As I have had time to really absorb the latest single from Bonnie Milne; Perception since its November 11 release my initial response seems quite lacking in its appreciation. As a staple to my classical playlists, yes I have multiple, the elegant melodies seem to leave me haunted after each listen. As a piano solo piece that features a violin and cello in the crescendo, Bonnie Milne takes a repeated melody and explores many unique concepts on top of it.

As the left hand continues to revolve the same bright, methodical yet menacing euphony the right hand becomes free to add in the colorfulness of the piece with contrast and disparity. Whether it is a complimentary run of notes or an accentuation of the downbeat the upper register provides a chilling yet comforting tone that carries this song through to its conclusion. As the theme reaches into the encapsulation phase, however, the real power and majesty begins to shine.

The treble notes become faster and blended as the notes almost take on a lyrical aspect, capturing the listener deep into the embrace of that revolving bass pattern. As the tension builds, and the listener becomes almost hypnotically engulfed by the rhythm, Bonnie Milne frees us from her grasp and enter Kevin Fox playing the cello and Shane Guse playing the violin.

This culmination of stringed instruments fills the sonic space with fervor and totality making Perception a track that instantly becomes the most played song on my classical playlist for the last three weeks. I briefed this review by alluding to the haunted feeling Perception left me with, this can not go unanswered. Although Bonnie Milne seems to be quite the master at capturing melody and articulating a theme with many articulations and expression, it really comes down to the original infusion of notes and the set up for the whole piece that becomes the basis of every note thereafter. It is the left-hand bass notes that, although meant to elicit a cheerful and jubilant response, sit deep into the foundation of the track, and hold that tension throughout.

Maybe after many listens have I uncovered the clever meaning of the track’s competent title. It is my Perception that plays havoc with my appreciation, making it all that more rewarding.

As a music educator from Canada, Bonnie Milne has arguably taught many students all about tension and release. About melody versus harmony, and about articulations and expressions. With this stand-alone single, not on an album release, Perception becomes an etude to all the elements I have mentioned. Students will be well advised to study this piece as an example of how to deliver all the performance requirements, the technical aspects, and the use of key changes, but to also make music fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking. To make music leave a mark on the listener as it did to me. As I continue to be absorbed in the works of Bonnie Milne and continue to check my own Perception, I will eagerly await the response work to this majestic piece.

Reviewed by: Lee Callaghan
Evolution Music Press

GRAMMY-nominated band MercyMe recently announced plans for a spring tour. The Always Only Jesus Tour, featuring TAYA and Micah Tyler, is set to kick off on March 2 in Utica, NY and run through April 23 with a stop in Poplar Bluff, MO. Presale begins on Monday, November 28 at 10AM local time in select markets. For more information, visit mercyme.org.

MercyMe released their 11th studio project, ALWAYS ONLY JESUS, last month. The 10-song collection is filled with the musically inventive, lyrically substantive songs that have always been the bedrock of MercyMe’s decades long career, including the project’s first single, “Then Christ Came.”  The song follows an impressive streak of 48 No. 1 radio singles that have not only fueled MercyMe’s 28-year career, but also helped define the landscape of contemporary Christian music.

Artist on the rise Riley Clemmons launched her debut Christmas tour last evening with a sold-out performance at the famed Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin, TN, her hometown and a bedroom community to Nashville.

The elegant evening featured the young singer/songwriter’s soaring yet emotive vocals on an assortment of Christmas classics accented with a handful of originals, including her Christmas hit, “The First Christmas,” which is also the name of her tour. The evening benefitted the Ryan Seacrest Foundation’s “Seacrest Studios” which reside in various pediatric hospitals across the nation.

“What an absolute dream come true to kick off the Christmas season with a sold-out hometown show, especially at the historic Franklin Theatre,” said Clemmons. “It was so surreal to debut my first Christmas tour surrounded by friends and family.”

