By V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 30, 2006; A01
The woman in the black top and pants closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide as she stood before Alvin Williams to audition. "When Jesus is my portion. A constant FRIE-IEND is He. His eye is on the spar row , and I know- oh-oh he watches me."
When she finished, Williams thanked her and excused her from the room. Then, the judge for a television talent contest modeled after "American Idol" remarked, "She's a good church singer, but she's too churchy."
A big-bucks recording contract in a $700 million-a-year industry is at stake, and the judges of "Gospel Dream" were not looking for inspirational ministers so much as bankable stars.
More than 150 people auditioned at the Capital Hilton in downtown Washington yesterday for the show, which is about to start its second season on the fledgling Gospel Music Channel. Many of the singers were from the Washington area, even though the show isn't aired locally by Comcast or Cox Communications. Subscribers to Verizon's FiOS television can see it, but otherwise, the closest market is Philadelphia.
Contestants began lining up at 7:30 a.m. outside a second-floor room for auditions that would begin three hours later. Although many would-be stars flew in from across the country, the biggest contingent -- 36 people -- was from Prince George's County. Nine were from the District.
Some wore their Sunday best -- demure, proper dresses and conservative jackets. Others came in their Saturday night best -- tight pants and low-cut tops.
They performed a cappella in front of a microphone before a judge sitting at a table draped in a red cloth. If they were any good, the judge sent them to another room, where they sang for a second judge.
Their choices were limited to traditional songs from a playlist. "Amazing Grace" and "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" were sung as frequently as "Feelings" would be at a piano bar. Again and again and again.
But this was clearly not a very Vegas crowd. A few may have been aiming for fame and fortune, but most said they were singing for the glory of God.
"I was thinking about Jesus," Leslie Hall, 25, of Germantown said after a rendition of "Redeemer." "I was singing for Him."
In coming to Washington, the show's producers picked an area rich in gospel music fans and talent.
The area is one of the top markets for gospel, said Brad Siegel, vice chairman and co-founder of the Gospel Music Channel.
Prince George's, in particular, is a regional hub for gospel performing and recording. It is home to three gospel music stations, about a dozen recording studios, nearly as many independent gospel record labels and several megachurches whose choirs routinely make contemporary gospel CDs and allow their sanctuaries to be used as recording studios.
The county is a natural source of gospel music. It boasts more than 800 churches, many of them African American. Those churches are also the home of some gifted gospel singers. One of them is Byron Cage, minister of music for Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington, who was tapped to lead the mass choir that performed at Coretta Scott King's funeral in February.
At the auditions, the judges were seeking people who would not only sound good in a choir, but who possess a universal appeal beyond their voices.
"In the church community, we call it anointing. In the mainstream, we call it 'it,' " said Williams, head of artist development for the Gospel Music Channel. "There's no science to it. You just know when a person has it."
Kevin Gillilan, a police detective from Leeds, Ala., calmly stood in front of the microphone and belted out a jazzy "Amazing Grace."
Judge Ron Grant, a talent scout and consultant for Sony Music, liked Gillilan's performance so much that he asked for an encore and waved his arm like a choir director to guide Gillilan's singing. "I like to spice it up," Gillilan said. "I hope I'm what they're looking for."
As on "American Idol," there were mishaps. Some singers forgot the words. Voices choked from nerves.
"I can't believe I sang the wrong line," Tanaj Perry of New York told a friend after her performance of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."
She said she switched genres four years ago, going from secular R&B to gospel because "we as artists have a big influence on young people, and I wanted to put out a positive message."
At the end of the auditions, the contestants chatted and sang while they awaited the results.
About two hours later, "Gospel Dream" host Jonathan Slocumb -- "I'm taller, darker, sexier and funnier than Ryan Seacrest" -- strolled in to announce the two singers who would advance to compete against 10 others on the show, which will begin airing in November.
The finalists are Jermaine Pressley of Fort Washington and Mystique Smith of Cincinnati. Gillilan, 31, is an alternate, along with Jamie McMillan of Baltimore.
"His volume was so powerful," Grant said of Pressley, 34, who is an administrative assistant in the Department of the Navy. "It was like a truck flying past a car at 150 mph and the car just shakes."
Pressley, who sang "Blessed Assurance," lifted his hands in praise when his name was announced. "I'm excited to see what God's going to do," he said.