MARY MARY ‘SOUNDS’ OFF: Latest disc pushes urban gospel

“A lot of times [young people] think that ministry is irrelevant unless something about your lifestyle is really borderline,” Tina said. “They think ministry is irrelevant unless they hear something God friendly or Jesus friendly coming from a mainstream artist. I think that when they have artists that are rooted and grounded in the gospel industry, as well as people who openly profess the faith, and then you have music that’s relevant to the sound that they are hearing nowadays – not that it’s necessarily a replica of anything on radio, but it’s current, it’s relevant, it’s funky, the beats are bangin’, they can dance to it and enjoy themselves to it as young people do, but the message is all wrapped up in God and in faith and making sure you let people know you know where your blessings come from.”

      *Urban gospel stars Mary Mary have certainly made a name for themselves. In 2000 they broke on the scene with their debut disc and first single “Shackles (Praise You).”

      The sister duo of Erica and Tina Campbell has now proclaimed their sound with their latest disc “The Sound.”

      The two-time Grammy award winners released this, their fifth album, late last year and it's still maintaining traction on urban radio thanks to the hits “Get Up” and “The God in Me” featuring gospel fave Kierra Sheard.

      The sisters have also won Stellar, Dove, and America Music Awards, not to mention the love of legions of fans in reshaping the definition of gospel music, but the two say it’s easy to stay grounded.

      “We stay grounded knowing who I serve; knowing who I am,” Erica told EUR’s Gerald Radford. “I’m aware of what I can and what I cannot do. I’m aware of what prayer does and what hard work does and the difference between the two. No matter what God blesses us with, it doesn’t blow my head up because I’m realistic to where we are and who God is in this whole thing and I just give him all the glory.”

      They explained that their foolproof plan of giving God all the glory means they rarely toot their own horn and that’s what keeps them humble, but Erica continued that at the same time, the duo is not surprised at their success.

      “I’m not surprised because we’ve worked like crazy,” she said matter-of-factly. “If all this happened and I was just sitting at home, then I would be surprised. We have definitely put the work in and on top of the work that we’ve put in, God has been who is always who he is to us and that’s allowing our music to reach far and do what it does in blessing people and touching lives.”

      In addition to their popularity on radio and on stage, the two are also the executive producers of BET’s talent competition “Sunday’s Best,” which features talented gospel singers vying to win the title. The sibs also serve as judges on the show with gospel great BeBe Winans, and host Kirk Franklin.

      “We got a call from BET and they said they wanted us to be a part of it,” Erica said of their involvement in the show. “We wanted a controlling hand so we became executive producers on the show to make sure that it was authentic and the it was good, quality programming for the Christian audience; the faith-based audience. We had discussions and we jumped on board. It all worked out and it’s been absolutely great.”

      She continued that one of her favorite things about the show is introducing singers to the other side of the gospel music industry – beyond the ministry.

       “A lot of times, people are prepared for that,” she said, “but they’re not really prepared for on-stage, lights,  camera, action, being ready, learning two different songs a day, taping shows. They’re not really acclimated to handling that. It’s been really cool being a part of the entire show.”

      With their latest offering, Mary Mary has continued to push the envelope of urban gospel music, even recruiting rapper David Banner (“Get Like Me”) for the track “Superfriend.”

       “We’ve never had a fear of rejection because nobody rejects a good song. People with issues – they’re going to have their issues,” Erica said of the duo’s traditionally controversial style. “If you make your music for just a small sect of people then you should probably be worried, but we don’t do that. God is God of the world, not just of the Black Pentecostal Church. My music is not just for the Black Pentecostal Church; it’s for everybody and I believe that our music serves that.”

     Erica explained that the two have themselves been a little unsure of music or lyrics they’ve recorded, but that it’s been a learning curve that has taught them well.

       “Even when we were recording ‘God In Me,’ me and Tina were like, ‘I don’t’ know.’ But [producer] Warryn [Campbell], being who he is and who he’s been, just brings a level of excellence and expertise and so much knowledge of where we should go musically. Somehow it always fits. Once we record the song and perform the song, it makes sense. We’re music people. We’re artistic people and Warryn always pushes us to do something to different to where we’ve been.”

      The two ladies said that their music isn’t particularly targeted to young people, but that they understand why young people are drawn to it and they are thankful that they are.

      “A lot of times [young people] think that ministry is irrelevant unless something about your lifestyle is really borderline,” Tina said. “They think ministry is irrelevant unless they hear something God friendly or Jesus friendly coming from a mainstream artist. I think that when they have artists that are rooted and grounded in the gospel industry, as well as people who openly profess the faith, and then you have music that’s relevant to the sound that they are hearing nowadays – not that it’s necessarily a replica of anything on radio, but it’s current, it’s relevant, it’s funky, the beats are bangin’, they can dance to it and enjoy themselves to it as young people do, but the message is all wrapped up in God and in faith and making sure you let people know you know where your blessings come from.”

      “The beat is hot and people love that, but it’s the message that has carried it over,” Erica added. “There’s a bunch of songs with that beat and that style and that tempo, but it’s the message.”

       “I think it makes church, it makes Christianity, it makes your walk with Christ more relevant,” Tina said. “Sometimes young people just think it ain’t. We package it up so wrong and make it so strict. Young people are like, ‘Can I have any fun? Can I be young?’ I think our music allows young people to be like, ‘Yeah, I can look young, I can feel young. I can look fresh, I can be fresh, and I can tell everybody I’ve been blessed by God. I think we’ve been able to present that with our music.”

      While this latest album garners even more fans, the two are also hard at work on their fashion jeans line, their Bath & Body line, and a book.

      “And of course new music,” Erica said. “We’re open. We’re just open to wherever God tells us to go. And we have a lot of the next record recorded because on the last album we were just going for it – just song after song after song. Some of them were really amazing songs that just didn’t fit with this collection. So, for the next album, we already have some of those songs. I can’t wait. I’m already excited about the release of the next one.”

      We can’t wait either.

      For more on Mary Mary, check out their website at www.mary-mary.com.