Armstead Ford: ‘I’m proud that I did what God told me to do,’

Gospel Reviews by Robert M. Marovich

‘…musical variety, simple messages of faith, bright singing, and authentic energy’

MY TRUTH

Emmanuel Dickson

Harmon3 Records (released September 26, 2025)

Review by Robert M. Marovhich

Emmanuel Dickson is a gospel artist from Lagos, Nigeria, but those expecting African beats and other musical touches on his debut album, My Truth, will discover it to be thoroughly saturated with the melodies, style, and arrangements of American P&W and contemporary gospel.

Not surprising: Dickson’s inspirations include Kirk Franklin and Donald Lawrence, and their influence is felt here as if they are directing the recording. For example, “Finally Free,” which is based in part on John 8:36, features perky Kirk Franklin-esque keyboard triplets and sassy singing from the background vocalists. Dickson even delivers spoken interjections like Franklin, as Jaddah offers a lovely soprano vocal. On the other hand, the conversational “Knowing You” gives listeners a chance to hear Dickson’s calm, introspective singing, complete with acoustic guitar accompaniment. The title track emerges seamlessly from “Knowing You” and closes the album. In this sermonette, Dickson offers his truth: “I am loved by God and that will always be enough.”

‘My Truth,’ Emmaneul Dickson, title song from his new album

‘Table for Me’ (featuring Rume), Emmaneul Dickson, from My Truth

The female vocalists really sell the album. Jaddah features on “I Believe,” a gentle declaration of faith that borrows liberally from CCM balladry. “Already Done” is a hypnotically contemplative P&W piece with a beautiful vocal duet between Ohizua and Rume. Rume’s dynamic singing on “Table for Me” is one of the album’s high points. The song’s lyrics blend the message of Psalm 23:5 (“You prepare a table for me in the midst of my enemies”) with a reprise of the declaration from John 8:36 of “if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”

“I’m Yours” has a modern gospel rhythm, as does “The Affirmation,” though the latter is too derivative of modern gospel in arrangement and lyric to stand out among the other tracks.

All told, My Truth offers musical variety, simple messages of faith, bright singing, and authentic energy.

Picks: “Already Done,” “I Believe,” “Table For Me”

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‘Its foundation is fixed solidly in a soulful past’

ANTHEMS OF HOPE

Armstead Ford & Calvin Ivy

God’s Harvesters (released: August 1, 2025)

Review by Robert M. Marovich

Armstead Ford is an independent artist with an old soul.

The St. Louis-born singer-songwriter prefers the old songs of Zion, as well as newly composed songs written and arranged in the traditional style. Anthems of Hope, Ford’s new release featuring fellow singer Calvin Ivy, showcases his fealty to traditional gospel.

Of the album’s ten tracks, two in particular merit special attention. One is Ford’s “I’m Gonna Sail Away.” We hear him delivering this unaccompanied spiritual-like piece at his mother’s funeral, held in April 2023 at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. Four months later, Ford found himself singing the song at his father’s home going service.

‘I’m Gonna Sail Away,’ Armstead Ford, from Anthems of Hope

‘I Know I’ve Been Blessed,’ Calvin Ivy & God’s Harvesters, from Anthems of Hope

‘Jesus Poured His Love Down on Me,’ Armstead Ford and Calvin Ivy, from Anthems of Hope

The second is also an a cappella song, this one called “I Know I’ve Been Blessed,” with Calvin Ivy fronting God’s Harvesters, a quartet comprised of Ivy, Ford, Finas White, Andre Redding, and Warren Gilmore. What’s particularly striking about “I Know I’ve Been Blessed” is the bass voice that anchors the sound in the postwar quartet tradition. Unfortunately, outside of southern gospel, the bass voice has been all but supplanted by the electric bass. Nevertheless, a bass voice brings such richness to a song, including this one, that its exclusion is a deficit in modern quartet singing.

The album also includes “Jesus Poured His Love Down,” which was Ford’s debut single, and “Have Mercy, O Grace,” a duet with Calvin Ivy and a February 2024 JGM Pick of the Week. Besides the wooden-church-on-the-hill fare, Ford offers the contemporary “I Was the Prodigal Son.”

Although the studio version of “I’m Gonna Sail Away” and the instrumental at the end of the album could easily have been replaced with more songs like the congregational call-and-response “King Jesus Did,” Anthems of Hope sounds like a Bible & Tire release. Its foundation is fixed solidly in a soulful past.

Picks: “I’m Gonna Sail Away,” “I Know I’ve Been Blessed

Armstead Ford on the Origin of ‘Jesus Poured His Love Down’

Armstead Ford

“I’ve never had a thought in my mind about creating music, but this is a calling from God,” says Ford. “This song came to me during a dream where I was sitting in my church, listening to the choir sing. When I woke up, I quickly recorded the initial lyrics that I remembered, and the rest unfolded from there.”

