Dream In Soul – Creativity for the Kingdom:

Celebrate the New Year and the start of the new decade with the Young Adult Ministry of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York at their upcoming event Unforgettable 2010: A New Year’s Red Carpet Affair. This special event caters to Christian young adults in the tri-state area and will take place at KAI Studio in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

Unforgettable 2010 is starts at 12:30 am on January 1, 2010 (directly following the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York Watch Night Service) and runs until 5am. The event will include free valet parking, a red carpet, photo wall, two live gospel music neo soul artists, Leah Smith and Melonie Daniels, a catered meal by Harlem’s soul food and Caribbean restaurant, Mobay Uptown, and will feature DJ Tony Tone for a night of dancing.

For more information on Unforgettable 2010 or The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York and to purchase tickets visit www.allencathedral.org.

Be sure to follow the young adult ministry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/allenyam for more updates and an exclusive giveaway – one Twitter follower will have the chance to win a pair of two tickets to the event.

Unforgettable seems like it will be a memorable and enjoyable way to spend the New Year. Read more about the event below in the description from The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York:

Unforgettable 2010, now in its third year, is an event created by the Young Adult Ministry of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York. The vision for Unforgettable is to provide a place for young adults to go after the New Year’s worship service at their respective churches that is full of life, energy, and excitement. Unforgettable provides a space for young adults to bring the New Year in with style.

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Check out the latest buzz in all things music…

James Fortune & FIYA’s New CD “Encore” In Stores January 26, 2010

James Fortune & FIYA will release their third CD offering, Encore in stores on January 26, 2010. The first single and title track, “Encore,” co-written by Fortune and produced by Terence Vaughn was released to both gospel and urban mainstream radio simultaneously last month.

The CD features 12 songs and features five duets with Fortune and other special guest artists including Kierra “KiKi’ Sheard on “The Greatest;” “I Need Your Glory” with William Murphy; “I Want To Praise You” with Men of Standard’s Isaac Caree; “Can’t Stop” with Nikki Ross; “Draw Me” with Anaysha Figueroa; along with a trio performance of “You Are Here” with Fortune, Men of Standard’s Lowell Pye and Zacardi Cortez. Both the CD and DVD will include a live version of the hit song, “I Trust You” from Fortune’s current and ground-breaking sophomore album The Transformation.

“The Power of One Fan” Israel and New Breed Contest

Enter “The Power of One Fan” Contest for your chance at winning $500 and an autographed copy of Israel Houghton’s entire catalog just in time for the holidays.

Simply answer 10 questions about Israel’s past works to win. A new question will be posted every weekday starting Monday, December 7th 2009 through December 17th 2009. The first person to correctly answer all 10 questions wins, and 5 runners up will also win copies of Israel’s entire catalog. All answers should be submitted after all 10 questions have been posted. The submission email address will be provided on December 17th, 2009.

To view contest rules visit: http://www.columbiarecords.com/artist/israelhoughton/facebook/rules.html.

Visit the Israel and New Breed contest page to see the trivia questions: http://www.facebook.com/IsraelHoughton

Leah Smith Fan Contest

Express yourself creatively and enter the “Feels Like I’m Running” contest presented by singer Leah Smith. Fresh off the success of her debut EP, Beautifully Made, Leah Smith is offering a way for her fans to get involved with her creative process. The “Feels Like I’m Running Contest” allows fans to interpret Smith’s latest single, Monster, for themselves.

The contest requests fans to upload 30 second video segments of their best interpretations of Monster. Smith kicks off the contest with her own homemade creative video for Monster featuring her 1-year-old niece. The best videos submitted will be selected to be shown in portions of her music video. See her video announcing the contest below:

Along with the chance to be featured in Smith’s video, the winner of the “Feels Like I’m Running” contest will receive an autographed copy of Beautifully Made EP, a framed lyric sheet of Monster with exclusive artwork from Smith’s graphic designer, and an iPod shuffle.

Each video submission must include a name and email address to be officially entered into the contest. Videos should be no longer than 30 seconds and can be uploaded to http://bit.ly/leahsmithmonster. All submissions must be received by Monday, December 21 at 11:59 p.m.

Don’t wait, submit your video today. Be sure to pick up your copy of Leah Smith’s debut EP entitled, Beautifully Made available in select stores and online via CD Baby, digstation, and iTunes. For more information on Smith’s touring schedule, visit her website at www.leahsmithmusic.com

Download “Love Like This” from Ayiesha Woods

Click here to download the Gospel Music Channel’s Free mp3 Download of the Week, “Love Like This” from Ayiesha Woods, a fresh, rock and soul infused declaration of one’s love to God:

I want to stay in Your presence all day / And I don’t care if the time slips away / There’s no place I’d rather be / When You’re here surrounding me with Your love / I’m finding out that nothing compares / With these endless moments we share / Now I have peace of mind / Fulfillment of a great kind when I’m with You / And I? I’ve never known love like this before / My heart is Yours / I… I’ve never known love like this before / You take my breath away / Lord I can’t imagine not having You here / And I find it so amazing / What I feel when You’re near / When it’s just me and You / There’s nothing that I can’t do / So take me away / I never want this to end / I am surrounded by Your love – it’s everywhere / And all that I am is Yours forever

– “Love Like This” from Ayiesha Woods’ album of the same title

Buzz From Around the Web:

Marvin Winans Jr. & Ruben Studdard Star in Musical Christmas Play

1800Gospel recently posted that Marvin Winans Jr. of the legendary Winans gospel music family and American Idol champion Ruben Studdard will be presenting an original production at Pastor Paula White’s Without Walls International Church on December 18. Find more details at 1800Gospel.com.

