A Fantastic Night of Praise in LA
I walked to the stage at the Los Angeles Forum, ready to get it started! “Victory” by Tye Tribbett & G.A. was playing in the arena and as I approached backstage, I couldn’t help but do a little “c-walking” for Jeff, our stage manager. I’m not sure that he knew what I was doing, but I was just feeling the West Coast energy! The 10,102 people in the audience were feeling it too! You could hear everyone singing along, “Oh, oh, Oh-oh, oh.” The song faded, the lights went out, the crowd roared, and host Donald Lawrence took to the stage to open Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound “The Search for the Best Church Choir in America!” What a great show opening! Donald looked extra fly (as usual) in this custom made navy suit, and some matching YSL sneakers. So fly. Plus, he did his thing like the pro he is, engaging the audience and getting everyone on their feet. LA was loving it!
The crowd gave me lots of love, and I neither tripped, nor said the wrong city name, so I was thrilled! The audience was also hyped at the intro of the judges. Tonight, we had resident judge Pastor Marvin Sapp, and guest judges Angel Taylor, Chanelle Haynes and Adrian Anderson, better known as Trin-i-tee 5:7. The ladies were in the house and the boys are finally outnumbered! Trin-i-tee 5:7 looked beautiful and I was very excited about having them with us and hearing them sing.
First though, we’ve got some choir business to take care of, and they definitely took care of business tonight! In the small choir category Christ Our Redeemer AMEC Cor-ale, from Christ Our Redeemer AME Church of Irvine opened the choir portion of the show. The soloist began “For Every Mountain” with a perfect vocal. The choir joined her and - what strength! I loved when the choir broke out the sign language; it added such a poetical touch and showed such unison. In fact, this choir showcased their unity and their cultural diversity. It was such a great picture of heaven! I don’t think we’ve had anyone begin the small choir category with that song before, but as Donald Lawrence said, “What a wonderful way to start!” The atmosphere was set for a fantastic night of praise!
Next was Christian’s Community Center Cathedral Choir. This choir brought the energy from jump performing “You Brought the Sunshine” with a club, house beat behind it. Quite a unique take on the song. They had intricate choreography accenting every word. Angel Taylor commented on their “great energy” and Marvin Sapp appreciated the fact that they flipped a Clark Sisters song and added their own flair to it.
Third we had St. Stephen MBC Mass Choir and they opened strong with “Shabach”. So far the LA choirs are coming for real with the dance moves and originality and this choir was no exception. They had a great band and they were ready to praise. Marvin Sapp said, “Y’all came to have church, even if nobody else does.” So true. They were lifting up the Lord in a major way. It’s funny, the LA choir directors were bringing so much energy that they were out of breath at the conclusion of the performance! Donald was making jokes about walking really slowly to the judges table so that they could catch their breath. However, once they got there, the judges were all smiles; with Chanelle saying that “they took her back to her New Orleans roots and reminded her of that small church choir that had a good old time Sunday mornings.”
Closing out the small choir category was Valley Crossroads Chorale from Valley Crossroads Seventh Day Adventist Church singing “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit.” This choir performed a’cappella in true SDA style. The soloist had a very operatic soprano voice, reminding the judges of the great Kathleen Battle. This choir had intricate harmonies and a passionate sound and when they were finished the crowd gave them a huge round of applause and a standing ovation!
Trin-i-tee 5:7 performed twice tonight and it was such a treat! They rocked it, bringing their unique style of gospel music to HSTS. They sang “I Need You” and “Listen” and they sounded fantastic. These ladies can flat out sing! I was wishing I had my sneakers on so I could dance backstage. Of course, they were able to expertly dance on stage in 4 inch heels, but all of us aren’t able; namely me.
