Malaco Music Group Recording Artists The Sounds of Blackness receives two NAACP Image Awards Nominations for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration and Outstanding World Music Album for their self-titled, current CD. NBC will broadcast the 43rd NAACP Image Awards, a live, two-hour special on Friday, February 17 (8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. ET) that will showcase the best achievements and performances of people of color in the arts featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, winners and presenters.

The Sounds of Blackness have been bringing hope and inspiration to people through its music globally for the past four decades. The group has awed audiences on five continents with the depth and breadth of its artistry, covering all forms of African-American music from gospel and soul to jazz, R&B, reggae, hip-rop, rock and blues, to ragtime, field hollers, work songs and traditional spirituals. As Sounds of Blackness celebrates 40 years of music and inspiration, the group offers a superb self-titled 15-track CD that is a dazzling showcase for its all-encompassing musicality.

Universal Music Christian Group/Fontana recording artist LeJuene Thompson is set to release her third album, The Evolution of Me, in the spring of 2012. The lead single from the CD, “Let God Do It,” will impact gospel radio this month.

Written by LeJuene and Cedric Thompson, the first single from the CD, “Let God Do It,” was penned at a time when they were both feeling discouraged. Having worked on the album for almost two years, the journey was filled with challenges including family illnesses and deaths. “We were both at rock bottom, ground zero and we came to the realization that there was nothing we could do about these situations on our own, so we had to just sit back and let God do it,” she said. “We wrote this song to let people know that even when no amount of money, no amount of friends, can change your situation, you can let God do it.” This mid-tempo song is performed in a classic contemporary gospel style, with a laid back musical accompaniment that allows LeJuene to show off her warm tones, wide range, and signature flourishes in a song that both implores and challenges the listener to “Let God Do It.” The single was produced by Cedric Thompson for Ced’s Productions. It also features their son Cedric“CJ” Thompson, Jr. on the drums.

LeJuene will showcase her new single and other music at the three-day Stellar Award Weekend. On Thursday, January 12, she will perform at the Urban Soul Café salute to Dorinda Clark Cole, Kim Burrell and the Rance Allen Group; followed by the Preacher Kid Production Presents Friday Night Live event, which will also feature artists such as BET’s Sunday Best alumnae Amber Bullock and Shari Addison, among others. On Saturday, February 14, she will perform at the Stellar Award After Concert event at Hopewell Baptist Church. Also, during the Stellar Award Weekend, she will attend the BMI 13th Annual Trailblazer of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon and the 27th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards.

LeJuene is thrilled to be in the midst of completing her forthcoming album. It is nothing less than a true Labor of Love. She wrote several songs on the CD with her husband, Cedric Thompson, a veteran and award-winning musician, songwriter and producer. For LeJuene, writing is a relatively new venture for her, but she says that sharing her experiences is a blessing for her, and she hopes it will bless others.

The forthcoming CD, The Evolution of Me, is very special and very personal to LeJuene. She says it represents a journey of faith and understanding that she believes others can relate to—and that the sometimes—difficult process of putting this CD project together helped her learn the power of ‘no.’ She notes, “I used to be afraid of hearing ‘no,’ but now when I hear it, I just keep pushing until I get that ‘yes’! I’ve learned to be comfortable with knowing what I want and asking for it. I think for me and other women in my shoes, there is a lesson to be learned about letting go of fear and being happy with who you are. This was part of my evolution on this project.”

“More than anything, I hope the songs on this CD will give people hope and strength,” she said. “In these difficult times, people need to hear that there is hope. They just need to know that they don’t have to be afraid, because there is light at the end of the tunnel and that, no matter what happens, they can pick up the pieces and build upon whatever they have left and make it into whatever they want it to be.”

LeJuene is an award-winning, contemporary gospel singer, with a voice so compelling and a singing style so captivating that she has been dubbed “The Diva in Waiting” by Billboard magazine. But this diva has not had to wait for much. She has been a featured artist with top gospel groups, recorded two CDs, and partnered with her husband, Cedric, to start an independent label—all while finishing school, getting married, and raising three sons.

LeJuene was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is part of a close-knit family with ten children—she is number nine. She says that her family always understood that she was going to sing. She traces her soulful, contemporary gospel style to the varied musical influences she had growing up. Her parents divorced, so she would listen to Christian musicians such as the Walter Hawkins Singers and the Clark Sisters while at home with her mother, who was an evangelical minister, and listen to secular music when she was with her father. It was at her father’s house, she says, where she fell in love with Al Green’s voice and music when she was five years old.

Nothing short of a living legend, The World's Greatest Storyteller , Dorothy Norwood has been entertaining, preaching, uplifting, mentoring, writing, and producing for more than fifty years.

On January 14, 2012, Ms. Dorothy Norwood will be the recipient of the prestigious Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Awards at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN during the 2012 Stellar Awards taping.

For decades, millions have been blessed by her classic, "Victory Is Mine; arguably, one of the greatest congregational hymns of all time which still appears in national commercials and Hollywood feature films such as "The Help", 5 time, 2012 Golden Globe nominated and Oscar buzz motion picture.

On March 20, 2012, Dorothy Norwood returns with her latest and possibly the best recording of her illustrious "God's Been Just That Good." Ms. Norwood's signature voice is backed by the young, bright, fresh sounding voices of Isaiah Thomas & EOP (Appears Courtesy Of Good Fellas Music Group) and the result is truly a heavenly mix.

The debut single, "Just That Good", Ms. Norwood pays tribute to her best friend and mentor, The Queen Of Gospel, The Late Albertina Walker. Upon listening, you will be drawn into worship and your hands will go up in praise.

Dorothy Norwood officially began her gospel career in 1956, singing with Mahalia Jackson, Reverend James Cleveland, and with one of the greatest female gospel groups of all time, The Caravans. In 1960, she launched her solo career with Savoy Records, recording her first album, Johnny and Jesus in 1964. This release was quickly followed by Denied Mother in 1965, earning Norwood the title, "The World's Greatest Storyteller." Both projects certified gold. All total, five albums reached gold status. 1971, she recorded Live with the GMWA Mass Choir of Northern California; Live reached #1 on the Billboard Charts. To her credit, she has also had three top ten gospel albums and been in the top forty fourteen times (Billboard).

In 1972, she became an unlikely opening act for the Rolling Stones' national tour with Mick Jagger. By 2000, Ms. Norwood was nominated for the Lady of Soul Award for her album, The Lord is a Wonder. She followed that nomination with two more at the 2001 Dove Awards for Ole Rickety Bridge (Traditional Album of the Year) and "There's Got To Be Rain" (Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year).

In 2005, Norwood won the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Stand on the Word," and was inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame twice; for her work as a solo artist as well as with The Caravans. The American Quartet Hall of Fame also inducted The Caravans in 2006 and Norwood reunited with the group to produce what would become a Billboard chart topping album, Paved The Way (Malaco). Paved The Way also garnered nominations in every major industry award group including the Grammy's, Doves, Stellars, and Soul Train.

For nearly every year of her professional career singing gospel music, Dorothy Norwood has recorded an album. Dorothy Norwood truly can testify that "God's Been Just That Good!"