Shown in the New York office are BMI's Mark Barron and June Neira, Demo Contest winner daRome Bentley, and BMI's Benjamin Tischker

Bentley was chosen as the winner from over 1,000 songwriters and artists by a panel of prominent A&R executives. The young soul artist was then flown to New York City to record a three-song demo at the Demo Center's state-of-the-art recording studios, working with such A-list producers as two-time Grammy nominee Ernie Lake (Backstreet Boys, Faith Evans, Britney Spears, Cyndi Lauper) and Mike "G" Guerriero, who has produced several dance hits on the Billboard charts.

The Demo Contest was co-sponsored by BMI, music production company the Demo Center and electronic press kit producer Sonicbids.com.

A native of Oklahoma, daRome Bentley is quickly emerging as one of Atlanta's soul music scene-makers. He began singing in church, and later performed as an opening act for r&b hitmakers K-Ci & JoJo, Next and Joe. With influences such as Marvin Gaye and Kenny Lattimore, Bentley has also competed in songwriting competitions with the Georgia Music Industry Association (where he was a finalist) and the International Songwriting Competition. He has also performed as part of Atlanta's Atlantis Music Conference. The buzz on the talented urban artist continues to grow, with a much-rumored record deal on the near horizon.

Over 1,000 songwriters and artists entered the highly anticipated competition, which ran from January through early April 2006, with Bentley chosen as the winner by a panel of prominent music industry A&R executives. As the winner, Bentley will be flown to New York City to record a three-song demo Nov. 4-5 at the Demo Center's state-of-the-art recording studios. Bentley's demo will be produced by Ernie Lake, who was twice-nominated for a Grammy for his remixing and production work for artists like the Backstreet Boys, Faith Evans, Britney Spears and Cyndi Lauper, among others, and Mike "G" Guerriero, who has produced chart-topping hits on the Billboard dance charts.

The top prize also includes round-trip airfare for up to four people from anywhere in the continental U.S. and a three-night hotel stay. DiscMakers, the leading CD manufacturer for the independent musician, will also provide Bentley with 1,000 finished demo CDs.

A native of Oklahoma, daRome Bentley is quickly emerging as one of Atlanta's soul music scene-makers. He began singing in church, and later performed as an opening act for r&b hitmakers K-Ci & JoJo, Next and Joe. With influences such as Marvin Gaye and Kenny Lattimore, Bentley has also competed in songwriting competitions with the Georgia Music Industry Association (where he was a finalist) and the International Songwriting Competition. He has also performed as part of Atlanta's Atlantis Music Conference. The buzz on the talented urban artist continues to grow, with a much-rumored record deal on the near horizon.

The Demo Center is a full-service music production company that specializes in cutting-edge demos and artist development. The company works with all major labels, including J, Atlantic, Jive and Warner Bros., Billboard magazine, and artists such as Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, Pink, Jessica Simpson, and many others.

Sonicbids.com is at the forefront of creating electronic press kits (EPKs), and is becoming one of the fastest-growing music communities on the web, trusted by over 70,000 artists and over 6,000 festivals, music conferences and clubs from over 100 countries. It aspires to be the common "language" that people who make music and people who promote music use to connect and transact with one another.]]> 2006-10-26T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/234440 Artists, Busta Rhymes, Evans, Faith, Lopez, Jennifer, Thompson, Chucky, Musical Styles, Urban, Musicworld, Hitmaker Who would have thought that a toddler beating on pots and pans would become one of the most sought-after music producers in the industry today? Well, welcome to Chucky Thompson’s world.

While in his teens growing up in the Washington, DC area, Chucky Thompson, a self-taught musician who plays drums, guitar, piano, acoustic and electric bass, along with trombone, began his career by writing songs and having local acts perform his works. Word about this hot, young talent caught the attention of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who quickly recruited Thompson to work for him as a producer for Bad Boy Entertainment.

Thompson’s streak of producing top-selling hits began around 1994 when he produced “One More Chance” and “Big Poppa” for the late Notorious B.I.G. He also produced the Grammy-nominated album My Life for Mary J. Blige.

Thompson has also produced hits for some of today’s hottest stars, including Faith Evans, Nas, Jennifer Lopez, and Busta Rhymes, among others.