Resident judge Pastor Marvin Sapp also performed and this is how it went. The voice over says “Please welcome Marvin Sapp and the crowd goes wild. He sings the first line “Never Would’ve Made It” and the crowd goes even wilder. He sings the rest of the song and the crowd is BALLISTIC! People get set free, delivered, encouraged, uplifted and moved by the gift of this awesome singer. That pretty much sums it up!
Ok, the second half of the choir competition is the large choir category and WOW, LA continued to bring it! At the intro of City of Refuge’s choir P.S.A.L.M.S., the crowd went nuts! They definitely know this choir. They opened “Souled Out” in theatrical and near a’cappella fashion showcasing their huge sound. Then they brought in the band and the crowd was on their feet and so into it! I could tell Donald was really getting a kick out of this unique take on the song that he produced. P.S.A.L.M.S. did all kinds of things with that song, changing the chords, switching styles; they broke it down into half-time and took us to the sanctuary! The energy was so crazy - the entire stage was rocking back and forth. I mean literally, the actual stage was moving. They were amazing, earning Marvin’s 3 word salute, “Sick, Sick, SICK!”
Second, from New Direction Community Church Of God In Christ came the Unity Choir. They looked lovely in lavender and purple robes and they sang “God Favored Me” with such conviction. I loved their mass choir sound. Our judges enjoyed them as well. Adrian called it “Beautiful and moving”. Chanelle commented on their articulation and how she could hear every word, closing with, “It touched my heart.” Angel spoke of how much she enjoyed it and that it meant a lot to her.
Our final choir in the large choir category was Mt. Rubidoux SDA Church Choir singing “Anthem of Praise” Their opening paid homage to their Seventh Day Adventist a’cappella heritage. Their sound was so strong! Once the music started they jumped right in with the choreography and they were doing some really cool stuff! When it got to the part, “Oh be joyful, all ye people…” when they sing in the round, they did their choreography in the round as well. It was awesome and the crowd loved them! They reminded Chanelle of Sister Act 2 and she said it was “majestic.” Pastor Marvin thought the band was off the chain!
Before I announce the winners, I have to tell you about the most amazing occurrence tonight! Brace yourself. I went into the house to introduce to the crowd the young people who performed at the Youth Gospel Showcase earlier today. There’s so much going on in the lobby before the show: the Showcase, Gospel Karaoke, an original art exhibit of pieces commissioned by Verizon Wireless exclusively for How Sweet The Sound - there’s awesome entertainment before the show. So.., yes, I was standing, listening to Donald Lawrence expertly encourage the LA audience, and as he closes, he announces that his friend Stevie Wonder was in the house! His FRIEND! STEVIE WONDER! OMG. How Sweet the Sound is doing big things! Donald asked him to sing, and I had to hold on to the railing so that I didn’t fall down the steps. Such a dream! I love him so. It was an unbelievable surprise, but like I’ve said before, you never know what can happen at How Sweet The Sound!
The competition was fierce tonight and I was as anxious as the audience to hear who the winners were. In the Small Choir category, Crossroads SDA Church Choir took home the title and a check for $10,000! City of Refuge P.S.A.L.M.S. Choir were the big winners tonight, winning the V CAST People’s Choice Award and a check for $5,000! They also took home the award for Best Large Choir and a check for $10,000! They were our Overall Regional Winners tonight! The choir was so excited and the crowd was so behind them and ready to see their choir represent in the finale in Detroit on Nov 7th! Mt. Rubidoux was our HopeLine winner tonight, winning a check for $1,000! All of the choirs were incredible and Verizon Wireless celebrated them and all of their hard work by rewarding each choir with a minimum of $3,000!
It was an incredible evening of celebration, and you could really tell that the LA community came out to have a great time and support these incredible choirs. I really had a wonderful time. Saturday, October 10th we’re in Oakland, Ca at the Oracle Arena and I’m definitely ready to see what the Bay Area is bringing. Tickets are on sale. Just $5-7, so get yours. Also, the finale is going to be ridiculous, so you definitely want to be there. Make plans to be in Detroit, November 7th!
