My favorite Contemporary Christian songwriter Matthew West is ready to launch Something to Say, his third studio album, and with it, he’s released the first single, You Are Everything, which you can stream on his official website.

YOU ARE EVERYTHING IS SPECTACULAR! It’s got #1 written all over it! Call your local stations and request You Are Everything by Matthew West, you will not regret it. A power ballad in the same vein of Casting Crowns’ Who Am I, MercyMe’s I Can Only Imagine, and West’s own Only Grace, You Are Everything is an amazing lead-off single, and I have no doubt in my mind that this single will propel West back to #1, where he rightfully belongs.

As if my excitement over You Are Everything weren’t enough, Matthew posts on his blog that he’s written a song for the official soundtrack of The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, the new VeggieTales feature film from Big Idea. The name of the song is The Right Thing, and guess who’s singing it?

MANDISA!

Matthew wrote Only the World for Mandisa (as well as a couple of other tracks on her amazing debut album, True Beauty), and his relationship with the American Idol finalist has apparently gotten to the point that they collaborate so flawlessly together. Now, she’ll be singing The Right Thing, a song written by Matthew West, on the VeggieTales soundtrack!

Matthew West, Mandisa, and VeggieTales, together?! Oi vey, I’ve died and gone to heaven!

(For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains a stream of One Word by American Idol Season Five finalist Elliott Yamin, off his debut album Elliott Yamin. GannsDeen.com does not offer Elliott Yamin mp3’s for download. If you like what you hear, please leave a comment in the Comments box. Come back to GannsDeen.com for the latest and best in Christian, country, and pop music.)

I promise this will be the last Elliott Yamin-themed entry on GannsDeen.com for a long time. As a fitting conclusion to week-long coverage of Yamin’s Philippine tour, we are uploading Yamin’s new American single, One Word, for your consideration.

One Word is a slow-to-midtempo ballad much in the same vein of Yamin’s surprise hit, Wait For You. When Yamin tested One Word during his Philippine tour, it received quite a positive response, which could bode well for Yamin’s nationwide push when the single is officially released for airplay on October 16.

Listen to Elliott Yamin One Word mp3

Elliott Yamin One Word lyrics after the jump.

Read more

Elliott Yamin’s final Ayala Mall tour performance is scheduled for tomorrow at the Alabang Town Center.

I failed to get his photo with Cathy at the Glorietta press conference. I failed to get his photo with Cathy later that day at TriNoma. I cannot fail now. I just can’t! Wish me luck!

Tourism Link of the Day: Tropical Casablanca Hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It’s a lovely Playa del Carmen hotel that is both charming and hospitable. Excellent diving opportunities abound, and the sights and sounds are unforgettable. Get best rates on the official website of this delightful hotel in Playa del Carmen.

Shortly after Elliott’s TriNoma concert, Cathy and I bumped into the sister of one of her friends. That sister was with a friend of her own. The conversation went like this:

CATHY shows off her I *heart* Elliott t-shirt.

CATHY’S FRIEND’S SISTER: Ay, nanood kayo! (Oh, you watched!)

CATHY’S FRIEND’S SISTER’S FRIEND: Nagtataka kami kung bakit andaming tao, tapos naalala ko, andito nga pala si George Eliot! (We were wondering why there were so many people here, then I remembered, George Eliot is here!)

GANNS and CATHY look at each other, stunned.

GANNS: George Eliot??

CATHY: (trying not to laugh, to her friends) George Eliot is the author of Middle March. We were here to watch Elliott Yamin, the American Idol finalist.

Mistaking George Eliot for Elliott Yamin. Sheesh. Who’s next? T.S. Eliot?

Last night featured the most horrific series of dreams. The most disturbing of all of them? Elliott Yamin joins the Yaminoys on a tour of a revamped Puerto Princesa Crocodile Farm, and is gobbled up by a 15-foot crocodile! I was so disturbed and distraught by that dream that I woke up soaked in my own sweat. Of course, true to my PR background, all I could say in the dream was, OMG, what are the Yaminions and E-Trainers going to say?! The last thing the Philippines needs is to be the venue of a high-profile celebrity death! Ack!

Seriously, major major Elliott Yamin overload these past three days. Cathy and I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing Elliott day and night. The only two other CDs that have managed to squeeze Deen family airplay since Friday are High School Musical and Putomayo’s African Playground, both of which are Nathan’s favorite CDs,and were played in honor of his fourth birthday. If it weren’t his birthday, Nate would probably have to deal with One Word, our latest favorite Elliott Yamin song.

