Praise and Worship recording artist and multiple Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award winner Israel Houghton is also nominated this year in the International Caribbean Recording of the Year category for his single “Surely Goodness”. The track which features Jamaican female reggae sensation and multiple Marlin Award winner Chevelle Franklin is featured on Israel’s Integrity Music release “The Power of One”. Houghton serves as worship leader at Lakewood Church where Joel Osteen serves as Senior Pastor. Israel’s latest Integrity Music/Columbia Records album “Love God. Love People” was released on August 31 and has become the number one selling album on the Top Gospel, Top Christian and Praise & Worship charts.

CAJO Records recording artist Canton Jones also received his first Marlin Award nomination this year for his vocal contribution on the track “My Hood to Your Hood”, a collaboration with Bahamian reggae artist Monty G. The single is nominated for “Reggae Hip-Hop Recording of the Year”. This is not the first single that the duo has worked together. Last year they wrote and produced the track “Top Model” for the Tyra Banks hit TV Show “America’s Top Model”. Canton has just released his latest album “Kingdom Business Part 3” and has also been nominated for a Grammy & Stellar Award and has also won three (3) Gospel Choice Awards.

Winners will be announced during the 2010 Marlin Awards scheduled for Saturday October 30^th in Nassau, Bahamas. The Marlin Awards will be held at the Diplomat Center and is designed to honor outstanding achievement in Caribbean Gospel Music. There are more than two-hundred (200) artists participating representing fifteen (15) countries including Africa, Bahamas, Canada, Guyana, Hawaii, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Tortola BVI, St.Croix USVI, St.Kitts, St.Lucia, St.Maarten, St.Thomas USVI, St.Vincent and The United States.

The Marlin Awards will serve as the final event during Marlin Weekend 2010 which will be held from October 28-30^th. The three (3) day weekend will feature Marlin Summit, Marlin Industry Workshops & Luncheon, Marlin Fest, and the Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Awards. The Marlin Awards is produced by Harris Media Group, a Bahamas based marketing, media and production firm. For more information contact Harris Media Group at 242-676-6719 or visit the awards website at www.marlinawards.com.

According to Marlin Awards President and the album Executive Producer Kevin ‘Minister K’ Harris, “We are once again excited to be in a position to compile and present to the region and the rest of the world some of this year’s top nominated artists and songs. Though this album will feature some of the most popular singles nominated this year, there are a lot more songs we just could not include at this time. So like last year we are seriously looking at producing and releasing a second volume sometime in the near future”.

Some of the songs that will be featured on this multi-cultural disc include “My Hood is Your Hood” (Monty G feat Canton Jones), “The Lord is Good, Good, Good” (Adrian Edgecombe & Harvest Generation), “Make You Smile” (Jermaine Edwards), “Good Time Praise” (Nigel Lewis), ”Seek Christ” (Keon Duncan), “One More Chance” (Kirk Davis), “IM Ma Halla Jesus” (Jadee), “I Can” (Clarence ‘Joseph’ Scott), “Your Splendor” (Safros Joseph), “Close to You” (Kevin Downswell), “Dis Year” (Emrand) and several others.

One of the special highlight of this project will be the inclusion of the multi-artist Soca track “Together As One”, an up-tempo sonic gem produced by hit songwriter, producer and artist Nigel Lewis. “Together As One” is the first ever theme song produced for the Marlin Awards and it will also serve as the overall theme for this year’s Marlin Weekend 2010. The song features vocal contributions from some of the region’s top gospel talent including Sherwin Gardner (Trinidad), Emrand (St.Lucia), Christian Massive (Bahamas), Jumelle (St.Maarten), Christafari (USA) and Nigel himself.

The album is being released on Marlin Awards Records, a subsidiary of the Marlin Awards and will be distributed by Bahamas based Creative Soul Entertainment. It will also be available on www.gospelreagge.com for worldwide sales. For more information and to order copies contact Harris Media Group at 242-676-6719 or email marlinawards@gmail.com.