A decade after first making his mark, Thompson is still at the top of his game. Not only is he still producing number one hits for such artists as Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans, he now has his own production company, Lifeprint Productions, and is dedicated to working with up-and-coming talent.

Says Thompson, “My goal is to bridge the gap between music genders and creeds. Music is the vehicle that brings us all together.” As long as we have Chucky Thompson in the driver’s seat, we can look forward to more great music down the road.

The Game . . .

When word began circulating in 2004 that rap legend and Aftermath Entertainment mogul Dr. Dre had inked a recording deal with underground hip-hop sensation The Game, some worried that the move signaled a return to the bi-coastal feudalism that nearly decimated hardcore rap in the '90s. In an attempt to revive the West Coast's hip-hop dominance, would The Game grind salt into sensitive old wounds?

The speculators needn't have worried. The Game's hotly anticipated debut CD, The Documentary , introduces an aware rapper conscious of hip-hop history and deeply affected by the untimely deaths of his heroes, Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and NWA founding member, Eazy-E. So in-between his stark rhymes of urban warfare, The Game gives shout-outs to hip-hop crews on both coasts.

Indeed, The Documentary 's title track features a brilliant chorus that invokes the work of West Coast idols like Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Tupac, as well as New York rappers like Biggie Smalls and Nas. With a musical philosophy that observes no turf or boundaries, it's no wonder The Game is the only West Coast member to be welcomed into 50 Cent's New York-based G-Unit crew.

Reaction to The Game's hard-hitting rap sound has been immediate. Fueled by the success of the single "How We Do" (featuring 50 Cent), The Documentary bolted to the top of the pop charts. Adding to the disc's appeal are production contributions by Dre, Eminem, Kanye West, Timbaland and Just Blaze, and performances by Eminem, Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Marsha, Nate Dogg and Tony Yayo.

In reviews, The Game was all but knighted by the media. In its critique of The Documentary , Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "Every song has a well-massaged hook and some immediate appeal ... (The Game goes) for emotional impact rather than dazzling wordplay or laughs." New York's Daily News hailed The Game's sound, which "boasts that classic Dre bounce, with tracks that feature the grinding club grooves that fired Snoop Dogg's early hits." Entertainment Weekly was succinct but direct in its praise. To wit: "with the brightest hip-hop stars aligning for him, the Game may have willed himself a popular masterpiece."

Born Jayceon Taylor, The Game changed his hustle to rap after his gang-banging exploits landed him in the hospital. Now a breakout star, he's already revealing a maturity that promises to make him one of hip-hop's all-time greats.

"I gave all I could to this album, it's me," he says. "Enjoy it because it's the last time I'm living it. As humans we grow and the next album will be about how I'm living now — and I'm loving life."

Sheryl Crow

Eminem

Norah Jones

Other BMI writers who received multiple nominations included four each for country darlings the Dixie Chicks, producer Arif Mardin and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger (including Record of the Year for the Nickelback smash "How You Remind Me"). Newcomer Vanessa Carlton picked up three. Fellow BMI pop divas Pink, Britney Spears and Michelle Branch garnered two nominations each, as did blues legend B.B. King, film composer Thomas Newman and gospel giant Fred Hammond.

BMI's 2003 Grammy nominees:

FIVE NOMINATIONS

Sheryl Crow
Eminem
Norah Jones

FOUR NOMINATIONS

Dixie Chicks
Chad Kroeger (SOCAN)

THREE NOMINATIONS

Vanessa Carlton
Floetry (Marsha Ambrosius, Natalie Stewart)
Arif Mardin
Pat Metheny

TWO NOMINATIONS

Michelle Branch
Michael Brecker
The Chieftains
Madukwu Chinwah
Natalie Cole
Dirty Vegas (PRS)
Foo Fighters
Carlos Franzetti
Kenny G
Pat Green
Herbie Hancock
Nellee Hooper (PRS)
B.B. King
Diana Krall (SOCAN)
Rashid Lonnie Lynn
Nappy Roots
Willie Nelson
Thomas Newman
Nickel Creek
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Dolly Parton
Pink
Britney Spears
Ralph Stanley
3 Doors Down (Brad Arnold, Todd Harrell, Chris Henderson, Matt Roberts)
Doc Watson
John Williams