The Yaminoys are planning a major Elliott Yamin push on the 28th at the Alabang Town Center, the final leg of his Philippine mall tour (incidentally, his first promo push outside of the United States; I guess he didn’t push through with the UK?). I excused myself from work last Friday to make it. Should I become the ultimate journalist fan-boy and accompany my wife there too?

Oi vey, decisions, decisions. I’m so verklempt!

Cathy and I covered the press conference of American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin (woohoo!) at the Glorietta Activity Center yesterday at 12NN for fudge magazine, one of the country’s leading music and pop culture publications. Suffice it to say that we had one of the most enjoyable, thrilling - yeah, we’re easy to please that way - two hours of our lives. Elliott was THE MAN.

I won’t give full details of Elliott’s Philippine press conference (you can read my article in next month’s issue of fudge, as well as a full-blown piece on www.GannsDeen.com, but I will say the following:

> Elliott Yamin was funny and candid. His rapport with Philippine press conference host Ryan Agoncillo was both charming and amiable. Ryan taught him some Filipino words, which Elliott then brandished with aplomb that same night at his TriNoma mall tour concert. (More on that tomorrow! Super sulet!)

> Elliott Yamin was honest about his life and American Idol experiences, which was truly refreshing. Among his more choice revelations: he showed the audience his insulin pump and he admitted he could probably take Taylor Hicks in a fistfight to a draw.

> The food was catered by the Hotel Intercontinental, which housed Elliott Yamin and his band for their Philippine tour stay. Cathy says the food was good; I didn’t get to eat because I planned my questions.

> I was the first journalist (yeehee!) to ask questions; this was no time to be shy. Elliott answered all my queries, including:

• his unique marketing strategy (i.e., MySpace and bonus track albums);
• why Wait For You was such a huge airplay hit;
• his interaction with his Philippine fans, the Yaminoys; and
• how he feels about the changes in his life now.

Some notes for those of you planning to watch Elliott Yamin’s Philippine tour stops: every Ayala mall tour has different rules. At TriNoma, it was first-come, first-served for seating passes, with a limited number of the first arrivals receiving rights to a signed photo. A purchase of Elliott Yamin from Odyssey Record Bar entitled a limited number of fans to a meet-and-greet pass, which entitled them in turn to a photo op, but no autographs or CD booklet signings. A third option: if you were lucky to purchase the CD and receive an MCA pass, you could then get your CD booklet signed, but you would have to line up again to get that; furthermore, your CD would be signed, but you would not get a photo opportunity. (YES, it was that strict, that confusing, and that frustrating. The real fans - and we met many of them, some lined up at the mall as early as 5AM - did not get autographs and photo ops.)

Oh, and before I forget, welcome, members of the eTrain and Yaminions.com! We’re so pleased you can drop by. Do leave a shout-out for Elliott’s Philippine fans - myself included! - in the comments!

Other Filipino Elliott Yamin fan blog entries of their Elliott Yamin experiences at Trinoma:

My Elliott Yamin Experience (must read! This is my wife. hehehe) | Elliott Yamin at TriNoma Mall | I saw Elliott Yamin at Trinoma Mall | OMG! Elliott Yamin at Trinoma! | The Elliott Yamin Experience | Elliott Yamin | Elliott Yamin at Trinoma | The Fall Out Boy and Elliott Yamin Experience | All I can say is he’s amazing |In Love With ‘E’ Forever | Elliott Yamin’s Philippine Mall Tour | Mahal Ka Rin Namin, Elliott! | Elliott Yamin Reciprocates | Elliot Yamin at Trinoma | Elliott/Russell Mania | I *heart* Elliott Yamin!!! | 2007_09_21 Elliott Yamin @ TriNoma | Elliot Yamin Live at Trinoma | Elliot Yamin at Trinoma | Wait For You: Elliott Yamin @ Glorietta | Singing It Like He Owns It | Elliott Yamin! | yummy Yamin!!! |

(Are you going to the Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, Market Market, or Cebu shows? Send me an email with your blog entry and I’ll link you up!)

Click after the jump to see exclusive GannsDeen.com photos, taken by my beautiful wife, Cathy, who, for some reason, took amazing shot after amazing shot of Elliott Yamin in the Philippines. Iba talaga kapag fan. (It is different when you’re a fan.)

