NEW YORK (Fo Yo Soul Entertainment/Zomba) - Gospel Mogul's New CD Tops Billboard Charts in First Week of Release and Receives
Stellar Reviews
Live Interactive Audio Online Chat Scheduled for October 13 at 8pm on GospelCity.com
Fo Yo Soul Entertainment/Zomba recording artist Kirk Franklin's new CD HERO, debuted at No 1 position on two Billboard Magazine charts - Top Gospel Album and Top Christian Albums - in its first week of release! Additionally, the CD debuted this week at No 5 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and No 13 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Kirk, the biggest selling gospel artist in the SoundScan era, released his sixth CD on October 4.
HERO, the first release on Franklin's new Fo Yo Soul Entertainment label (in association with the newly formed Zomba Gospel) features a host of musical all-stars including musical genius Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, Sheila E., Dorinda Clark-Cole, Marvin Winans, tobyMac, Tye Tribbett, J. Moss and P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval among others. The first single from the CD, 'Looking For You,' a signature hype record featuring the classic Patrice Rushen sample 'Looking For You,' is currently getting major airplay on radio stations across the country.
Press reviews of the new CD reflect why Franklin's music continues to top today's music charts. USA Today states, "Franklin's empathy for the struggling and downtrodden and optimism that trouble can be overcome by faith give his music depth. While there is plenty of foot-stomping and hand-clapping inspired by the music, he makes his serious intent clear." The Associated Press writes, "The album contains Franklin's typical but explosive mix of hip-hop and R&B-flavored gospel. He also uses samples from soul classics — from Earth Wind and Fire's 'Keep Your Head to the Sky' to Randy Crawford's 'You Bring the Sun Out' — to create this 'comfort-food for the soul.'" The website ChristianityToday.com notes, "The musical freshness as Franklin pulls together different sounds to merge the aural past with the present, makes it an album that represents a 'Rebirth,' perhaps even more than the album of that name."
In addition to receiving a great response with press, retail and radio, the CD is burning up the internet, as well. The 'Listen Up' Listening Party for HERO posted on the popular website BET.com from September 27 through October 4 was the highest-rated on the site for the past six months! HERO also ranked No 6 out of the top 35 CDs featured on last week's AOL full album listening party (a list that included the latest releases from Bon Jovi, Fiona Apple, Lil' Kim, Trina and Gerald Levert), racking up a stellar 65,912 streams.
Additionally, since its release, HERO has been sitting pretty at No 2 on the iTunes Inspirational Chart. "Looking For You", the first single from HERO has logged in excess of 130,000 streams on Kirk's own website – www.kirkfranklin.us. The week of October 17, Franklin's fans will be able to view the next two installments of 'Constructing Hero: The Making Of Kirk Franklin's Hero' as webisodes No 3 and No 4 premiere exclusively online. Franklin will also be connecting directly with his fans during a Live Celebrity Chat to be held at GospelCity.com on October 13 at 8:00 pm (EST).
During month of October, the multi-award-winning artist will be making numerous promotional appearances across the county in support of HERO. On October 17, Franklin will participate at a Hurricane Katrina Fundraising Event sponsored by Chicago radio station WVAZ. Kirk will perform on a taping for the BET 25th Anniversary TV Special in Los Angeles on October 26 (scheduled to air November 1). Additional promotional stops will be made in cities across the country throughout the fall including Nashville, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago among others.
Stay tuned to www.KirkFranklin.us for all the latest news and updates.
