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people & arts Tuesday 13 March 2018
Review: Author nails Review: Snoop Dogg takes us

newsroom culture to church on gospel double CD

in ‘The Echo Killing’

By MARK KENNEDY
By OLINE H. COGDILL AP Entertainment Writer
Associated Press Snoop Dogg, one of rap’s
Young adult author Christi OGs, has a gospel double
Daugherty’s debut as a album out. Yes, that’s right:
writer of adult mysteries The D-O-Double-G is doing
launches a series about a G-O-D.
Savannah, Georgia, crime A humble, peace-loving,
reporter haunted by her family-centered Snoop
mother’s unsolved murder emerges on the 32-track
that shows great promise. double album “Bible of
When she was 12, Harper Love.” He quotes from
McClain discovered her the Book of Isaiah — “No
mother’s body when she weapon formed against
came home from school. me shall prosper” — and
That was 15 years ago, and has nice things to say
not a day goes by that she This cover image released about his devout grand-
doesn’t think about her by St. Martin’s Press shows mother.
mother and that day. She “The Echo Killing,” by Christi “I’m just a nobody trying
could “walk through ev- Daugherty. to tell everybody about
ery second of the day her Associated Press somebody who can save This cover image released by RCA Inspiration shows “Bible of
mother died any time she major story to the drudgery anybody,” he raps in one Love,” a release by Snoop Dogg.
wished.” Those memories of delving into the back- song. On another: “The Associated Press
become even stronger ground behind a story. She devil will show up/But
when Harper covers the also nails the newsroom we’re going to keep on ful counterpoint to gospel “Kisses Down Below” and
murder of single mother culture, from the humorous doing God’s work/Yes, sir/ stars such as Rance Allen was last seen poolside with
Marie Whitney and spots banter to the serious work, Rebuke the devil.” (a terrifically funky “Blessing some bikini beauties knock-
too many similarities to her and shows how layoffs and Snoop doesn’t perform on Me Again”), and B. Slade, ing back expensive liquor
mother’s demise. Harper cutbacks have affected every track, preferring to who pops up all over the on Snoop’s video for “Go
especially feels a con- the way journalists cover showcase a variety of out- CDs and teams up with On,” is a tad more con-
nection to the woman’s their community. standing performers in the Snoop on the stunning, al- servative here with “In the
12-year-old daughter Ca- “The Echo Killing” shows genre, such as The Clark bum ending “Words Are Name of Jesus.” Soopafly
mille, who, like her, discov- that Harper has the poten- Sisters, John P. Kee and Kim Few.” offers a view of what a rap-
ered her mother dead on tial to head a series. Harper Burrell. Some big music names dance-gospel song can
the kitchen floor.As Harper knows she can trace her Thanks to Mr. Dogg, non- have joined rap’s dogg- sound like on “Praise Him.”
covers Marie’s murder, she career and her interest in gospel folk will now be ex- father on the project, in- “Bible of Love” doesn’t just
also uses her reporter skills crime to the day her moth- posed to powerhouses like cluding Faith Evans (on the showcase talented gos-
to look into her mother’s er died. And that some- Tye Tribbett, whose infec- show-stopping “Saved”), pel artists. It also shows off
unsolved death, which few times makes her reckless, tious “You” makes hearts Charlie Wilson (the foot- an elastic, big-tent version
of her friends or co-work- taking needless chances race, and K-Ci, whose stomping “One More of the musical genre that
ers know about.A former that put her life at risk. That voice flutters like a butterfly Day”) and Patti LaBelle, can include flavors of soul,
crime reporter, Daugherty brashness also causes her on “No One Else.” with a spirited “When It’s blues and R&B. Adding rap
delivers an insider’s view of to damage friendships and When Snoop does drop All Over”). makes perfect sense.
journalism, from the adren- alliances, and may ruin her in, his nasally, precise, la- Rising star October Lon- For that we should all praise
aline rush of covering a career. q conic flow works in beauti- don, who sang the steamy the Dogg.q
Revamped ‘American Idol’ reachesmore than 10 million

echo of the sensational Jan. 6, 2016 season open-
By DAVID BAUDER interest the Simpson case er, which was seen by 11
AP Media Writer drew two decades ago. million people, Nielsen
NEW YORK (AP) — The re- There was bad blood when said. The average viewer-
vamped “American Idol” Fox ended “American ship for Fox’s final season
had a strong debut on ABC, Idol” two years ago, with was 9.4 million viewers.
reaching more than 10 mil- producers wanting to con- “Idol” was a sensation in
lion viewers and shrugging tinue the show. Scheduling the 2000s for Fox, creating
off Fox’s attempt to blunt the Simpson special at the stars and drawing viewer-
the premiere’s impact with same time as the “Ameri- ship numbers that televi-
its special on O.J. Simpson. can Idol” debut was wide- sion networks can only
The Nielsen company said ly seen as Fox’s attempt to dream of these days. One
Monday that the 10.34 prevent its former headlin- of the stars launched by
million who watched the This image released by ABC shows, from left, Lionel Richie, Katy ing series from getting off “Idol,” Kelly Clarkson, is
return of “American Idol” Perry, Ryan Seacrest and Luke Bryan on the set of “American to a fast start for ABC. now a panelist on NBC’s
Idol” in New York.
represented ABC’s biggest Associated Press The “Idol” opening num- “The Voice.” That music
Sunday night audience bers were better than all competition show began
with regular series pro- 2006 Simpson interview, have killed his former wife, but two of the telecasts its new season last month
gramming since 2012. during which he specu- was watched by 4.4 million during Fox’s final season with an episode viewed by
Fox’s presentation of a lated about how he might people. That was a distant of the show, including the 12.3 million people. q