Over 1,000 kids, ages 13 to 22, crammed into the Florence campus of the Inglewood, Ca-based Faithful Central Bible Church to hear gospel dynamo Kirk Franklin talk about life and share his take on the issues that matter most to his audience.

 

By the time the near three-hour long service had come to an end, more than three dozen youth had accepted Christ, and Franklin had apologized to any parent who might have been offended by the often-graphic way in which he spoke to their kids.


 

The program, dubbed the “Takeover," the mission of which is to recapture lost youth, has transformed the lives of a growing number of kids throughout the Los Angeles area in services like these—without music. It's just this sort of ministry that Kirk Franklin, gospel’s biggest selling music star,  is most passionate about these days, and its one of the main things taking up his time. 


 

“It’s about all the issues Christians face in life,” Franklin said. “Very honest. Very street. It’s my voice and the way that I see them as being wrong and then my approach on how to make them right.

 

And while it has been keenly effective with youth, Franklin’s ministry is hardly limited. “Surprisingly enough. I get calls from everywhere, white, black, young and old,” Franklin reveals. “I speak at schools like Pepperdine and Baylor University, at youth events, churches and major Christian music events like Creation Festival. I don’t want to limit what I say or do. I just want to be a vessel and love who I’m doing it for more than what I’m doing.”

 

So much so that ministry is, in fact, the subject of an upcoming book Franklin has set for release with the Gotham division of Penguin Books next year. “It’s called The Blueprint, and it’s what people hear from me (at these events),” Franklin said. “A very transparent approach to talking about issues from marriage to politics to sex and religion and it’s from my perspective. Not from a Princeton, mainline, protestant, evangelical or liberal viewpoint, but from a 2009 Christian moderate with swag.”

 

In the meantime, Franklin’s Dallas-based label, Fo Yo Soul Entertainment, is officially on hold. “The label went on hold when I saw the industry flip in 2007, and I put the brakes on,” Franklin says. “[We're not] signing artists because there’s no place to put them.” 

 

With that, the gospel dynamo is taking a break from recording as well. “I kind of think people are a little tired of me right now,” the father of four says. “I did an album in ‘05, ‘06, and in late 2007. That’s a lot of music. I think it’s time for me to shut up for a minute. Maybe God will speak an album through me in 2010.” 

 

Also on hold is Lionsgate’s Church Boy, the screen version of Franklin’s inspirational life story and its soundtrack.

Don’t bet, however, on not seeing or having Franklin around. He’s set to shoot a TV pilot before the end of the year, has a full slate of concert and TV appearances, and his music will show up off Broadway in “The Healing,” a ballet from the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe, inspired by the music of Kirk Franklin. 

 

And there is also the chance that he may be coming to a church near you in the very near future.
 


 

 

It’s official. After being close-mouthed for months on what Kingdom Records said would be a major signing, the Holland, Il.-based label that is home to Shekinah Glory Ministry, has announced that they have signed the legendary R&B group, The Whispers, for the release of their first ever gospel CD. 

 

“We’ve been wanting to do this for 10 years. God has been really, really good to the Whispers,” says founding member Nick Caldwell. “He was looking out for us even when we were ignoring Him. He allowed us to live long enough to do this inspirational CD that we want to use to inspire people to get closer to God.”

 

The CD, which will be produced in part by Fred Hammond, is tentatively slated for release this fall.


 

 

In other news, gospel/contemporary jazz keyboardist Ben Tankard seems to have struck a musical chord with audiences with his latest release, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, which entered three Billboard charts—Top Contemporary Jazz#11, Top Jazz #22 and Top Gospel #38— after just one week.


 

Highlights from the CD include the single, “My Lips Shall Utter Praises,” the classic “How Great Is Our God," Tankard’s take on The Emotions' “Best of My Love,” Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” and the Cannonball Adderly classic that is the title track.

 


“‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ was the first song that I ever played in a band,” says Tankard.  “This was the perfect time to record the song because it has an underlying message of surviving through adversity and knowing that God will give you strength to make it through anything.”

 

With some of the CD’s biggest highlights being Tankard’s reprisal of R&B and jazz classics comes the question of just what distinguishes his music from that of secular ‘smooth jazz’ artists.

 

The answer for Tankard is simple. “I believe there is a spirit God breathes onto my music that gives people a different feeling than the music from someone who is not of inspirational origin…”

 

 

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About the Writer 

 

 

Lisa Collins, a Los Angeles native and resident, is a syndicated columnist, writer, publisher and former Billboard Magazine columnist. Her career in gospel began in 1988 with her creation of “Inside Gospel,” a daily/weekly syndicated radio series that provided news, profiles and product updates relative to the gospel music community. For the next eight years, she would also serve as executive producer of the show that was broadcast in more than 100 markets nationwide. Collins has also served as a segment producer for BET and authored well over 300 articles on a variety of issues for a number of national publications from Essence to Upscale. Her background in the field of entertainment reporting is extensive, featuring cover stories and interviews with the likes of Richard Pryor, Michael Jackson and Prince.