THE GOOD NEWS

Juanita Bynum has signed with Matthew Knowles' Music World Entertainment label. Her forthcoming album, The Diary of Juanita Bynum, is slated for release later this year. Bynum says, "It's a new day, I'm a new Juanita Bynum and I'm ready for this new start."

Karen Clark-Sheard is keeping busy; In addition to promoting her new disc All in One, she's touring with the gospel play Church Girl. She also just launched her own label and has a role in the forthcoming Aretha Franklin biopic. Sheard tells Billboard, "My mother [gospel pioneer Dr. Mattie Moss-Clark] and Aretha's father were friends. So I count this as a great privilege."

Marvin Sapp's Here I Am sees its seventh straight week atop the Billboard Gospel chart this week. Juanita Bynum's latest offering, More Passion, debuts at number three, bumping BeBe and CeCe Winans' Still to number four. Karen Clark-Sheard's All in One rounds out the top five.