Just hours before the release of Mariah Carey's new album "Here For It All", Dorinda Clark-Cole couldn't wait for fans to hear "Jesus I Do", the upbeat, praiseworthy duet between Carey and legendary Detroit gospel group the Clark Sisters that is included on the new set.
"Woooo-hooooo! Yayyyyyyy!" Clark-Cole exclaimed Thursday, on the phone from Detroit, when asked how she felt about the impending release of the track.
The Clark Sisters are part of a small roster of guests on "Here For It All", Carey's 16th studio set and her first album of new material since 2018's "Caution", along with Anderson .Paak (who appears on "Play This Song") and Kehlani and Shenseea (who join on "Sugar Sweet").
Needless to say, Clark-Cole - who is part of the group along with her sisters Karen Clark-Sheard and Jacky Clark-Chisholm - is thrilled about the track, which features a slinky bass groove and finds the sisters backing Carey as she offers her worship, their vocals all soaring to the heavens.
"It was like family," Clark-Cole says of the collaboration, which was a long time in the making.
Carey has always been a huge fan of the Clark Sisters, whom she's called for years her favorite gospel group. The feeling is mutual: "Mariah is one of our favorites as well," says Clark-Cole, 67, who describes the superstar hitmaker (and undefeated Queen of Christmas) as "a real sweetheart".
The foundation for the duet was laid when Karen Clark-Sheard performed Carey's 1993 hit "Anytime You Need a Friend" during a 2012 tribute to the singer, and now "Jesus I Do" solidifies the bond between the two parties, and marks their first official collaboration.
The recording session came together after Daniel Moore II, one of Carey's close collaborators, reached out to see if the Clarks were available to work on a track for Carey's new album. Logistics were coordinated - "You know with the sisters, we all have to check each other's schedules to make sure that we're all free at the same time," Clark-Cole says - and the Clarks traveled to Carey's studio in her Atlanta home.
It was summer 2021, and the recording session lasted all day and stretched well into the night, until 2 or 3 a.m., Clark-Cole recalls. It wasn't all business, of course. "We sat down, and she told us some of her testimony, and we got a chance to really talk to her," says Clark-Cole.
The song was recorded in pieces, with each of the singers laying down their vocals individually, with Moore directing and guiding them along the way. They took a break to eat dinner together, coming back to the recording session with fresh eyes and ears.
The end result? "It's a wonderful song," says Clark-Cole of the track, which the Clark Sisters share writing credits on, along with Moore and Carey. "It was so magical that we were able to get a lot done in that one day. We each did our vocals, and we had a chance to really gel like we wanted to."
Carey "blows us out" on the song, Clark-Cole says with a laugh. For her part, Carey was clearly elated with the experience. "I can't even tell you how much I was having goosebumps singing along with The Clark Sisters. I couldn't believe it was happening," Carey recently told GQ. "They're just the top of the heap with everything, I love them."
The feature comes at a high time for the Clarks, who are rounded out by Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark-Terrell, although the other three are the only currently active members. The group - which released its debut album, "Jesus Has a Lot to Give", in 1973 - was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame earlier this month, and in August, Clark-Cole won two Stellar Awards, for Traditional Album of the Year and Traditional Artist of the Year, while Clark-Sheard won a Stellar for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.
The group was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Grammys, and their 2020 Lifetime biopic "The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel" was a ratings blockbuster for the network.
The Carey duet follows collaborations with mainstream artists such as Snoop Dogg ("Pure Gold"), Missy Elliott ("I'm Not Perfect"), Mary J. Blige ("The First Noel") and others. Clark-Cole says they're always careful about who they work with, but they couldn't have been more excited to work with Carey.
And if Carey came through town and wanted the Clarks to join her on a live performance of "Jesus I Do"? "Oh my goodness!" Clark-Cole says. "It's all about just seeing if she wants us to come." If that's the case, something tells us Carey would be here for it all.
(The Detroit News)
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