In addition to launching Clemmons’ first ever headline Christmas tour, the concert also benefitted the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. The foundation’s primary initiative is to build broadcast media centers, named Seacrest Studios, within pediatric hospitals for patients to explore the creative realms of radio, television, and new media. The aim is to contribute positively to the healing process for children and their families during their stay by developing these centers to bring an uplifting spirit to the hospital community.

Clemmons has supported Seacrest Studios for the past few years, making appearances in the studios in various cities, including several times at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. “It was a true honor to have the privilege of celebrating and supporting my friends at the foundation throughout the evening,” said Clemmons. “I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with them many times over the past few years, and I’m so inspired by the good they’re doing in both Nashville and across the country.”

“We are incredibly thankful for the love and support Riley Clemmons has shown the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and our Seacrest Studio locations across the country,” said Meredith Seacrest, Executive Director & COO of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. “We couldn’t continue to provide such unique and fun experiences for countless patients and families without the support of the entertainment community. From studio visits with patients to curating special art projects and concerts, Riley has and continues to be a true light for families in the hospital, in what sometimes can be very dark times.”

“The First Christmas Tour” is Clemmons’ first headlining tour. Named after her hit Christmas song, the tour will hit ten cities between December 3 and December 18. For ticket information, visit rileyclemmons.com/tour.

Centricity Music celebrates the season with multiple releases from its acclaimed artist roster, all meant to bring the joy of Christmas to people everywhere. Brandon Heath, Jordan Feliz, Katy Nichole, Apollo LTD and Coby James each have holiday songs reaching the masses now through airwaves (including SiriusXM’s The Message), digital downloads and online plays around the world.

Five-time GRAMMY-nominated, eight-time Dove Award-winning Brandon Heath is joined by BEC artist Tasha Layton on the original song “God Made A Way.” Both of these artists had No. 1 radio hits from their respective albums this year (Heath’s “See Me Through It” from Enough Already and Layton’s title track from How Far) and come together for this beautiful and emotionally impactful new Christmas duet. The song and concept studio performance video at https://youtu.be/gaDxtPu_-Zw calls attention to how God made a way in a manger.

RIAA Gold-selling, Dove Award-winning pop recording artist and songwriter Jordan Feliz shares his four-song Christmas EP, Joy To The World. The EP features “Hallelujah, Our King,” which was highlighted in the Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers special that became a top box office hit in theaters over the holidays last year.

This year’s Billboard Chartbreaker and American Music Award-nominated Katy Nicholereveals her first-ever Christmas offering, “O What A King.” Written by Nichole, Heath and Jeff Pardo, the song of worship is uniquely composed from Mary’s perspective.

More new Christmas music debuts come this year from cinematic, alternative-pop duo Apollo LTD releasing its joyful “This Christmas” and accomplished, TigerBeat-featured singer, songwriter and guitarist Coby James bringing to light “What Christmas Is All About.”

Much of this new music will be heard live on tour this season with Heath and Nichole featured on star-studded legs of this year’s K-LOVE Christmas Tour and Feliz leading his Christmas favorites and more hits on his Feliz Navidad Tour that begins Dec. 9 in Tallahassee, FL.

For further information on these artists and all their latest tour, music and more news, visit https://centricitymusic.com/.

Lifetime has an excited slate of upcoming holiday movies including the original film, Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas starring Naturi Naughton, Lorea Turner and Luke James. The film is set to premiere Saturday, December 10th on Lifetime at 8PM ET. The family film was executive produced by 16x GRAMMY Winner Kirk Franklin who stars in the film as well.

FILM SYNOPSIS:
Caught in a blizzard on Christmas Eve, estranged mother and daughter Journee (Naturi Naughton) and Nia (Lorea Turner) are forced to take refuge inside a church where a handful of also-trapped parishioners are reeling from the cancellation of their annual holiday concert. The spirit of the season takes hold as Journee and Nia weather the wintry storm together with the other churchgoers, including handsome youth pastor Adam (Luke James) and a heavenly music teacher (Kirk Franklin), who motivate the mother and daughter to reconcile their differences through music, faith, and love. With the help from this unlikely yet spirited group of strangers, Journee and Nia band together to help the church salvage not only their holiday traditions, but also their show-stopping Christmas day performance, despite the raging storm outside.