“Jesus Poured His Love Down” attempts to capture the sudden feeling of love that Ford felt from God. Ford describes, “This song is about a sudden overwhelming love sweeping over me—when Jesus poured His love down on me. It’s a feeling that I want others to experience too.” The track’s mood is spiritually uplifting and hopeful, designed to inspire listeners and fill them with a renewed sense of God’s care for them. Ford hopes that through his music, listeners will be spiritually uplifted and motivated to live for Jesus.

For Ford, this release represents both a personal and spiritual breakthrough. Despite not being involved in music production or songwriting prior to this journey, he has followed God’s calling, overcoming self-doubt and navigating new creative experiences. As Armstead followed God’s call, he was led to find collaborators who could help bring his vision to life, in particular Calvin Ivy, whose voice also features on this song. Ford also worked with producer Warren Gilmore and Rick Turcotte of Flatlander Sound Studios to produce this song and more.

When fleshing out “Jesus Poured His Love Down,” Ford drew inspiration from legendary artists such as Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers.

While this is his first single, Ford is already hard at work on an album of 10 additional songs, with plans to release them gradually. A CD compilation featuring all of the tracks will also be available for fans who wish to experience the full collection.

“I’m proud that I did what God told me to do,” Ford shares. “This is my first time creating music, and it sounds great. I’m excited to share it with the world.” –posted at Armstead Ford’s YouTube channel, May 2, 2025

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‘offering the spiritual and physical thrill of a live gospel program’

PRAISE IN THE CHOIR STAND

Brent Jones

JDI Entertainment (release: April 8, 2025)

By Robert M. Marovich

“The Lord anointed me to take the sound of R&B and bring it to Sunday morning,” industry veteran Brent Jones tells the audience that has assembled to participate in the live recording of his new album. “I don’t know why he anointed me for that…but I just accept the call.”

Proof of that is the product of that program. Recorded live at Friendship Baptist in Yorba Linda, California, Brent Jones and the Best Life Choir’s rafter-raising Praise in the Choir Stand offers Sunday morning gospel chock full of R&B influences.

There’s a swaggering confidence in Jones’s voice, a gospel impresario on the best of terms with the musicians, singers, and the congregation. The full-throated Best Life Choir—which is so good, it should have received co-billing on the album cover—thunders its support like an ‘80s mass choir, especially on the title track.

‘Praise in the Choir Stand,’ Brent Jones, title track from Jones’s new live album, Praise in the Choir Stand

‘No Brag, Just Blessed,’ Brent Jones, with Kim Johnson (lead vocal), from Praise in the Choir Stand

As far as Jones’s mission to take R&B to church, “You Don’t Know, Like I Know” bumps along on a pounding pulse electric funk as the choir repeats the stock lyric, “You don’t know, like I know, what the Lord has done for me.” Guest artist Prez Blackmon provides a fine lead on the choir’s voluminous and beseeching “Smooth Out the Rough Edges.” Even Fellowship Baptist’s music minister Sonya Griffin gets into the act on “Smooth Out,” adding her jazzy vocals to the nearly nine-minute piece. Holy stepping, now a thing, finds its way into the recording on the final song, “Goodtime.” Then there’s the church rouser “No Brag, Just Blessed,” which features Kim Johnson’s evangelistic delivery as the choir delivers cascading harmonies and a special section evocative of Ricky Dillard and New G.

Jones is sole composer of all but one of the album selections (a snippet of the Gap Band’s 1981 “Yearning For Your Love” is the sole exception). He also quotes from “Don’t Wait Till Midnight,” from his Brent Jones and T.P. Mobb days. Like Jones’ previous release Live Your Best Life, Praise in the Choir Stand offers the spiritual and physical thrill of a live gospel program.

Picks: “Praise in the Choir Stand,” “No Brag, Just Blessed.”

Chicago-based Bob Marovich launched The Journal of Gospel Music on the tenth anniversary of its predecessor website, The Black Gospel Blog, which he founded July 28, 2004, as the first blog to cover African American gospel music. He is a gospel music historian, author and radio host.  Since 2001 he has produced “Gospel Memories,” a show featuring classic gospel, spiritual and jubilee music, as well as interviews with gospel legends. It airs Saturday mornings on Chicago’s WLUW-FM and throughout the week on several Internet and low-power FM radio stations throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Bob’s work has been published in the Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music (Routledge 2005), Encyclopedia of African American Music (Greenwood Publishing 2010), and in the ARSC Journal of the Association of Recorded Sound Collections.