W(f
A Music Review
By Eugene Scott
Gospels music’s monar
chy has done it once
again. The Winans family
has produced award-win
ning artists such as The
Winans and Bebe & Cece
Winans for decades. With
the recent release of the
Grammy-nominated debut
album from Winans Phase
2, The Winans family proves that they have no plans
to stop anytime soon.
The sons of the gospel group The Winans,
Carvin Jr. (19), Marvin Jr. (19), Juan (17) and
Michael (16), combine in four-part harmony to make^
up Winans Phase 2. This generation of gospel music s
most famous family demonstrates their music ability
on their R&B-tinged, contemporary gospel album, We
Got Next.
Winans Phase 2 , gospel music’s answer to the
Backstreet Boys, recruited some of the music indus
try’s most well known producers for their debut pro
ject, We Got Next. Their first single, “It’s Alright
(Send Me)”, was penned by Rodney Jerkins, the mas
ter-mind behind the success of many hits including
Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy is Mine” and Whitney
Houston’s “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay”.
Grammy-award winning lyricist Kenneth
“Babyface” Edmonds chose to lend his expertise on
the mid-tempo, Boyz II Men-flavored track entitled
“Just for a Day”. Showcasing their vocal diversity as
well as lyrical ability, Winans Phase 2 recorded a
remake of the Bee Gees “Too Much Heaven and
helped co-write “Come On Over” with producer
Narada Michael Walden.
This group’s potential is evident when listen
ing to this recording. Unlike many children of suc
cessful recording artists, Winans Phase 2 verifes that
they can hold their own when it comes to their musi
cal talent. When gospel music is the topic of discus
sion, Winans Phase 2 proves without question that
they’ve definitely “Got Next”!
Eugene Scott is a freshman, Physical Ed., Exercise, and Sports
Science major who can be reached at escott@email.unc.edu.
Shades o f Justice
A Book Review
By Eugene Scott
Linda McKeever Bullard’s debut novel,
Shades of Justice, is more complicated than a net
work television soap opera. This African-
American female writes in the style of famed
African-American female author Terri McMillan
(How Stella Got Her Groove Back). Even though
the comparisons to McMillan have made Bullard’s
rise to the top of Black besteller lists meteoric,
Bullard has an incomparable style of her own.
The plot focuses on Gwen Parrish, an attor
ney who has a passionate desire to become a judge
in Houston, TX. It is a city notorious for not
awarding positions of power to blacks, especially
women. Because of her desire to practice law, an
occupation that her father does not consider a
“real job,” Gwen’s parents have disowned her.
Further perplexing Gwen’s life is her daughter,
Ashleigh Lee, whose wish to live with her father
creates numerous complications. To add fuel to
the fire, the complexities of being newly-wed to a
white man do not make Gwen’s life any better. To
keep her head above water, she seeks support in
her best friends, Willette and C.C.
Although all three women graduated from
Texas Southern University and founded the Black
Female Lawyers Association, their careers and per-
osnal lives could not be any more different. C.C.,
the only black female judge in Harriss County, is
the envy of Gwen. But what Gwen doesn’t know
is that C.C.’s many dark secrets could destroy her
professional life if they are ever publicly revealed.
Willette, the daughter of the most powerful black
man in the county, is Gwen’s ticket to the bench.
By sleeping with Willette’s husband, Gwen hopes
that he can persuade Willette to convince her
father, the county commissioner, to appoint Gwen
to the judicial bench.
When everything seems to be improving
for Gwen, Willette’s father is mysteriously mur
dered. A string of events also occur after this
tragedy that tests Gwen’s marriage: a custody bat
tle over her only child and betrayed friendships.
As secrets begin to reveal theselves, Gwen realizes
that she is not only losing people incredibly dear
to her but also seeing their hidden personalities.
&
February 2000
18