Tony Cummings reports on the Louisiana-born, Germany-based gospel singer DOMINIQUE HOWARD

Dominique Howard

Every now and again an independent release comes out which completely blows away the Cross Rhythms review team. This is what has happened with 'Chapters' by Dominique Howard. This hugely impressive set of neo-soul gospel songs had reviewer Alastair McCollum enthusing ". . .Howard's clear, wide ranging and powerful voice showing her skill in conversational rap, soulful balladry and a vocal armoury that takes in husky whispers, guttural growls and head-to-the-sky emoting." So who is this Louisiana-born diva who has so caught the ear of Cross Rhythms and whose "Keep On Keepin' On" is about to be put on the CR playlist? Intriguingly, we located the singer/songwriter not in the midst of the US gospel scene but in the cathedral city of Bamberg in Germany.

CR began its grilling of this exceptional new talent by asking her about her background. She responded, "I grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana and when I was about 12 years old we moved to Bossier City where I completed the remainder of my school years. Childhood for me was interesting. It was just me and my older brother and we were raised by our mother and father. My parents were divorced but my father remained very active in our lives. So even though we came from a broken home, our parents still came together to take care of us. I was a wayward child. I was very rebellious and disrespectful. I was always curious about the unknown so I ventured out a lot, and I often found myself in compromising situations. When I was in high school, I joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps and I worked a full time job. By the time my senior year came, I had already enlisted in the US Army."

The military life and a marriage did not bring Dominique happiness. The singer continued her life story. "I accepted Christ in 1995 when I was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. I was married to my oldest son's father and it was a very ugly relationship, so just going through the ups and downs in my relationship and with everyday life drove me to search for something better. I remember feeling lost and I honestly felt like my life was worthless. I had made many mistakes and I just felt like I was not going to bounce back from my situation. I divorced my husband and I would look for love in relationships with men, I was just living carelessly to satisfy a long desire to love and be loved. I contemplated suicide, I began taking different medications that would make me drowsy and feel high, I started drinking alcohol and I was just doing whatever would pacify my emotional pain. I got stationed in Germany in 1996 and I continued to live a carefree lifestyle until one day I was sitting in church and I was just really tired of asking for forgiveness for the same old things. I really wanted a change to occur in my life, so I really began fasting and praying for deliverance. I was to the point where I was tired of myself. I just wanted to lift up my hands and be free.. And it's 2010 and I am still free."

Music had always been important in Dominique's life. "I think I was four years old when I started having a real interest in music. My dad plays the trumpet and my mom played the flute, so we loved music in my house. As I got older my dad really started to take an interest in my love for music, so we often sang together and recorded demo tapes. Years later, I was afforded the opportunity to sing the national anthem at a lot of ceremonies the military has, called Change Of Commands. I was often asked to sing at prayer breakfast events for the Army, so there were various opportunities to showcase my singing while serving my country."

Dominique remarried to a soldier and she and her husband were stationed at Fort Stewart. It was there that she began to pursue her dream of making a recording. She began to raise finance for the sessions which were to become the 'Chapters' album. She remembered, "I worked a job from my home, I sold my car and my husband set money aside for me to finance the album."

The sessions left the singer with vivid memories of the recording process. "The recording sessions were very emotional for me, because I had to reach back and feel the pain of going through my wayward lifestyle and then the joy of coming out of it. So recording 'Chapters' was a very raw and real experience for me. There were times I would listen to the words that I had written, and tears would just roll down my face because I would just rejoice about how God brought me through those dark days in my life. 'Chapter' represent the various chapters in my life when I was both happy and sad and then you hear the end result, which is Jesus."

The album's opener, "Keep On Keepin' On", has now been selected for Cross Rhythms airplay. Said the singer/songwriter, "That song talks about my promiscuous lifestyle and how I had to encourage myself to get over the past and keep moving toward a better lifestyle in this Christian walk." Another powerful track is "A Feeling In My Soul". Said Dominique, "The song talks about when I was suicidal and desperately needing God to show up in my life. In this song I reflect on the point that I was going through the spiritual motions, but I was not getting what I needed to be released from the mental bondage that I was in."

Dominique's last concert in the US was in was in Spokane, Washington in 2009. Shortly afterwards her husband was posted to Bamberg. While in Germany the singer has taken every chance to use her consummate musical skills. She explained, "I am the choir director for Free Gospel Church in Bamberg. Our choir is not that big, maybe about 10-11 people, but we grace the pulpit every Sunday with praise and worship. I sing anywhere I am invited to, my message does not change based on where I sing. I will grace any stage that I am asked to be a part of. The message that I have, anyone can relate to, so I am open for shows anywhere. Clubs, festivals, churches, bars, I will surely go."

For the future Dominique has a philosophic view. She said, "I have definitely learned that in this spiritual walk, it is not about me and my agenda. And I say that because I was often discouraged when I had to pack up and move back to Germany. I had just finished my CD and I was ready to go on the road to tell my testimony and promote 'Chapters'. Now I am here and it's hard to get shows because I am an independent artist that no one has really heard of so I was really disappointed with the overall scene here. I would have rather stayed in the States to get established as an artist, but God has us here for this time and season to do his will, not my will."