SINGLE NOMINEES

Aaliyah
Will Ackerman
John Adams
Christina Aguilera
Darol Anger
Audio Adrenaline
Bacilos
David Balakrishnan
Charli Baltimore
Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga
Jeff Bass
Daniel Bedingfield (PRS)
Big Tymers
Eddie Blazonczyk
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Kevin Bond
Ryan Bowser
David Bowie (PRS)
Brandy
Norman Brown
Solomon Burke
Burning Sky
R.L. Burnside
Gary Burton
Gary Calamar
Michel Camilo
Cam’Ron
The Canton Spirituals
Capleton (PRS)
Caribbean Jazz Project
Cee-Lo
Lauren Christy
The Clinch Mountain Boys
Andy Colver (PRS)
Commissioned
Common
Creed
Bill Cunliffe
The Charlie Daniels Band
Diamond Rio
Michael Doucet
Dave Douglas
Don Edwards
Danny Elfman
Enya (PRS)
Faith Evans
Tommy Flanagan
The Flaming Lips
Béla Fleck
Michael J. Fox
Allison Brewster Franzetti
The Funk Brothers
Peter Gabriel (PRS)
David Lee Garza y Los Musicales
Osvaldo Golijov
Gov’t Mule
Al Green
Grits
Dave Grusin
Deitrick Haddon
Fred Hammond
Roy Hargrove
Jesse Harris
Don Henley
Faith Hill
Dave Holland Big Band
David Holt
Intocable
Etta James
Jars of Clay
JaRule
Jay-Z
Maxi Jazz (PRS)
Little Joe & La Familia
Elton John (PRS)
The Jordanaires
Juanes
John P. Kee
Salif Keita (PRS)
R. Kelly
Kinky
Kitaro
Jennifer Knapp
Knoc-Turn’Al
Korn
Dave Koz
Jeff Koz
Alison Krauss
Femi Kuti (SACEM)
kd lang
Jim Lauderdale
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Don Letts (PRS)
Lonestar
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
The Light Crust Doughboys
Limi-T 21
Israel “Cachao” López
Taj Mahal
Lloyd Maines
Maraca
Martina McBride
Delbert McClinton
Freddie McGregor (PRS)
Lee Thomas Miller
Mingus Big Band
Moby
Charlie Musselwhite
Meshell Ndegeocello
The Neptunes
Newsong
Nickelback (SOCAN)
*NSYNC
The Oak Ridge Boys
Makoto Ozone (JASRAC)
Lee “Scratch” Perry
Pharrell
Queens of the Stone Age
Busta Rhymes
Riders In the Sky
Peter Rowan
Nancy Rumbel
Nicky Ryan (PRS)
Roma Ryan (PRS)
Mingo Saldivar y Sus Tremendos Cuatro Espadas
Santana
John Santos and the Machete Ensemble
Al Schmitt
The John Scofield Band
Earl Scruggs
Wayne Shorter
Jon Sidel
Siggno
Allan Slutsky
Arthur Smith (PRS)
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Scott Spock
Ralph Stanley II
Sting (PRS)
Angie Stone
Omar Sosa
Luciana Souza
Jimmy Sturr
Take Six
Susan Tedeschi
John Tesh
The Temptations
Eric Tingstad
Tobymac
Trick Pony
Kathy Troccoli
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
McCoy Tyner
Jai Uttal
Bebo Valdés
Carlos “Patato” Valdés
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Scott Wenzel
Kenny Werner
Lucinda Williams
Robin Williams
Dean Wilson (PRS)
BeBe Winans
The Roland White Band
Pete Woodruff
Yellowjackets
Joe Zawinul

Christopher Lewis

Abby Dobson

Jonz

MaJoR KEyZ

With a performance by special guests and Universal recording artists Big Tymers. Superproducer Manny Fresh and Cash Money co-CEO Bryan “Baby” Williams mix their free-wheeling lyrical improvisation, larger-than-life personas and Freshís superb production, incorporating live instrumentation inspired by 70ís old school R&B, a touch of New Orleans bounce and classic hip hop. Come see why their single “ Still Fly “is moving up the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks.