Read more

Tonight, American Idol Season Five finalist Elliott Yamin begins the first of several mall tour concerts throughout Metro Manila and Cebu. He is scheduled to perform at 8PM at the Trinoma Mall in the far north. (Far north, of course, being entirely relative, because I live fifteen minutes away from Trinoma.)

Cathy and I admit - cheeks ablush with embarrassment - that we have prepared ourselves adequately for today. Witness to wit:

• We will position Gina, our trusty Hyundai Getz, at Trinoma’s covered parking lot, to ensure we have good access to the Trinoma concierge. At precisely 10AM, 400 tickets to the seated area of the Trinoma Activity Center, where Elliott is slated to perform, will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis, and Cathy and I are prepared to run past whoever dares get in our way in what may be a mad rush for seats. After all, Wait For You went to #1 on four Manila radio stations; Elliott Yamin has a following.
• Immediately after claiming our Elliott Yamin tickets, we will rush to the MRT station and catch the train to Makati, where we will cover Elliott’s press conference at the Glorietta Activity Center for Fudge Magazine. (Props to Annie Alejo for hooking us up.) Did you get that? We get to write about Elliott and publish it in a leading Philippine music magazine and get paid for it. Our lives rule rock are totally awesome.
• From there, we run back to Trinoma, where we will while away the hours, perhaps with a film - I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is #1 on my priority list; it is nowhere on Cathy’s - or perhaps with a food trip, until about 6PM, when we will head back to Gina our Philippine Hyundai Getz and put on our homemade “I heart Elliott!” t-shirts (with matching www.gannsdeen.com URLs at the bottom; hey, it won’t hurt to advertise)
• At around 630PM, we will troop to the Trinoma Activity Center where we will get in line to ensure we have great seats for Elliott’s performance. Armed with our Amazon-purchased Elliott Yamin CD, a special tarpaulin I designed and had printed, the objective: a picture of Cathy with Elliott, a signed CD, and perhaps a signed tarpaulin.

Failure is not an option. We are not headed for a train wreck, and you can expect awesome legendary photo ops at every turn. Tune in to my Twitter account for regular updates (the window on GannsDeen.com doesn’t update as well as I’d like). Let the Elliott Yamin madness begin!

(For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains a stream of Tattoo by American Idol Season Six winner Jordin Sparks, off Jordan Sparks, her self-titled debut album. GannsDeen.com does not offer Jordin Sparks mp3’s for download. If you like what you hear, please leave a comment in the Comments box. Come back to GannsDeen.com for the latest and best in Christian, country, and pop music. Thanks to Sometimes Ticklish.)

American idol Season Six winner Jordin Sparks has released her debut single. A midtempo track called Tattoo, this is a radio-friendly ditty that can only serve to raise Jordan Sparks’ star higher and higher. While comparisons to Beyonce’s Irreplaceable have been raised, Sparks has deflected criticism with much aplomb, choosing instead to focus on promoting the album and living up to the pressure that comes with being American Idol.

Update: Oh look! Jordin Sparks debuts in the Top 10!

Listen to Jordan Sparks Tattoo mp3
Lyrics to Jordin Sparks Tattoo after the jump. Read more

ALBUM TITLE: True Beauty
ARTIST: Mandisa
RECORD LABEL: Sparrow/EMI-CMG
OVERALL RATING: Four stars (out of five)
MUST-HAVE DOWNLOADS: God Speaking, Unrestrained, Only The World, Shackles (Praise You), True Beauty, (Never Gonna) Steal My Joy
YOU CAN AFFORD TO MISS: Only You

American Idol finalist and now Sparrow recording artist Mandisa Hundley has much to be thankful for, as do her fans. With the record-breaking release of True Beauty, Mandisa becomes the first female artist in Billboard history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Christian and Gospel Albums charts with her debut album. With a #1 single (Only the World, Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts, 5 weeks) and more than 31,000 albums sold in three weeks, Mandisa proves herself one of American Idol Season Five’s more chartworthy contestants.

Sparrow Records certainly pulls out all the stops for True Beauty. With a list of who’s who producers, including Doubledutch, Christopher Stevens, Shaun Shankel, Drew & Shannon, and multiple Dove Award winner Brown Bannister, Mandisa finds herself in very capable hands, allowing her natural charisma and style to flow effortlessly through this 11-track stunner of an album. Mandisa’s vocal skills are highlighted flawlessly throughout the album, with her stellar pipes ranging from a soft and gentle whisper (channel: Most Holy Lord, You have my attention, from Unrestrained) to a blasting furnace (several sections of her kick-butt retouch of Mary Mary’s Shackles); the various song styles show Mandisa’s ability to adapt to a variety of musical genres, further cementing her skill as a singer and performer.

