Ten Finalists Named on "Sunday Best"

This was the second competition installment of Sunday Best, and this was the week they made eliminations. After a stellar opening by Byron Cage and the contestants singing I Will Bless the Lord, the festivities began...

Pete Robinson was first up. The Vineland, New Jersey resident sang Through it All. His delivery started off pretty shaky, but it came together in the end. Judge Tina Campbell didn't think it was his strongest performance and she thought he didn't connect with the audience. In addition, there were pitch problems. Both BeBe Winans and Erica Campbell agreed. Erica also thought it would be good if he sang the chorus -- the known part of the song -- along with the background singers.

Y'Anna Crawley did Mt. Rainier, Maryland proud with her rendition of For Every Mountain. To let you know how good it was, the audience gave the 31-year-old a standing ovation. The judges had no choice but to agree. BeBe went so far as to say that she was a great singer that he could listen to all day.

Maurice Griffin had a great voice that was showcased nicely with In the Midst of it All. This 22-year-old minister of music from Chicago came out in a low-key fashion, but brought it together as he sang. BeBe said Griffin sounded like a grownup, but he looked like an elementary school student. All the judges liked him.

One of the shakiest performer of the night was Sharon Gomez. The Baltimore, Maryland resident Great is Thy Faithfulness. While her sincerity shined through, her voice wasn't that impressive. While the judges thought her voice was nice, there weren't impressed with her performance. Tina blamed it on her nerves, and Erica agreed.

I'm Lost Without You was John McClure Jr's choice of song. While I wasn't impressed with his take on the BeBe and CeCe Winans classic, the judges liked it. Of course, BeBe reminded us why we loved the song by taking his turn on it.

Host Kirk Franklin liked the arrangement of Melodies From Heaven that Crystal Holland chose to sing. The Chicagoan gave it a jazzy feel that was really nice. Erica thought there was something inconsistent about Holland's performance, Tina thought she didn't connect, and BeBe felt like it was mechanical.

While I realize that Sunday Best is a singing competition, I think it's important to look good when you sing. Unfortunately, Sacramento native Ian J. Knighton obviously didn't agree. Even though his take on The Presence of the Lord is Here was good, his suit didn't fit him well. Erica liked the way he engaged the audience, BeBe thought the song was too short, and Tina invited him to her church.

Another shaky singer was Cecoya Burch. The Atlanta, Georgia native's weak performance of Mary Mary's In the Morning left a lot to be desired. While Tina and Erica were kind and said decent things, it was obvious to me that they weren't overjoyed at Burch's rendition.

Kirk called Dontavies Boatwright a Black Pavarotti -- a reference to the great operatic singer, Luciano Pavarotti -- and he was absolutely right. Boatwright's take on What the World Need Now is Love was awesome, and the judges agreed.

The final performance of the night was Los Angeles' own Carolyn Johnson White. This seasoned singer took it old school with I Know I've Been Changed. Even though she had some pitch problems in the beginning, she managed to pull it together before her time was up, and that note she hit at the end was well worth the wait. Jesus showed up, and the audience almost went in. The judges were thoroughly impressed with the 60-year-old, and when she talked about how grateful she was to be in the number with all the children, the audience went wild.

In the end, ten singers were eliminated. They were Tammy Turner, Cammille Betton, Jonathan Johnson, Audrey Lewis, Pete Robinson, Maurice Griffin, Sharon Gomez, Cecoya Burch, Crystal Holland, and Ian J. Knighton.

Here are the ten Sunday Best finalists:

John McClure Jr.
Kalind Haynes
Jessica Reedy
Zebulon Ellis
Y'Anna Crawley
Carolyn Johnson-White
Dontavies Boatwright
Latice Crawford
Jeff Spain
Clifton Ross III

Tune in next week to see how this thing turns out...