The showcase winner will be determined by a distinguished panel of industry standouts, including:

Rodney Jerkins, two-time Grammy-award winning producer (Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, N’Sync & Brandy)

Shakir Stewart, Senior VP & GM Hitco Music (BeyoncÈ Knowles of Destiny’s Child)

Shante Paige, VP of A&R Motown Records (Profyle, Rasheeda, the Temptations)

Tse Williams, VP of A&R Universal Records (3LW, Joe)

Toi Green, Director of A&R Jive Records (Mystikal, The Wood Soundtrack)

J-Que, Winner BMI New Music Urban Showcase 2001 and Hitco Music songwriter

Frank Ski, Program Director at V103/Atlanta

Kamala Gordon, Director of Publishing Warner Chapell (Rockwilder, Faith Evans)

Leotis Clyburn, Director of Creative Development Ground Control Music (Tyrice Jones, Jerel Allen and Terry Harris of 7 Productions)

Teddy Bishop, CEO of Grove Factor Production, songwriter, composer, and producer (Toni Braxton, Montell Jordan, Jagged Edge)

Brian Jackson, Senior Vice President, Creative A&R EMI Music Publishing (Rodney Jerkins, The Neptunes, Jerry Duplessis, Pink)

Rico Wade, three-time Grammy-nominated producer (TLC, Outkast, Goodie Mob & The Dungeon Family

Directions to Celebrity Rock Café, 56 East Andrews

From Airport/Downtown/Midtown

Take I-75/I-85 north. When the interstate splits remain on I-75 North. Take the W Paces Ferry Rd exit. Turn right onto W Paces Ferry Rd. Remain on W Paces Ferry Rd for approximately 3 miles. Turn left on E Andrews Dr. Celebrity Rock CafÈ will be on the right side of the road.

From Lenox Mall/Buckhead

Take Peachtree Rd south (towards downtown). Make a right onto W Paces Ferry Rd. At the second stop light, E Andrews Dr., turn right. Celebrity Rock Café will be on the right side of the road.

Sting

Michael Jackson

Barry Manilow

"The Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards & Dinner is so important because it's a time when some of the premier songwriters in the world come together to honor their own," commented Hal David. "That kind of camaraderie creates a very special night and we're looking forward to another great event this year."

At each kick-off event, the Songwriters Hall of Fame also honors five gifted young composers and lyricists with the Abe Olman Scholarship for Excellence in Songwriting. Named for one of the NAPM/SHOF's founding members, the scholarship awards $1,200 to each winner chosen from songwriter programs sponsored by BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, SGA and the NAPM itself. BMI songwriter John Stephens is among this year's winners and is seen here being congratulated by BMI's Del Bryant.

photo: Robbin Ahrold

The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships.

Over the past 32 years, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has honored such legendary songwriters as Burt Bachrach, Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and many, many others.

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame are $750 each and are available through Buckley Hall Events at (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go towards various Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

John Stephens (Winner of the Abe Olman Scholarship)
John Stephens, a 22 year-old songwriter/musician from Spingfield, OH, was definitely an early starter. He's been studying classical piano since he was five and, under the tutelage of his late grandmother, he's been singing gospel music and playing piano at the Pentecostal Church since he was seven. He graduated from high school when he was only 16.

While attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, he directed Counterparts, one of the nation's top collegiate acapella groups and was also Director of Music at the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Scranton, PA. In the spring of 1998, Lauryn Hill's back-up singer and fellow parishioner Tara Watkins asked John to join her at one of Lauryn's recording sessions in New Jersey. After hearing John sing and play piano, Hill invited him to contribute to her hit single, "Everything is Everything" from her multiple Grammy-winning CD The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Since then, John has been seriously pursuing his songwriting and recording career. Along with guitarist/songwriter/producer Dave Tozer, he's been writing songs and performing at various clubs around the East Coast. He's also appeared as a vocalist or pianist on CDs by Faith Evans, Pras and Scarface.

When asked to describe his music, John says: "It's a essentially a mix of classical soul and the hard-driving rhythms of hip-hop."

By Rob Patterson

From the dawning days of rhythm & blues through today's multifaceted urban music scene, BMI has been at the forefront of music from the African American tradition, styles and community. A continuity of teamwork between BMI and Black music-makers extends from Aretha Franklin to Janet Jackson, from Motown hitmakers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland to R. Kelly, and from Miles Davis to Terence Blanchard.

B.B. King

Busta Rhymes

Janet Jackson

Eminem

When r&b, in its formative years, was the province of budding independent labels, small publishers, and adventurous radio stations, BMI opened its ranks to the musical movement when the existing performing rights organization failed to recognize the legitimacy and potential brewing in Black American music. The considerable fact that 90 percent of the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Awards have been bestowed on BMI artists attests to BMI's historical commitment to Black music.

