BIOGRAPHY
Larry Callahan and Selected of God, you know them! They are the Detroit choir from Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound choir competition. You know them; that choir from the Chrysler 200 Superbowl XLV commercial with Eminem about Detroit. You know them; the 20 singers that when they open their mouths you think that there are 100 people on stage. You know them.
Larry Callahan and Selected of God has been together for over 10 years, bridging the gap of hopelessness, unemployment and economic downturn with the love of God and song. With some 22 singers, the choir has traveled throughout the United States and Canada ministering the Gospel, the Good News of Christ. The notoriety from their exposure in the 2011 Chrysler 200 Commercial garnered them countless opportunities in television and film, and now the choir has returned to the studio releasing their third compact disc, The Evolution II, as the premier artists on Sing2Praise Records.
Graced by the musical and production talents of Grammy Award-Winning Producer, Asaph Ward, and newcomer, Stephen Anderson-Day, the CD boasts 10 amazing songs that leave you with faith, hope and inspiration. “It’s a mix of contemporary and gospel, but we also give you gutbucket songs that will have folks shouting in the aisle” says the choir’s founder, Pastor Larry Callahan. “The Evolution II really speaks to us about how we evolve through our trials and circumstances; getting better and becoming the person God would have us to be. We go from glory to glory, growing in love, grace and wisdom.”
The vocals that SOG have laid are rich, powerful, higher than high, and dig to the depths of your soul – every song, note to note. It feels like Sunday morning on the churchy “Be Still & Know” and you have just got to clap your hands and rock on “He’ll Do”. “These are songs God gave us to remind us that, even in the midnight of our life, the promises of God are still true, how we can trust Him, and are a reminder that He always comes through”. The pleading ballad, penned by Detroiter, Adrian B. King, “Forsaking All Others”, leads you into worship, professing devotion to the relentless pursuit of God’s will. You’ll catch yourself toe-tapping, smiling and dancing in your seat while listening to the driving rhythms and highs of “It Could Have Been Me”. The funky, gritty, high-energy “Dwell in Me” and smooth, mid-tempo “New Creature” are straight from the Word of God, about the love of Christ and the new life we have in Him. “New Creature”, composed by the late Dawna Ward, brings you back to the Detroit Gospel Sound reminiscent of the late Thomas Whitfield.
Another Detroit nod is “Sunshine” the choir’s refreshing of the world renowned 1980’s Clark Sisters hit “You Brought the Sunshine”, featuring the song’s original composer Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark-Terrell. Sean McLemore contributed the soul-cry “Deliver Me” with its in-the-pocket beat and jazzy high notes of Nikki Ross and Stephen Anderson-Day. There is a universal appeal to the Ward and Bethany Divine tune “Love”, charging all to experience its power as the greatest gift we could give away. The CD wouldn’t be complete without the “Lose Yourself ” track that propelled the choir to international acclaim.
“This is a global project to heal, encourage and empower people, and by far the best work we’ve done.”
THE EVOLUTION II available online and in stores on Tuesday November 13th 2012