There is an adequate mix of fast and slow songs on True Beauty, and the fast ones do not disappoint. Album opener Only The World is an obvious first-single choice, and for good reason. The Matthew West-penned toe-tapper has “hit” written all over it, with its catchy guitars and feel-good rhythm. (West also contributes Voice of a Savior, a power ballad that speaks of unity and how people search for something to give meaning to their lives.) The track that follows it, True Beauty, is an ode to self-esteem and girl power, packaged in a head-bopping hiphop beat; Mandisa wrote the lyrics to the album’s title track. After featuring her on Lose My Soul, Christian rap-rock artist TobyMac returns the favor with his group DiverseCity in the dancefloor nugget Love Somebody, a catchy, disco-esque stomper of an album track if ever I’ve heard one.

Mary Mary’s Shackles (Praise You) gets a synth horns-drenched uptempo remix, courtesy of Christopher Stevens, who deserves all the props for the rearrangement of this definitive Christian hit; Mandisa lets herself go all out on this stunning revival that can definitely have you headed straight for the dance floor. The Every Heartbeat-esque (Never Gonna) Steal My Joy is a poppy joyful track, while Oh My Lord, which features the Fisk Jubilee Singers, of which Mandisa was once a member, channels old-school Afro-American church gospel rhythms.

True Beauty isn’t short of ballads, however. The jewels of True Beauty are two worshipful ballads: God Speaking and Unrestrained. God Speaking, written by Ronnie Freeman, is a contemplative ballad that speaks of how God can reach out to us in infinite ways; Unrestrained, on the other hand, is a truly worshipful song that takes its inspiration from the grace and forgiveness extended Mary Magdalene when she washed Jesus’ feet with her hair, tears, and perfume. (Luke 7:36-50) Written by Tony Sutherland and Calvin Nowell, both of whom have their own versions of Unrestrained on their respective websites, Unrestrained is taken to soaring new heights by Mandisa. Both must-have ballads are delivered, naturally, by the Clive Davis of the Christian music industry, Brown Bannister. Other ballads worth noticing include the aforementioned Voice of a Savior and album closer He Will Come. As a matter of fact, the only real hiccup on the album is the rather forced upbeat track Only You, a misstep for Shaun Shankel, who hit a home run with Only The World.

Note: if you purchase True Beauty off Amazon.com, you will receive a special enhanced CD that allows you to enter a special section of Mandisa’s website that gives you free downloads and behind the scenes videos. I got a remix of Only The World that was marginally good.

Click here to listen to Mandisa’s version of God Speaking or here to listen to Mandisa’s Only the World.

Listen to Mandisa Unrestrained mp3, with Unrestrained lyrics after the jump.

Read more

American Idol Season Five finalist Mandisa has debuted at #43 on the Billboard 200 with her debut album, True Beauty (Sparrow/EMI). By selling a little over 17,000 copies, 9th placer Mandisa bests 5th placer Paris Bennett, whose debut album, Princess P (306 Entertainment), debuted at #133 with a little over 6,400 units sold. True Beauty had the benefit, however, of a hit Contemporary Christian single, Only the World, which spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.

Actual tallies will be released on Billboard.com tomorrow, but unless BarlowGirl registers an increase in sales, which seems highly unlikely given the Christian group’s lack of a hit single on the Contemporary Christian singles charts, it seems apparent that Mandisa has debuted as well at #1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums and the Billboard Top Christian and Gospel Albums charts. If this is, in fact, true, that means that Mandisa would have earned the 131st and 132nd and 133rd #1s for the American Idol franchise. (When Only the World topped the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, she added to the initial 130.) It would also mean that the debut of Mandisa’s True Beauty at #43 on the Billboard 200 means American Idol’s Season Five has surpassed Season Three for having the highest number of chart-worthy singers with albums to their credit.

Update: It is true! Mandisa debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums and Billboard Top Christian and Gospel albums charts. She is the first female solo artist in the history of the chart to debut at #1 with her debut album! Congratulations, ‘Disa!

Am I a Mandisa fan? Heck, yes. I can’t wait for my True Beauty album to get here, because it takes 4-6 weeks to ship to Manila from the USA. I wanted to add her up on MySpace, but apparently, I can’t get that add. *sigh* You know what I want? A Mandisa interview for LIVEtheLIFE. That’d rock my socks. Come on, Lord, make it happen in Jesus’ name.