Eric Benet

Macy Gray

Mariah Carey

Michael Jackson

The BMI Black music rosters reads like a musical honor role: Jazz giants such as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane; blues icons like Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker; r&b pacesetters such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and James Brown; soul sisters Etta James, Irma Thomas and Diana Ross; rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Mya

R. Kelly

Snoop Dogg

Toni Braxton

The BMI bloodlines can be traced from then to now, from Carla Thomas to Donna Summer to Vanessa Williams, from Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff to LA Reid and Babyface, from Otis Redding to Michael Jackson. And if you check this space 20 or 30 years from now, the odds say its likely that BMI's contemporary urban music artists will be just as legendary and influential as those BMI has represented throughout the history of Black popular music in America.

In a sense, the pages have already been written by today's BMI star talents. Mariah Carey has proven herself a formidable and enduring presence in popular music, while Macy Gray is arising to help bring soul back to its rightful place of presence in urban music. Kevin Eubanks delivers sublime new variations of the jazz guitar heritage to millions on The Tonight Show, and Joshua Redman redefines the notion of young jazz giant for a new millennium. Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Lil' Kim continue to push the hip-hop envelope, while Kirk Franklin and Winans Phase 2 keep the gospel spirit alive.

But it's not just the marquee names that make these exciting times for BMI's urban music roster. And even some of BMI's team whose work happens primarily behind the scenes are earning public note on the level of the artists they work with. Producer, songwriter, keyboardist and remixer Dallas Austin launched Monica and TLC, and counts Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boyz II Men and Aretha Franklin among his credits. Such musical versatility and vision continues with such recording and writing powerhouses as Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Master P, Tim & Bob, SoulShock & Karlin, Jean Claude 'Poke' Olivier of The Track Masters, Organized Noise, Teddy Bishop and Cory Rooney - all drawing from a differing wealth of musical wells and creating new and innovative musical moments.

Hip-hop remains a powerfully progressive and sometimes provocative movement in modern popular music. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Goodie Mob keep it real, and the beats and themes will surely remain hard in the hands of such acts as Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ja Rule, Mos Def, Trick Daddy, Silkk the Shocker, JT Money, Kurupt and J-Shin. At the same time, acts like The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Spooks infuse a rich mixture of styles into the hip-hop genre. Once the sound of the street, just as r&b had been, hip-hop is now an integral part of contemporary culture. And its Caribbean cousin dancehall is also claiming the attention of the public ear thanks to Buju Banton.

R&B has always boasted its powerful cadre of female singers. And just as Carla Thomas, Martha Reeves and Jodi Whatley established their voices as trademarks, so have the women like Brandy, Toni Braxton and Faith Evans. Rising to join them are such soul sisters as Angie Stone, Mya, Sunshine Anderson and Aaliyah, while R&B brothers such as Eric Benet and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes stir up new soul traditions for today's urban music fans as Clyde McPhatter, Sam Moore and Aaron Neville have before them. The girl group traditions forged by The Shirelles and The Supremes find modern expression in the "new jill flava" of Total.

As the recent Ken Burns documentary demonstrated, jazz is one of the richest skeins in the American cultural tapestry. BMI has been a consistent presence in jazz, from Lionel Hampton to Coleman Hawkins to Herbie Hancock to Roy Hargrove. Today, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks and Bilal maintain the instrumental and compositional greatness of jazz music for the genre's future.

Spirituals have always been an essential element in Black music and BMI's mission, thanks to everyone from James Ingram to The Fairfield Four. And perhaps nobody has had a more profound impact on contemporary music and the popularity of spiritual sounds than minister, songwriter, producer and visionary Kirk Franklin. In the past, one could make similar claims for The Winans, and the family tradition forged there is carried on by Winans Phase 2. The ears reached by these artists are now opening as well to such rising talents as Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7.

Such diversity, commercial impact, innovation and encouragement of burgeoning styles and new artists has been a hallmark of BMI's commitment to Black music from the time that "race music" became rhythm & blues, and on through soul, funk and disco right up to rap and new jack swing. As BMI salutes tradition through its longtime support of the R&B Foundation, it also helps create the future that is urban music in all its breadth and creativity. Because at BMI, Black Music Month is celebrated 12 months a year.

