Event Review: Karen Clark-Sheard’s Live Recording at House of Hope in Chicago

On Monday, September 9, 2013 a few thousand people from across the country poured into the House of Hope Church in Chicago to attend one of the most anticipated live recordings in the history Gospel music. Grammy Award-winning / Stellar Award winning singer Karen Clark-Sheard, the youngest member of the legendary Clark Sisters, teamed up with award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and arranger Donald Lawrence, for an unforgettable night of praise. Responsible for producing Karen’s first solo project, “Finally Karen” back in 1997, Donald was reached out to by the songstress to put their organic chemistry together again for another historic album.

The House of Hope was filled will family, friends, fans, loved-ones and supporters of Karen, including some of the most celebrated names in Gospel music. These people include Donald Lawrence, Bishop Sheard, Kierra Sheard, J. Drew Sheard, The Clark Sisters, Anthony Clark Williams (Tonex), Anita Wilson, Jessica Reedy, Smokie Norful, Amber Bullock, Jonathan Nelson, Ricky Dillard, Joshua Rogers, Tobbi & Tommi, Ted Winn, Tasha Page-Lockheart and many more!

The live recording was for Karen’s upcoming, yet-to-be-titled project that will be released on her record label, Karew Records with distribution via eOne. The overall live recording was nothing short of a stellar performance from Karen, Donald Lawrence’s singers, known as The Company, and the other surprise guests that blessed the stage. The stand out moment of the night was The Clark Sisters reuniting on stage for the first time in years! Led by Donald Lawrence, the sisters gave an impromptu performance that made the crowd scream for more. Karen’s daughter, Kierra Sheard, also took to the stage for a quick song, reminiscent of the days when “Little KiKi” was only ten years old and used to riff and run with her mother on stage. However, the audience, including Karen, could definitely see the growth in the power of Kierra’s voice. At one point during the show, Karen asked if Kim MacFarlance, a member of The Company, could sing a song and much to the audience’s delight, she did and blew everyone away with her angelic voice.

One song in particular that the audience immediately fell in love with at the recording was “Sunday Morning”, which Donald admitted has a “Clark Sisters” vibe to it. Every song Karen performed that night felt like it was tailored by Donald to fit the singer’s voice, style and range. Of course Karen gave the fans what they wanted by doing her signature “echo” fade out, driving the crowd wild. She undoubtedly sang her heart out the entire evening, uplifting and blessing everyone who was there. Kudos to Karen and Donald for putting together an amazing project and show, we can’t wait to hear the finish project when it hits stores!

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.