All you have to do is see Deitrick Haddon perform and you will be hooked on  the music of the Tyscot Music artist. The Grammy Award nominee and Stellar Award winner has record sales very close to platinum status. Haddon’s newest Contemporary Gospel CD/DVD “Anthology: The Writer & His Music,”debuted at #7 on the Billboard Gospel Album Chart.

“I’ve been crossing over since I started,” Haddon responded when I mentioned that his sound and delivery had an urban flavor. “I always had an edge method. I perform the way I feel.” Haddon is also a pastor and the choir director of “Voice of Unity,” currently with over 60 members, which supported him on the “Anthology” project. The son of a Bishop, Haddon has also produced the movie, “Blessed and Cursed” starring Sheryl Lee Ralph.

“We always sang around the house [and] listened to Andre Crouch, Rance Allen, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cook and Elvis Presley,” Haddon told me while discussing his musical influences. “I transferred that to the church and by age 13, I was minister of music, a 100 voice choir.”

As a result, “Anthology: The Writer & His Music” is a powerful collection of Contemporary Gospel work and live performances. My favorite cuts on the album include “Anybody Here (Remix)” with Melody Armstrong; “The Potter,” with his wife Damita Haddon, carries a deep message of how God molds us into what He wants; “The Walking Dead,” reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” is a very creative urban piece; “Chain Breaker,” a blues and rock number with hard drums and bass. It features the hard vocals of his mother Prophetess Joyce Haddon and his father Bishop Clarence Haddon; “I Gotta Praise, a live performance, with an R&B flavor, has Haddon making some smooth dance moves; and “Well Done,” also a live performance on the DVD, is a heart-felt selection where Deitrick shows-off his vocal range.

Jazz/R&B keyboardist Jeff Logan offers an eclectic “Black Tie Affair” with new album

“I have an eclectic taste in music and the major labels wanted to label me with cookie cutters,” Jazz/R&B keyboardist Jeff Logan said, when asked why his latest album release, “Black Tie Affair,” is on an indie label, BASS-mint Records. The “Black Tie Affair” project offers 12 masterfully put-together selections that range in style and flavor.

“When I was 18-years-old, I was performing with a Doo Wop group,” Logan said while reminiscing about his humble beginnings. “I was singing five part harmony…the arrangements. Any instrument I picked-up I mastered.” In his music career, since then, Jeff Logan has amassed over 400 songs that range from Jazz, R&B, Neo-Soul and even Gospel.

His seventh  album, “Black Tie Affair,” is a great collection of Jazz/R&B cuts, such as “Water to Wine” and “Smoothlology.” My favorite cuts include the Rodgers and Hammerstein cover “Favorite Things,” a beautiful piece and “Improvise” for its funky feel.

Eunice Moseley is a syndicated entertainment columnist. For more, visit www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com