Clark Sisters’ Family Christmas

Don’t Miss Grammy Award Winners “The Clark Sisters” Perform Christmas Holiday Songs from their Latest CD “Clark Sisters’ Family Christmas” Tonight, Wednesday, December 16th @ 9:00pm (PST) on TBN. (From EMI Gospel)

Recent Album Release Picks

Three Songs For Christmas – Rachael Lampa

Artist Website: www.rachaellampa.com
Release Date: December 2009

Rachael Lampa’s Christmas EP “Three Songs For Christmas” is now available through an exclusive Paypal promotional offer on her website.

The EP includes such favorites as “Oh Holy Night”, and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and features a beautiful new song written by Rachael Lampa and Brendan McCarthy titled “God is With Us”. The first 500 copies will be personally signed by Rachael. Order your copy at www.rachaellampa.com.

Rachael’s EP Human is also scheduled to be released on December 22nd; visit her website and follow her on Twitter @rachael_lampa for more updates.

We all love the sounds of Christmas that get us into the spirit and remind us of the true gift of the season. Here are some great holiday albums to add to your collection:

Love, Peace, Joy at Christmas – Trin-i-tee 5:7

Trin-i-tee 5:7 presents their first Christmas album featuring soulful versions of your favorite Christmas songs, from “White Christmas” which has a jazzy atmosphere, and “Joy to the World” which fills the air with an enchanting feeling. You’ll definitely get into the Christmas spirit with the beautiful arrangements of “Give Love on Christmas Day,” “Mary Did You Know,” and songs from the live recording of the Gospel Music Channel’s “Christmas at Union Station,” including “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” The accompanying bonus DVD features the live performances of “Winter Wonderland”, “O Holy Night”, “Silent Night”, “This Christmas”, and “Christmas Song”. Click here to order the album from Amazon.

Watch the lovely live performances of the “Christmas Song,” “This Christmas,” and “Silent Night” below:

Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship – Chris Tomlin

In his premiere Christmas album Chris Tomlin shares the joyous sounds celebrating our Savior’s birth in his passionate worship style, inviting a community of worship leaders and artists to grace the special live recording as well. The album features Christmas classics including “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “O Holy Night,” “Joy to the World”, to which he wrote a new refrain, along with beautiful renditions of “Emmanuel” and “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” which features Christy Nockels. Tomlin says he desires people to experience these familiar carols as songs of worship. Click here to order the album from Amazon.

Watch Chris Tomlin below talking about the process of creating the album:

A Timeless Christmas – Israel Houghton and New Breed

A Timeless Christmas is truly a wonderfully unique Christmas album, weaving creative arrangements of traditional songs along with original melodies in the style that can only be Israel and New Breed. The album features numbers such as the “O Come,” “Put A Little Love In Your Heart,” “By Christmas Day” featuring Marvin Winans, “Silent Nocturne” featuring Lalah Hathaway and Gerald Albright and the “Christmas Worship Medley,” which blends a number of worshipful favorites like “Alpha and Omega” and “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” The second to last song is a beautifully soulful rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” featuring Marvin Winans, CeCe Winans, Matthew Ward, Lalah Hathaway, Daniel Johnson & Gerald Albright. Israel Houghton and New Breed make the songs their own, with vibrant rhythms and musical styling, making the album itself timeless and ready to be enjoyed throughout the year. Click here to order the album from Amazon, and listen to clips from the album below:
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Here are some of Dream in Soul’s favorite Christmas songs from throughout the years. You can listen to clips from the songs in the widget, and see the selections and album info below. What are some of your favorites?

Notable Quotable:
“Now as we give gifts to loved ones,
It should remind us of God’s gift to us
Jesus the King sent from the Father above…

So on every Christmas day
Remember the reason why we celebrate
Lift up your voice, make a joyful noise
Give thanks for we have been redeemed…”

– Fred Hammond, From the song “Just Remember” from Fred Hammond Christmas: Just Remember

The Songs

* Christmas Makes Me Cry – Mandisa featuring Matthew West
From the album It’s Christmas (Click for more info)

* Christmas Invitation – David & Nicole Binion
From the album When Heaven Kisses Earth (Click for more info)

* Just Remember – Fred Hammond
From the album Fred Hammond Christmas: Just Remember (Click for more info)

* Christmastime – Michael W. Smith
From the album The Ultimate Christmas Collection (Click for more info)

* Now Behold The Lamb – Kirk Franklin & The Family
From the album Kirk Franklin and the Family Christmas (Click for more info)

* O Come, All Ye Faithful – Stacie Orrico
From the album Christmas Wish (Click for more info)

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With the Christmas season upon us, homes, earbuds, and car stereos are filling with tunes, old and new, that remind us of the reason – God’s Son. “Immanuel” is a tender and encouraging anthem from Anthony Evans, and is a great addition to the Christmas rotation. The song is the single from his premiere Christmas album What Christmas Means, and the music video which was recently released is a warm visual accompaniment. Anthony’s soulful vocals and the storylines weaved within the video remind us that God’s comfort, and peace that surpasses all understanding, is present amid our trials and pain.

The album also has a mix of classic holiday favorites, like “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “This Christmas.” Visit www.anthony-evans.com to order, for tour dates, and to preview music from Anthony’s upcoming album Undisguised, to be released in January 2010.