When Deitrick Haddon, pastor, producer, founder and leader of the gospel choir LXW (League of Xtraordinary Worshippers) released this long awaited album, the 3-time Grammy nominee was already claiming victory. Today that victory is finally realized as the self titled debut album reached #1* and earned the Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard Gospel Albums Chart, just days after it was released on April 22nd.
This project truly offers music that choirs across the country will be able to relate to and sing for years to come, providing opportunities to showcase their gifts by way of duplicating the intricate but fun filled vocal calisthenics featured on each song. Fans, new and old, have even taken to Twitter with praises about this project. Nosta @Divine_Curls tweeted, “I can’t be the only one who sings along w/ @DeitrickHaddon and the choir like I wrote the songs…. I can sing along like nobody’s business.” And yes, she is not the only one, as this album is truly relatable and no one will be disappointed.
A #1 album debut wasn’t the only good news that Deitrick Haddon’s LXW experienced this week. The lead single “Great God” had an INCREDIBLE jump in radio airplay. According to the Billboard and Mediabase Gospel Airplay Charts (Week Ending 4/27/14) the song leaped from #24 to #15* and #26 to #15* (respectively) all in just 1 week, proving the strength of the song and the long standing power of choir music! Also, “Great God” is #19 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs Chart for issue date May 3rd!
“Wow, this speaks volumes! People still believe in choir music when it’s really good. My brothers Gerald Haddon, David Haddon & I worked hard to bring something fresh but yet familiar. This confirms that hard work pays off!” said Deitrick Haddon.
LXW’s fantastic debut adds to the long list of creative projects that have come out of Haddon’s longtime collaborative partnership with Tyscot Music & Entertainment.
As the oldest African-American owned recording label in the nation, Tyscot keeps renewing itself with talented artists like Deitrick Haddon’s LXW. The company has allowed Haddon to express himself artistically and he has continued to amaze them with his limitless gifts.
Tyscot President, Bryant Scott, sees this most recent success as a reminder of the company’s early beginnings, “The very first projects Tyscot presented almost 40 years ago were choirs. We built our early legacy with choir music like John P. Kee & New Life Community Choir. Now in 2014, we have teamed back up with Deitrick, who is one of our success stories, to present a CD and DVD which takes choir music to a new stratosphere. It is thrilling that the public has embraced this project to the level of debuting number 1* on the Billboard Gospel Album sales chart. Along with a grateful thanks to consumers nationwide, we thank the press, radio, retail and social media for being strong contributing factors to this auspicious occasion!”
The Choir Movement is back. The LXW project is amazing as it brought together 100+ voices in LA. By creating music for youth choirs and choirs in general, LXW is “resurrecting the choir movement”, adding energy and swag back into this genre. Deitrick Haddon and LXW have already created quite a stir after a recent live performance seen on BET’s Celebration of Gospel and the full concert video airing as a ‘Good Friday Easter Special’ on the Oxygen network. With wonderful songs, intense choreography and finesse, this project will return choir music to its rightful place in the gospel genre. The CD and its companion concert DVD will make audiences fall in love with choir music all over again.
The awe-inspiring DVD was filmed at the City of Refuge Church in Los Angeles, California. This debut CD & concert DVD features a list of ‘Who’s Who’ in the current choir music sub-genre, including Hezekiah Walker, Donald Lawrence, Ricky Dillard as well as a new generation of Gospel superstars, such as Jessica Reedy. The DVD will make you feel like you’re right in the audience, with high energy songs and ballads that you will find yourself singing along with in no time! In addition, there are two spoken word segments that entertain and totally inspire.
Own yours today and get the CD and full concert DVD at Walmart, Amazon.com, Family Christian Stores and many other brick and mortar retail locations. As a bonus, consumers get a free copy of a specially illustrated LXW Comic Book with their purchase of the Concert DVD. Also, the Digital Album is available on iTunes, AmazonMP3, Google Play and other digital retailers worldwide. In addition, the Digital Concert Video is available for download and video (rental) on demand via iTunes, AmazonMP3 and many others.