The intimate "That's Just My Way," the passionate "Why You Follow Me," the tender "Come As You Are," the vengeful "When You Think Of Me," along with "Loving Your Best Friend," contribute to the deeply textured emotional experience within A Day In the Life, his sophomore Warner. Bros. effort.

The main musical ingredient in A Day in the Life is classic R&B, with salsa, gospel, jazz and funk added to the mix. Eric co-wrote all 11 of the new tracks; the project's two covers are "Georgy Porgy," the Toto hit which now features guest vocals by Faith Evans, and the immortal '70s ballad "Dust In the Wind" from Kansas, now in a funkified interpretation. Eric co-produced and co-wrote the album with a dynamic group of collaborators, including Wyclef Jean, Ali Shaheed Muhammed (A Tribe Called Quest), Something For the People, Brian Morgan (SWV, Nicole), James Poyser & Vikter DuPlaix (Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill), Tamia, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, plus long-time partners Demonte Posey and cousin George Nash, Jr.

Nash and Eric's sister, Lisa, were members of his first band, Benet, in their hometown of Milwaukee. Their first album was released in 1992 and fared poorly in the commercial arena. The experience was a traumatic one for the young artist, and it made him "afraid to trust [his] heart' with the kind of music he wanted to create. But he conquered his fear and embarked down a solo path; his revealing 1996 debut album for Warner Bros. was titled True To Myself.

The critical accolades for True To Myself, along with the enthusiastic response from audiences throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, gave Eric the confidence to broaden the scope of his musical approaches within A Day in the Life.

by Bruce Britt

Though her career only spans a brief four years, Faith Evans' biography already reads like some urban Dickensian novel.

The 26 year-old singer was widowed in 1997 when her husband, rapper Biggie Smalls (aka The Notorious B.I.G.), was slain in a mysterious drive-by shooting. The tragedy left Evans to raise the couple's son while simultaneously tending to her own career and her husband's legacy. Judging from her incandescent new album Keep the Faith, Evans is determined to become the master of her own destiny. Towards that goal, the singer almost entirely co-wrote and co-produced her new album. Her collaborations with Babyface, Puff Daddy, David Foster and others have yielded a resilient, hopeful recording; an album Entertainment Weekly says "blends gospel's range with jazzy innovation."

"Musically I've matured so much on this album," Evans says. "I put all the experiences and emotional changes I went through from the time I completed the first album to the new album. The whole team worked endlessly to make sure that it was really tight, and it is tight."

Keep the Faith is just the latest entry on Evans' expanding resume. The singer has written or provided background vocals for a variety of r&b acts, including Mary J. Blige, Pebbles, Tevin Campbell and Christopher Williams. She has performed a duet with the legendary Ray Charles and has co-written and produced songs for L.S.G. and Aaron Hall. Most recently, she was featured on Whitney Houston's hit single, "Heartbreak Hotel," and Eric Benet's "Georgy Porgy."

Evans cultivated her righteous vocal style in the churches of her native Newark, New Jersey. A high school honor student, Evans won a full academic scholarship to Fordham University, but the singer surprised her family when she prematurely left college to pursue a music career. Evans's bold move paid off almost instantly. Not long after leaving Fordham, the singer found herself composing and performing with Al B. Sure!, Mary J. Blige and others.

The singer's career got a tremendous boost when hip-hop producer Puff Daddy signed Evans to his label, Bad Boy Records. Evans' self-titled 1995 debut album showcased her gospel roots and neo-funk attitude, and was later certified platinum. In the midst of the hoopla, the singer was introduced to rapper Biggie Smalls. They were wed just days after their fateful first encounter.

Unfortunately, the union would be short-lived. Evans' son was only three months old at the time of Smalls's death. Evans transformed her grief into a heartrending hit single, "I'll Be Missing You." Featuring a refrain from the Police's 1984 hit "Every Step You Take," Evans' poignant tribute to her late husband became a global anthem of bereavement.

Now, as the title of her new albums suggests, Evans is wagering that her faith will result in fascinating new opportunities. "Just like any other human being, I went through an extremely painful stage," the singer says. "But, thank God, I was able to free my self from all of the bad aspects and look at it as another life experience."