Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson is by far the most successful gospel quartet singer of his generation. The man behind quartet hits such as “Send A Revival” and “Let Go and Let God” has a new album with his group, The Spiritual Voices, hitting brick and mortar and all online stores (Itunes, Amazon mp3, etc.) on January 25, 2011. It’s entitled, “Back 2 Basics” (Blacksmoke Music Worldwide),” and after a foray into mainstream gospel with James Fortune on the Top 10 smash “I Wouldn’t Know You,” Johnson gets back to his quartet roots on the new project. The mellow R&B-flavored radio single, “True Love,” is currently #25 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and climbing. “Over the years, I’ve put my trust in a lot of people and they let me down,” Johnson confesses. “I had to go back and realize that Jesus Christ is the only true love who will never let me down.”
“I call the album `Back 2 Basics’ because my group is known for doing traditional music that everybody can listen to,” Johnson explains. “Kerry Douglas, the president at my record label started bringing in producers and songwriters with a different sound than mine to expand my audience and to freshen my sound. That’s all good. Songs like `True Love’ come from that collaboration but I call myself a universal gospel singer. I keep it simple and sing all kinds of gospel for anybody and everybody.”
One of Johnson’s favorite songs on the project is the finger-popping ditty, “I’m Gonna Make It.” He adds, “I love that song. I’m hoping that will be my next radio single. I think that can go all the way to the top.”
Johnson has been making noise on the gospel landscape since 1998 when he burst on the scene with the smash hit, “Hide Behind The Mountain.” He quickly became known as a young man with an old soul for mixing introducing quartet to a young generation of gospel fans. Since then, he’s birthed modern-day quartet standards such as “I Made It,” “Send A Revival,” “Be Right,” and “Let Go and Let God.”
When asked what keeps he and his music fresh after all these years, Johnson says one thing. “Dreams,” he offers. “Dreams keep it fresh. I dreamed about doing this since I was a little boy. Not too many people can say they are living their dream. God made that dream a reality and every time I hit a stage, I’m gonna rock the house and stop the show.”
