Charlotte Martin, Lisa Loeb, Kevin Max, Joanne Cash, Ken Andrews, and a slew of other independent artists both Christian and mainstream are featured on Hope, Volume One, a compilation aimed at raising funds towards suicide prevention. Proceeds from the sale of the project will benefit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE, a nonprofit whose primary objective is to create awareness against suicide and help those who have in some way been affected by it. The CD is available for sale at Amazon, CDBaby.com, and most digital download outlets.

The popular new band Rush of Fools will follow-up their self-titled debut with Wonder of the World, due in stores September 16. Returning to produce are Jason Ingram and Rusty Varenkamp, who, along with the band, attempt to recreate the catchy pop/rock hooks that characterized the group's previous release. "It doesn't matter what aspect of life you're working on, you always have to learn how to recreate something," said lead singer Wes Willis. "You always have to learn how to grow and change, and from a musical aspect, that's definitely what we've done with this album."

Contemporary gospel heavyweight Donald Lawrence is prepping for the live recording of his second Verity/Zomba release, The Law of Confession, set to be taped July 30 at Living Word Christian Center in Chicago. Doors open at 7 p.m. Co-produced by Lawrence and Daniel Weatherspoon, the new project is inspired by a forthcoming book from Pastor Bill Winston, a minister at the hosting venue. "The CD is about applying the Word of the Lord to everyday life that it may change your personal speech [by] speaking only positive things and things of good report," Lawrence said.

R&B songbird Regina Belle is hosting a vocal competition through July 27 that seeks to find the church choir with the best performance of her current radio hit, "God Is Good." Belle wants local choirs to learn the song, perform it on Sunday, and then upload a video of the performance to GospelTube.com—all links must be submitted at this address. The winning choir will receive a special visit from Belle, who will perform the hit song live with the champs.

Veteran worship leader Brenton Brown is ready for the July release of Because of Your Love, his second album after 2006's Everlasting God. The new disc finds Brown collaborating with fellow worshippers Kathryn Scott and Leeland Mooring (Leeland) on vocals, as well as Paul Baloche and Matt Maher for songwriting, and a number of other renowned studio musicians for the actual recording. Brown said living in Los Angeles for the past three years and being surrounded by players of all walks motivated him to change things up a bit. "Apart from the various country strains of Americana, the album also has … indie and alt-rock flavors to it," Brown said.

Last week, Central South Distribution in conjunction with Codeblack/Releve' released the soundtrack to the faith-based film A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The compilation contains new and previously released tracks from the likes of Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Men of Standard, Deitrick Haddon, Deborah Cox, and Darius McCreary, among others.

Cross Movement recording artist FLAME, born Marcus Gray, wedded longtime girlfriend Crystal Singh at a special ceremony in St. Louis, Missouri, the rapper's hometown. The dual wedding celebrated both the bride and the groom's cultural heritages, beginning with Indian nuptials in commemoration of Singh's ancestry, which included a grand entrance by Gray wearing traditional Indian attire while riding a white horse. The newlyweds will reside in Louisville, Kentucky, where FLAME is currently attending Boyce College seeking a degree in biblical counseling and his wife is finishing up a Ph.D. in psychology.

© Andree Farias, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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