NASHVILLE, TN. (Sony/ Epic Records/ www.cecewinans.com) - In follow-up to her RIAA Gold-certified Throne Room CD, the award-winning
CeCe Winans returns on
September 13th with her greatly anticipated seventh solo project, Purified. Produced by Keith
Thomas (Jessica Simpson,
Vanessa Williams), Tommy Simms (Bruce Springsteen, Michael Bolton, The Neville Brothers),
Mario Winans and Andy Selby (Michelle Williams, Smokie Norful), this is the first pop project between Winan's PureSprings Label, INO Records, Sony Urban
Music and Epic Records.
With Purified, Winans combines the transformative power of gospel music with heart-stopping pop, street-smart R&B and infectious dance-floor rhythms to create her most compelling set of songs to-date. Truly inspired in every sense of the word, Purified is a celebration of the heart, the soul and the spirit.
Finding the beauty of God's well of inspiration in both the sacred and the secular, CeCe Winans seamlessly segues from R&B to pop to deeply felt gospel fervor, even adding street-savvy raps to tracks like "Pray," the album's hook-dappled first single(Billboard Gospel charts' Hot Shot Debut and Greatest Gainer at No. 24 it's first week out), co-penned and produced by her hit-making nephew Mario Winans (Destiny's Child, Frankie J, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Wendy Williams, New Edition) and "A Place Like This," featuring the rap duo Grits.
With eight of the album's thirteen tracks authored by CeCe, Purified is also perhaps her most personal and candid album yet with tracks like "Always Sisters," "I Promise" and "All That I Need" providing revelatory glimpses into the heart, as well as the soul, of the artist. 'All That I Need' will be serviced to Christian AC and Mainstream AC radio this month.
With songs like "Mamma's Kitchen" and "Pray," CeCe seems destined to light up the nation's R&B airwaves with her signature blend of pop-soul-gospel. From the lush string arrangement of "You Will" to the up-tempo Latin-flavored "Let Everything," the songs of Purified transcend musical boundaries and trends, connecting directly to the heart of the listener. CeCe Winans has been given the gifts of talent, inspiration and vision and she shares all of it with boundless generosity on Purified.
In support of Purified, CeCe will tour in the fall of 2005, perform at a Luis Palau, Megafest, Joyce Meyer and others conventions. She will be seen in Ebony magazine in September and grace the cover of CCM in October.
Winans' first solo album, Alone In His Presence, is platinum certified and took home a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 1995. CeCe's next solo outing, 1998's Everlasting Love, became the nation's No 1 Top Gospel Album, a feat repeated with 1999's Alabaster Box and 2004's Throne Room, both certified gold. She took home a Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album Grammy in 1991 for Different Lifestyles, as CeCe & BeBe Winans. Other Grammy wins for CeCe Winans include Best Gospel Performance, Female (1989 for "Don't Cry") and Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female (1987 for "For Always").
In addition to her six Grammy Awards, 19 Dove Awards, three Soul Train Awards, Five Stellar Awards, and three image and Billboard Music Awards, Winans has performed on OPRAH, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, Regis & Kathie Lee and many more.
