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 Donnie McClurkin; July 16, 2004 in Viriginia Beach Pastor Donnie McClurkin has quickly become a household name in Gospel music. So, when word began to travel that McClurkin was preparing for his next live recording, the ears of fans and industry execs alike began to buzz.  Perhaps that's why tickets for the July 16th 2004 event sold out in one week's time. And so, the focus of the Gospel industry converged upon The Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia where McClurkin recorded his third live album for Verity Records, titled Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs.Gospelflava.com's Gerard Bonner was in the house, and took the following notes to describe the proceedings: The Rock Church was literally rockin' as 5,600 people jammed the sanctuary to be witnesses. McClurkin did not disappoint. After an opening prayer from Pastor Anne Gimenez, the stage was set for Pastor McClurkin to introduce his project. With a five-piece band (highlighted by such notable musicians as Joey Woofalk on guitar and the prolific Mo' Horns), McClurkin took to the stage and began the journey. Much as the album title would suggest, the material was, for the most part, songs that could be found in anyone's local church repertoire. Throughout the evening, McClurkin successfully managed to reflect the entire church experience through his musical offerings.  The first set of songs had that praise & worship vibe, and began with the energetic "Days of Elijah". Backed by a sizzling New York-based choir directed by longtime collaborator Sheila Carpenter, McClurkin blessed the crowd with hits including "I Will Sing".McClurkin was also joined by ten stellar background vocalists that included Houston native Shawn McLemore. McClurkin kicked it up another level with "I Call You Faithful", featured a few years back on Bishop Clarence McClendon's Shout Hallelujah project (see album review). This song was a crowd favorite and led things to another dimension. McClurkin began to share with the audience the differences between praise, and worship, and then admonished all in the house to allow praise to lead into worship. He spoke of the intimacy of worship and God's desire for His people to worship Him. He then segued into a new piece titled "Only You Are Holy". This powerful and simplistic worship song brought forth a sincere spirit, as McClurkin and audience just worshipped God for quite sometime. McClurkin then shared that his passion isn't simply for songs like "Stand" or "We Fall Down". Rather, when he seeks to feel God's presence, he goes to the hymns. He expressed a responsibility to teach young people these old landmarks that seem to be disappearing from Christian culture. He then went into a series of hymns including "At the Cross", "Power in the Blood", and "Glory to His Name".  The anointing was so high during this segment that as McClurkin attempted to transition for a wardrobe change, he effortlessly morphed from artist to preacher and began to preach on the power of the blood of Christ. It was an amazing moment that saw the best of McClurkin in his most comfortable setting —delivering God's preached Word.The second segment was arguably the most notable of the entire recording, as it offered an element not regularly seen in Gospel recordings. McClurkin presented a series of anthems, some of which were nearly 400 years old. Accompanied by the prolific live orchestral arrangements of Darin Atwater (see interview) and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, McClurkin performed anthems including "Crown Him With Many Crowns" and "A Mighty Fortress". This nearly 40-piece orchestra was a sight to see and nearly angelic to hear. It's as though with one note from Atwater's orchestra, The Rock Church was transformed from a sanctuary to a concert hall and the audience responded with sheer awe. Atwater then left the conductor's podium and showed the world his skills as a pianist, as he solely accompanied McClurkin on the hymn that was, by McClurkin's own admission, the first hymn he learned, ."Sweet Hour of Prayer".  McClurkin then performed two Christmas anthems, the first of which was "What Child is This?" followed by "O Come Emmanuel". Rounding out this segment was the addition of the legendary Richard Smallwood (see insider review) who took his seat at the piano.McClurkin unexpectedly asked Smallwood to play a quick classical piece and Smallwood responded in order to the excitement of the crowd. He then followed that rendition with his original and popular choral hit "Total Praise". As expected, McClurkin and company totally did the song justice and may have breathed even more life into this song for 2004. Moving into the final segment of the evening, the choir returned to the stage in choir robes, setting the stage for the churchy segment of the recording. McClurkin revisited popular songs of the Baptist experience including "We've Come This Far by Faith" and "I Will Trust in the Lord". One of the highlights of this section was his rendition of "I Love to Praise Him", which saw the old school church song get a bit of funk breathed into it. The head nod and dance factor was heavy, as Shawn McLemore emerged from the background and added his awesome vocals. At one point, he and McClurkin laid down some serious vocal heat, and then as if that were not enough, McClurkin brought Dottie Peoples to the stage to contribute to the same song. This one is guaranteed to be a favorite in your CD players. McClurkin then took us through the church history of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). He spoke of the many great singers that came from this denomination, and segued into "When Jesus Comes", the signature song of COGIC music great Sara Jordan Powell. The legendary Dr. Bettye Nelson took the reigns, playing piano for this song and then taking on lead vocals. It would be safe to say that she stole the show with simply amazing vocals. She then proceeded to testify that she's singing with only one good lung, which sent the audience into a frenzy as they celebrated God's amazing healing power.  McClurkin then sang several other spiritual songs in other languages. For example, "As The Deer" was sung in Japanese, while "Great is Thy Faithfulness" was rendered in Dutch. Rich Mullins' popular "Our God is an Awesome God" was put to a catchy Calypso beat and was sung in both Russian and German.He closed the night out with a noted tribute to Apostle Nahum Rosario, father of Joann Rosario. He spoke of how this man's ministry changed his entire outlook of ministry and worldwide evangelism. He then brought Joann Rosario (see album review) to the stage to sing a touching worship song titled "Satisfy My Soul". Written by Apostle Rosario, and sung in both English and Spanish, it was a powerful offering. The night ended as only a night like this should, as several souls came to know Christ as their personal Savior. It's going to be quite the challenge to condense this four-hour experience into a single CD. Easily a prime candidate for a double album set, if not a boxed set, whatever the format, you can relive the night's events as this release is tentatively slated to hit stores later 2004 with the accompanying DVD following at the start of 2005. Until then, take a look at this historical night of Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs. Check out more photos from Donnie McClurkin's live recording below. 
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