CMT today announced a very special holiday episode of its iconic series “CMT Crossroads” starring Multi-Grammy Award winning duo FOR KING + COUNTRY. “CMT Crossroads Christmas: FOR KING + COUNTRY & Friends” features fellow starsBRELAND, Chrissy Metz, Natalie Grant andRebecca St. James giving captivating performances of time-honored Christmas classics. The one-hour episode is set to premiere on Monday, December 12th at10p/9c, exclusively on CMT. Encores are scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12th at 11p/10c; Sunday, Dec. 18th at 11a/10c; and a special Christmas Eve airing Saturday, Dec. 24th, at 7a/6c. 

Tune in for an evening of exciting holiday magic as FOR KING + COUNTRY add their signature pop/rock flair to Christmas hymns including “Joy To The World,” “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” “Silent Night” and more. Known for their electric onstage drumming, the duo also turns in a showstopping performance of “Little Drummer Boy.” 

In addition, FOR KING + COUNTRY (brothers Luke and Joel Smallbone) and their guests share intimate Christmas memories, family traditions and what the holiday means to them, as well as heartwarming messages of peace and hope.

FOR KING + COUNTRY reflects: “What does Christmas mean to you? For us, it sounds like the most meaningful songs ever written. It looks like different genres, family members and cultures coming together – reunited under love, joy, and the redemption of a baby boy. We linked arms with our Country Comrades at CMT to put together a special night that does just that… grateful.” 

Multi-Grammy Award winning duo and Curb | Word Entertainment recording artist FOR KING + COUNTRY received a 2023 nomination for the upcoming 65^th Grammy with Hillary Scott of Lady A for their recently released song, “For God Is With Us”. The single is up for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song” for the award show that will take place on February 5 and marks the seventh Grammy nomination of their career (with four wins).  

FOR KING + COUNTRY garnered the 2022American Music Award for “Favorite Inspirational Artist;” received a Billboard Award nomination for “Top Christian Artist,” and three Dove Awards wins this year for their latest album, “WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?”  The album debuted earlier this year in the Top 10 (#7) on the Billboard 200.  

“CMT Crossroads Christmas: FOR KING + COUNTRY & Friends” is executive produced by CMT’s Margaret Comeaux and John Hamlin of Switched On Entertainment. The Executives in Charge of Production are Jackie Barba and Heather D. Graffagnino. Leslie Fram is Executive in Charge of Talent; Shanna Strassberg is Talent Producer.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, “CMT Crossroads” will mark the occasion later this month with the landmark return of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss in “CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss” premiering Tuesday, Nov. 29th.

Justin Aaron offered a powerful cover of a gospel classic during the Top 13 Live Playoffs of NBC’s singing competition show The Voice on Monday, November 21st.

You can view his live performance of Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s “Break Every Chain” below. To find out if Aaron advances to the Top 10, tune into The Voice tonight at 8pm ET on NBC.

BEC Recordings artist Jordan St. Cyr swept the GMA Canada Covenant Awards, winning the most out of any other nominees. Held virtually this past weekend, singer/songwriter St. Cyr won an astounding six Covenant Awards for the 42nd annual event, including Artist of the Year as well as Album and Male Vocalist of the Year. He also won for best Pop Song, Live Music Artist, and AC Artist of the Year.

“Receiving 6 Covenant Awards tonight was truly incredible!” St. Cyr shared on his social media accounts. “Thank you Lord for the team You’ve surrounded me with and the songs You’ve put in my heart.”

St. Cyr will wrap his 2022 when he embarks on the annual K-LOVE Christmas Tour with Crowder, Matt Maher, and Katy Nichole, kicking off November 30. Along with performing a few holiday favorites, he will get to share his new holiday single, “The Wait Is Over” (listen HERE). Be sure to visit his tour page for the latest tour dates.

