty projects like the "We greater numbers across the board finds its true measure 19 19 43 NTEDGRI TY -WORD 67931 /EPIC T.D. JAKES PRESENTS MUSIC FROM WOMAN, THOU ART LOOSED! Sing ... Gospel's Greatest Hymns" series. of success is more than a confirmation of market share. It's Bishop T.D. Jakes-the most-requested evangelist on also a matter of spirit grounded in the manifestation of the 20 24 2 RICHARD SMALLWOOD WITH VISION VERITY 43097 REJOICE the nation's African- American religious front -forged new miracles that have made gospel's message all too real. 21 21 32 SHIRLEY CAESAR WORD 68003 /EPIC® A MIRACLE IN HARLEM

22 i0 i0 ANGIE AND DEBBIE ATF 9760 /DIAMANTE BOLD VARIOUS ARTISTS 27 15 23 PLATINUM /LIGHT 161304/CGI GOSPEL'S GREATEST HITS VOLUME III

24 22 58 ANOINTED WORD 67804 /EPIC® UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Upshaw -are first-rate. 25 29 74 YOLANDA ADAMS VERITY 43027 YOLANDA LIVE IN WASHINGTON RICHARD SMALLWOOD WITH VISION 28 26 84 VERITY43015 ADORATION: LIVE IN ATLANTA KEEPING FRIENDS OF ITALIAN OPERA: Philips Classics has a CARLTON PEARSON 26 43 new Covent Garden "Don Carlo," led by Bernard Haitink, 21 WARNER ALLIANCE 46354 EBI LIVE AT AZUSA 2 PRECIOUS MEMORIES that is especially strong in the guy department: Roberto 28 34 29 THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS BLACKBERRY 1618/MALACO STILL STANDING SCORE Scandiuzzi is an unusually anguished and expressive Phillip II, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Rodrigo) and Richard Mar - 29 31 22 DOTTIE PEOPLES ATLANTA INT'L 10233 TESTIFY gison (Carlo) are a match for him. The only disappointment 30 33 28 ANDRAE CROUCH ()WEST 45924/WARNER BROS. PRAY by Heidi Waleson is the hooting of Galina Gorchakova (Elisabeth). 31 23 38 KURT CARR SINGERS GOSPO CENTRIC 72138 NO ONE ELSE H OLIDAY LISTS: If you're as behind with holiday shop- FRIENDS OF KURT WEILL: You can't get much more 32 30 30 MARVIN SAPP WORD 68039 /EPIC GRACE AND MERCY ping as I invariably am, here's help: a few recent releases authentic than Lotte Lenya singing Kurt Weill, and Sony BEN TANKARD & TRIBE OF BENJAMIN that could do the trick, provided you've got your recipients' (Masterworks Heritage) has a lovingly rendered disc of 25 17 33 VERITY 43095 GIT YO PRAYZE ON categories straight. Lenya doing "The Seven Deadly Sins" and the "Berlin The- MISSISSIPPI MASS CHOIR 37 79 ater Songs," recorded in Hamburg in 1956 and 1957. Joel 34 MALACO 6022 EM I'LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE FANS OF DEAD CONDUCTORS: The obvious choice is Cohen of the Boston Camerata, better known for Shakers, BAM CRAWFORD'S PURPOSE 35 32 26 Teldec's new video, "The Art Of Conducting: Legendary angels, and Americana, has transformed his group into the HARMONY 1600 THE KING IS COMING ANY DAY! Conductors Of A Golden Era," a companion volume to the Otaré Pit Band for "Music For `Johnny Johnson' " (Erato), 36 RE -ENTRY BRODERICK E. RICE BORN AGAIN 1017 /PANDISC THE PREACHER'S SON label's earlier "Great Conducting Of The Past." This ver- based on a new performing edition of Weill's first (and sion looks in more depth than the first video did at six con- almost forgotten) Broadway show. CD RE -ENTRY WANDA NERO BUTLER SOUND OF GOSPEL 223 ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD ductors: Sergiu Celibidache, Wilhelm THE WILLIAMS SISTERS Furtwängler, 38 RE -ENTRY Erich Kleiber, Willem Mengelberg, Evgeny Mravinsky, EARLY-MUSIC FANS: Frans Brüggen and the Orches- FIRST LITE 4003 LIVE ON THE EAST COAST -LET EVERY EAR HEAR JAMES HALL & WORSHIP AND PRAISE and Charles Munch, using longer clips and commentary tra Of The Eighteenth Century have ventured success- 39 35 21 COI 161278 ...ACCORDING TO JAMES HALL - CHAPT. III from such musical personalities as Bernard Haitink and fully into the 19th music for century with Mendelssohn's RONNIE BRYANT & THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY MASS CHOIR 4O RE -ENTRY Yehudi Menuhin. "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as well as into self -pro- TYSCOT 161310/CGI HE'S A KEEPA'

duction with their own label, the Grand Tour, distributed C -) Records with the greatest sales gains this week. Recording Industry Assn. Of America (RIAA) certification fo safes of 500,000 units; RIAA certification for sales of 1 million units with each additional million indicated by a FAMOUS SOLOISTS, FAMOUS ORCHESTRAS: The by Glossa (Qualiton in the U.S.). Astrée has an eloquent disc numeral following the symbol. For boxed sets, and double albums with a running time that exceeds two hours, the RIAA multiplies shipments by the number of discs and/or tapes. All albums available on cassette and CD. *Asterisk indicates major labels haven't really given up on famous soloists doing of Jean -Marie Leclair's sonatas for violin and continuo, vinyl available. II indicates past or present Heatseeker titles. ® 1997, Billboard /BPI Communications, standard repertoire with famous orchestras, despite all performed by François Fernandez, violin; Pierre Hantaï, their protestations to the contrary. We can still enjoy such harpsichord; and Philippe Pierlot, viola da gamba. And treats as Murray Perahia, Claudio Abbado, and the don't forget "Palestrina" and "The Tudor Collection," those Berlin Philharmonic performing Schumann's complete two midprice Tallis Scholars boxes from Philips Classics. Uìsìt Billboard online works for piano and orchestra (Sony Classical). For a slight- on the Internet ly more modern twist on the genre, check out Gidon Kre- KIDS: "Nutcracker" tickets too pricey? The Minnesota mer playing the Brahms Violin Concerto with Nikolaus Orchestra has produced a 50- minute version of the tale, Harnoncourt and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra "Nutcracker: The Untold Story," which uses dance, com- http: / /wwwbillboardcom (Teldec) -it's all pure tone and sinew, without a hint of puter- animated drawings by Maurice Sendak, and the Industry news and announcements updated daily schmaltz. Minnesota Orchestra under Eije Oue playing the Weekly Trivia Contest - win prizes Tchaikovsky score (abbreviated) to tell the original E.T.A. Billboard Sneak Peek FRIENDS OF FRENCH OPERA: Erato's new "Werther" Hoffmann story, "The Hard Nut." Keith Jochim, doubling Weekly Charts with Music Samples makes Kent Nagano's departure from the Opera Nation- as the narrator and Drosselmeier, is a bit over the top, as is Hot Products - updated weekly al De Lyon all the more regrettable. The conductor has a Pamela Hill Nettleton's verse narration, but it's certainly firm grasp of this sometimes elusive material, and his kid -friendly, and there's an interesting behind- the -scenes Questions? Call: 212-536-1402/1-800-449-1402 soloists -Jerry Hadley, Anne Sofie von Otter, and Dawn hit at the end. e mail: infocezThillboard- online.com

30 BILLBOARD DECEMBER 20, 1997 www.americanradiohistory.com