In our special WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS editorial series, members of the NRT staff have a back-and-forth discussion about this year's nominees.

In Part 1 of our series, we kick things off with a dialogue between NRT Executive Editor Marcus Hathcock and Contributor Dwayne Lacy about the newly created category for Gospel Album of the Year, The Soul Vibe Award.
 
MARCUS: 
OK, so I've been very excited about this award this year. It's a new one to the WE LOVE Christian Music Awards, and honestly, it's a long time coming. The truth of the matter is, there is just so much great Gospel music being churned out these days that we'd be negligent to ignore it! The genre has come a long way, not just in its overall sound and quality, but in its reception. You might even say Gospel music is being embraced better in the Mainstream than in the larger CCM world. In our own little way, we hope to change that. 

DWAYNE:
I am also excited about this new category. It has been a long time coming and I am grateful that NRT is showing love to Gospel music! 

MARCUS: 
Let's talk about these nominees! It's a dudes club this year; we've got Anthony Brown, Deitrick Haddon, Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene and Tye Tribbett in the running. Let's get right to it; who you like? 

DWAYNE:
Hmmm. This is hard one. Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy always have some of the most creative vocal arrangements to go along with great songs. They did NOT disappoint with A Long Way From Sunday. Marvin Sapp continues to consistently put out power-packed albums. 

Tye Tribbett's The Bloody Win was amazing to me. It flowed and really pulled from praise and worship, Gospel mixed with rock and even funk. So many songs stood out. The same could be said for Deitrick's album. The passionate vocals mixed with songs of adoration was just what I needed. Not to mention the throwback soul vibe that dominated several songs. The powerful anthem "A Billion People" is a definite standout song. If I had to give it to any of them, though, I would have to go with Travis Greene's Crossover. From start to finish, this one was a winner! 
 
MARCUS: 
Absolutely a strong bunch of nominees. Of course, everybody on this list deserves to win, but who do I think will actually win the vote? I completely agree with you, Dwayne; Travis Greene had a breakout year and album with Crossover: Live from Music City. I first came in contact with his music, personally, when he was part of Natalie Grant's "Together for Texas" event that raised money for Hurricane Harvey victims. Travis' album, which is one of my top albums--period--for 2017, bridged itself quite nicely between the Gospel world and the greater CCM world. Travis is bringing corners of Christian music together with his blend of so many different styles--Gospel, worship, R&B, etc.--and it's resonating. 

But compared to these other nominees, Travis is one of the newer kids on the block. Can he stand up to the Gospel brand names--particularly Marvin Sapp, Deitrick Haddon and Tye Tribbett?

DWAYNE:
You hit the nail on the head concerning Travis Greene's year! It has been colossal, to say the least. I I actually believe he can stand up amongst the other great artists in terms of fan votes. He gained a great deal of fan favor when he released singles such as "Invincible" and "Made A Way" from his previous album. The latter has been sung in various churches across the nation. 
 
MARCUS: 
Deitrick just might have the biggest name recognition of the bunch. He is, of course, a reality TV star, but beyond that has continued to innovate and push the genre forward. He sure did that with Deitrick Haddon & Hill City Worship Camp. "Fireworks" and, the song you mentioned, "A Billion People," are winners--and pretty much everything he touches is gold.

But perhaps one of the most underrated albums of the year, period, is the one you'd already mentioned, The Bloody Win by Tye Tribbett. He's incredible. He's captured an anointed spirit of worship. Tye and Travis Greene are the nominees here with live albums, and man it makes a difference. Incredible production, great songwriting and the spirit of the moment push those two to the top for me. I can't get songs like "Already Won" and "I Want More" out of my head. They're earworms that get your mind and heart in the right place! I would love to see Tye have a more widespread breakout year like Travis had; maybe a win in this category will achieve that.
 
DWAYNE: 
I am in agreement concerning Tye Tribbett! I have been a huge fan of his for years, even attending a live recording in Florida for his last album. Do not underestimate his impact and following. To see him live is to love his ministry even more. His energy is unmatched! I cannot get enough of "Live!" from The Bloody Win! 

As far as biggest name recognition, you may have forgotten how massive Marvin Sapp's song "Never Would Have Made It" was. It crossed over into urban radio, and it surpassed well over a million downloads. In addition to that, he was featured on the BET Awards and more mainstream outlets. This song transcended Christianity and gained the attention of those who do not identify themselves as Christian. 

Marvin has been around since 1991, dating back to his days with Commissioned (which also included Fred Hammond). For the album Close, he collaborated with Erica Campbell on "You and Me Together" and knocked it out of the park with the Kirk Franklin penned, "Kind God." 
 
MARCUS:
Great points. I am admittedly a newbie when it comes to Gospel music, but am a quick, enthusiastic study. Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy had a solid project, too, putting together a great collab with "Everytime" (featuring Jonathan McReynolds and, guess who, Travis Greene), plus some awesome songs with "Na Na Ok (The Happy Song)" and one I keep coming back to all the time, "Trust In You." So powerful! 

So, at the end of the day, it seems we're in agreement that Travis Greene should win this, and likely will win this. Who do you think has the next best chance? I'm going to say Deitrick Haddon, based solely on his name recognition to put him over the top. You?

DWAYNE:
I am going to go with Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy. He really resonates with the Gospel music world and his fans. I really think he could be an upset. This will be an interesting category and I cannot wait to see the results. Again, every artist in The Soul Vibe category put out a great album. 
 
MARCUS:
That's good stuff, Dwayne! Looking forward to seeing the response! I'm just happy to even be talking about it at all! The truth is, we'll see which fans of Gospel music show up for the first year of The Soul Vibe Award!


Now, you get to determine the winners! Head over to www.weloveawards.com and click "Vote Now" through Friday, Jan. 26, to decide The Soul Vibe Award and 23 other categories!