This has been an amazing ride. Through many fears and tears my wife and I have been able to bring to fruition a CD that we are very proud of. But, as an artist, my greatest fear is how people are going to react to my music.

My first great test was being invited to do a concert at a church that was not of my own ethnicity. I kinda' knew how to read an audience of my own culture - I would know how to adjust and win them over. But this was a room of more than 2000 people - about 95% of whom were of a different race and accustomed to a different style of music. And here I come with my band and singers, cranking out this Gospel influenced, Contemporary Christian music. These people were used to a "rock" feel and here we come with a gospel/R&B/Pop feel. But - they LOVED it! About 200 or more people came running to the front of the stage and they were there - hands up - jumping to the music for the whole concert. We were in there!

So, now was the real test. How would my culture respond to my music? We put together a release party - unlike any that has been done in this area. We had a $10 cover charge. We employed dancers, mime artists, the band and vocalists that did the live session as well as the studio overdubs. We got the word out via email, radio, and my website. I really feared we would have lost the momentum and anticipation of the public since we had already postponed our highly publicized first date by one month. But, to my great pleasure, people came in droves and packed the church!

The moment finally arrived and the energy and excitement in the room was so high, you'd think Kirk Franklin or Usher was expected to arrive. Once we kicked of the first song, people were up, clapping, cheering, screaming, dancing and celebrating. The party lasted for 85 minutes. It was non-stop excitement. Everything flowed beautifully. To seal it all, you could feel the powerful presence of God in the room. It was an awesome worship experience.

We adjourned to the reception where we had wonderful food for everyone. We dined on shrimp, scallops wrapped in bacon, fried chicken wings, chicken salad with crackers, meatballs, pasta salad, shrimp and crab-filled eggrolls, deviled eggs, cakes, sweets, punch, and more. We sold boxes of CDs - I haven't done my final numbers yet but I think it was more than 200. I signed probably 150 autographs. One person bought 30 CDs for her friends around the world.

So today is the day after the party and we have personally sold more than 14 CDs out of our home. The word is still spreading. But we are just getting started. Once we sell 5,000 units then I can relax a bit. Until then - "Hey, would you like to buy one of my CDs?"