Trin-i-tee 5:7

With a name based on the verse of John's gospel dealing with the Holy Trinity, the group Trin-i-tee 5:7 burst onto the scene in 1998 and spent the next half decade as one of the hottest crossover Gospel groups, with a number of excellent cuts to their credit. 

Formed in New Orleans by Angel Taylor, Chanelle Hayes, and Terri Brown, the group came to the attention of GospoCentric Records as a Gospel alternative to such pop girl groups as Destiny's Child and TLC. They signed and hit the ground running with their eponymous debut album and the wonderful ballad "God's Grace," written by R Kelly. The song shot to the top 10 of both the Gospel and R&B and turned the trio into hot property. Their album went gold, then a rare feat for a Gospel album.

Trin-i-tee spent the next several years on a balancing act that many in the Gospel world faced, but which particularly affected these attractive young women. The secular groups with which they were compared often flaunted their sexuality, but the Trin-i-tee trio attempted to provide the grooves and style of a TLC without crossing into an area inconsistent with their Gospel roots. They generally succeeded in their approach, giving the goods musically and gaining the respect of the Gospel community.

In 1999 Trin-i-tee 5:7 began working on their sophomore album, with Adrian Anderson replacing Terri Brown and a number of producers, including Kelly and Fred Jerkins, at the helm. The disc again topped the Gospel charts, partly on the strength of the beautiful cut with Crystal Lewis, "I Promise You," and the hit "My Body," but made less of a dent in the R&B world. Their follow-up, 2002's The Kiss, was a rebound, hitting the top 20 R&B and yielding the PAJAM-produced hit "Holla."

After a falling out with GospoCentric, Trin-i-tee unfortunately spent the next several years out of the studio. They ultimately signed with Matthew Knowles (Beyonce's father and head of MWM Records) for management and to record their fourth album, T57, which was released in early 2008. A deluxe version of the album, with three new songs, was issued in December 2008. It marked a strong comeback for the group.

In October of 2010, Anderson announced she was leaving the group to focus on her beauty product line. Taylor and Haynes continued as a duo, and began working on a new release. The resulting album, Angel and Chanelle, was a critical and commercial success, hitting the top of the Gospel charts in Summer of 2011.

By Chris Rizik