Multi-Grammy Award winning duo and Curb | Word Entertainment recording artist FOR KING + COUNTRY garnered the 2022 American Music Award for “Favorite Inspirational Artist.” The annual awards ceremony is entirely fan-voted each year and nominees are based on key fan interactions — as reflected on the Billboard charts — including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses. The 2022 American Music Awards aired at 8 p.m. on ABC live from Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Nov. 20.

“As two Australian chaps from the southern hemisphere, never did we think we’d see the day we would win an American Music Award,” says FOR KING + COUNTRY. “This award represents all who were born in another land, who took a leap of faith and moved to make a new life for your family and loved ones. Sharing these stories with you for you for the last decade and watching them become your own has been the honor of our lifetime. Thank you for your votes, and for your consistent kindness to us.”

Adding to their recent AMA accolade, the duo also received a 2023 Grammy Award nomination with Hillary Scott of Lady A for their collaborative single, “For God Is With Us”. The song is up for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song” for the 65^th annual awards show that will take place on Feb. 5. This marks the seventh Grammy nomination of their career (with four wins).

To usher in the holiday season, FOR KING + COUNTRY will embark on their 14-city “A DRUMMER BOY CHRISTMAS | THE 2022 TOUR EXPERIENCE.” The 10^th annual tour kicks off on Nov. 26. in Kansas City, Mo. at T-Mobile Center and culminates in the duo’s hometown of Nashville, Tenn. with a sold-out show and worldwide livestream event at the Opry House on Dec. 18, followed by a special encore performance at the Opry on Dec. 19. Order tickets HERE.

 In addition, fans can catch Joel and Luke Smallbone in their upcoming U.S. and Canadian 2023 “What Are We Waiting For?  The Tour Part II” that kicks off on March 25 in Honolulu, Hawaii and continues through May 31 in Vancouver, BC.  Order tickets HERE.

Just in time to get us all excited about the upcoming holiday season, Dallas native Lady Redneck brings us her take on a timeless classic with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

This scaled-down, slow-tempo aria is a testament to the power and control Lady Redneck, aka Stephanie Lee has over her mezzo-soprano vocal range. Coupled with a simple arpeggiated acoustic guitar melody, Lady Redneck takes a more Acappella route in delivering this rendition of a holiday favorite.

The effective use of vibrato comes through as Stephanie slows down each passage and adds a slight trill to each passing phrase. This helps fill the listening field where instrumentation would normally sit. A traditionally Christian Country performer, Lady Redneck offers yet more diversity to her catalog with this single release. Previous tracks like I Dented Your Truck, and Livin’ In the USA feature emblematic and characteristic upbeat country jams, while tracks such as Come Thou Fount and You First Love Me offer a romantic and classic
approach to her art.

With Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas we have a well-known song that fans all around the world can sing along to, yet are going to be marveled at the sheer power this performance carries, especially at high volumes. One thing that really does stand out is Lady Redneck’s continued control over timing.

This track is meant to elicit an angelic response in its listener and the slow, methodical delivery of each phrase slightly behind the beat builds massive amounts of tension that Stephanie Lee is able to release with each cadence resolution.

It is this syncopation of the perceived tempo and familiar melody that Lady Redneck plays with that keeps the audience hanging off every phrase. Not unfamiliar with releasing holiday songs, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas joins Last Christmas in Lady Redneck’s growing catalog of hits. The production on this track is very well executed as each phrase and note is allowed to carry out over the listening spectrum with clarity. The guitar sits very neatly into the lower register allowing the vocals to travel up and down her performance range and complimenting each lyric being set up. Being shared with her over one million followers this holiday gem is sure to garner attention from commercial radio stations, and other serious industry investors. As we get ready to deck the halls and light our trees, Lady Redneck provides us with a reflective piece at this time of year. A soft, delicate, yet powerful track to remind us of the beauty to be found over the holidays and the importance of remembering that peace can be found with the right approach. A very enjoyable track, and one that should be heard promptly as we approach the hectic time of the season.

Reviewed by: Lee Callaghan
Evolution Music Press