CeCe Winans - Something's Happening! A Christmas Album (2018)

The eighth of ten siblings in the revered Detroit-based Winans family, CeCe Winans (born Priscilla) became a prominent contemporary gospel artist through performances and recordings with brother BeBe. As a duo, BeBe and CeCe proved to be the most commercially successful of the numerous Winans groupings. Their first album, Lord Lift Us Up, was released on PTL in 1984, during their membership in the PTL Singers. The siblings moved to the Sparrow label and released five albums through the mid-'90s, a period in which their success increased as they added more contemporary forms of production. Their biggest album, Different Lifestyles (1991), topped Billboard's gospel and R&B/hip-hop charts, went platinum, and won a Grammy. Two of its singles, "Addictive Love" and the Staple Singers cover "I'll Take You There" (featuring Mavis Staples), also topped multiple Billboard genre charts.

Shortly thereafter, CeCe began her solo career. Alone in His Presence (1995) found her working her way back to traditional gospel, singing standards like "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "Blessed Assurance," and "I Surrender All." Everlasting Love (1998), His Gift (also 1998), and Alabaster Box (1999) cemented the singer's status as a top-tier gospel artist. By the end of the '90s, she had a handful of RIAA gold and platinum certifications, as well as eight Dove Awards to go with her Grammy.

CeCe entered the following decade with a self-titled album (2001) that concentrated on the adult contemporary and R&B markets. The set also featured a duet with brother Marvin on the stirring "Bring Back the Days of Yea and Nay." Beginning with Throne Room (2003), CeCe focused on worship-oriented albums released through a joint venture between her Pure Springs Gospel label and Epic. Purified (2005) likewise benefited from this arrangement, after which CeCe moved her label to EMI Gospel for Thy Kingdom Come (2008) and Songs of Emotional Healing (2010). Between the latter two, BeBe and CeCe regrouped on the Malaco label for Still, another Grammy winner. Several years passed before CeCe released another album -- a period that included a stint as a judge on BET's singing competition Gospel Best. She returned with Let Them Fall in Love (2017), on which she was joined by the Clark Sisters and Hezekiah Walker. ~ John Bush & Andy Kellman