Exclusive Recap: Behind The Scenes At The Dove Awards

04/26/2007 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music


April 25 turned out to be quite a memorable day, what with the Dow breaking 13000. Not to be outdone, the evening marked an auspicious occasion as well--the 38th Annual GMA Music Awards. Here's a recap of the show from the vantage point of a journalist backstage in the press pit. Pit? Yes. The press is cordoned off in a large "holding area" (which rather resembles a rodeo arena) far behind the stage where the "official" show is taking place. Strategically placed TV monitors allow journalists to watch the show while simultaneously asking questions of recipients of the evening's awards and presenters from the telecast and pre-show ceremonies. So, yes, there's one big black-tie rodeo going on backstage. Got a mental picture? Then, without further ado, on with the highlights...

As American Idol was giving back on primetime, former Idol finalist Mandisa joined former dcTalk frontman tobyMac and Kirk Franklin (don't think he was a "former" anything, so we can't keep this string going…) for a rousing rendition of "Lose My Soul" from Toby's recently released album, Portable Sounds. The trio kicked off the show with a bang: a cool tobyMac reminded us all that he's still a dyed-in-the-wool Jesus freak (only cooler and freakier--and we mean that in a very good way!), a cool Mandisa belting her vocals effortlessly yet flawlessly, and an even cooler Kirk Franklin working the stage and the mic as if he owned the place. See for yourself in the streaming video. Oh, and backstage later, Mandisa answered numerous "Idol"-related questions from the press pit with grace, poise and well-articulated style (you go, girl!). This year, the show was hosted by Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell, reigning "Female Vocalist of the Year" Natalie Grant (who took the same trophy home with her for a second time this year) and gospel great Donnie McClurkin. What may seem an unlikely partnership actually worked extremely well--we'd even believe it if you told us these three had been friends for years. In short, they pulled off all the awards show shtick with flying colors. Moving on, 8-year-old, red-headed Talladega Nights star Grayson "comin' at ya like a spider monkey" Russell ("Texas Ranger" in the film) and Rebecca St. James proved to be an entertaining set of lead presenters. Russell's thick Southern accent (which, of course, went over well here in Nashvegas) mingled with St. James's Aussie sounds made for an exciting aural interlude. And when Russell made an appearance backstage, he had the press pit rolling with the story of how he "sucked up all the guts [he] had" to ask the director/writers of Talladega Nights to change some of the bad language he was originally scripted to deliver opposite Will Ferrell.

OK, seriously people, if you don't already own the albums honored tonight, your MP3 player is crying out. Make your MP3 player happy; make your mama proud. Check out DecembeRadio's self-titled major label debut. The four-time nominees performed their Dove-nominated song "Drifter" before a packed house at Nashville's (and, yes, Michael W. Smith's) Rocketown. It's true--the kids love 'em. So, too, do those of more mature age status (i.e., most GMA voters...and "mature" is simply code for twenty-something. Right.). Incidentally, the group picked up a bird (a Dove, that is) for "Rock Album of the Year." Rock on.

Another performance not to be missed? So glad you asked. Leeland's rendition of their Dove-nominated "Tears of the Saints" was nothing short of amazing. For real. No kidding. Take our word for it…or actually, don't. Check it out for yourself (see the streaming video). You need this record (download it from Yahoo! Music Unlimited). It's another must-have debut from another band that's actually got the goods when it comes to live performance--something to which that Rocketown crowd could certainly attest.

And here comes the part in the recap when we must mention another winning trio of presenters consisting of Nicole C. Mullen and her fresh co-producers Bob & Larry of VeggieTales fame--if for no other reason than we've never seen two larger vegetables. Yeah, you won't see this on the telecast, but it took a team of helpers to move the overstuffed Veggies on and off stage. Afterward, as the vegetables moved down the backstage corridors, several people were involved in carrying Bob's girth (and squishing him through doors which can be very unforgiving to large, overweight tomatoes) while Larry had his own flag person (think of the guys who wave airplanes into the gates). Good times, good times.

Also, we'd be remiss in our official reporting duties if we didn't give a quick mention of praise to rappers KJ-52 (who picked up yet another "Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year" award) and T-Bone. Both took challenges from the press pit (the sneakier, stump-the-artist types, at least) to free-style or perform on the spot, and we're happy to report that both passed with flying colors.

Plus, we have to say that Kierra "Kiki" Sheard really knows how to phone it in. Literally. She won for "Urban Album of the Year" but was unable to attend the Doves as she was studying for final exams (she's finishing up her sophomore year of college). What to do? Have your mom, gospel legend Karen Clark Sheard (who was a winner in her own right, picking up the "Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year" trophy) call you on her cell phone and then allow you to speak to the press pit by holding the phone up to the speaker's mic on stage in the pit. We must admit, this made us love Kiki even more!

While high jinx ensued backstage, Mac Powell (Third Day), Mark Hall (Casting Crowns), Brian Littrell (Backstreet Boys--although he also does a mean solo artist gig) and Steven Curtis Chapman (obviously, this is where the band-in-parentheses thing we've got going on ends) teamed up for a very poignant, heartfelt rendering of "By His Wounds" from the recently released Glory Revealed project. While these four major players are featured together on the album, their Dove performance was a much more acoustic take on the song, complete with a string section giving it that extra-special something. Simply put, a stunning live performance.

Jumping back to the press pit, you'll be pleased to know that, 20 years into their illustrious career, Take 6 has still got it goin' on. Not only were these guys tight and dead-on during their on-stage performance during the ceremonies, but they were also eloquent and well-spoken backstage. A class act all the way around.

Having picked up the trophy for "Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year," stellar act Stellar Kart performed a mean version of "Me and Jesus" for the audience at the Grand Ole Opry House. And, of course, we mean "mean" in the "rockin'," "cool," "on fire," "(insert positive adjective here)" sense of the word.

We also have to give a big shout-out to presenters Brenda "Little Miss Dynamite" Lee and Michael W. (does "W" count as a nifty little something-in-the-middle title?) Smith. It was another interesting pairing (hmm…we're beginning to sense a theme here) for the evening; and it worked, too! Whoo-hoo! Kudos to this year's Dove Awards scripters! (And just for the record, we'd be interested to hear Smitty on Brenda's second volume of gospel duets--which is what much of their banter, both on stage and in the press pit, revolved around.)

Near the end of the show, Chris Tomlin, who led the flock (Ha! Flock. Doves. Ha. OK...) last night with six statuettes, was joined at center stage by Christy Nockels, Ayiesha Woods and others for a soul-stirring interpretation of "Amazing Grace" (Tomlin's version was featured on the Music Inspired by the Motion Picture soundtrack). On a lighter note, this particular performance proves the Doves are not only enjoyable, they're also educational. The "when we've been there 10,000 years" line was actually added to John Newton's hymn something like a hundred years later. Who knew?! On a more serious note, this performance was by far one of the most touching and emotionally wrenching of the evening. At the close, there were few dry eyes in the house…or in the press pit.

-- Kristi Henson, CCM Magazine