It’s Gospel, According to CeCe Winans

NEW YORK —  Given the kind of music on the contemporary gospel scene today--infused with rap, dance beats and rock--it’s hard to imagine that the soothing sounds of CeCe Winans would have ever caused a fuss.

But when CeCe and brother BeBe made their debut as a duo 16 years ago, their R&B-based; gospel sound, with inspirational lyrics that often left out the words “God” and “Jesus,” had many gospel purists lamenting the secularization of gospel music.

“We’ve had to kind of educate people along the way, because they thought of gospel music as just Mahalia Jackson,” explains Winans, 36. “Mahalia Jackson was fabulous, she’s great, but there’s a lot more. . . . A lot of times you can’t reach everybody with the same kind of music, the same kind of message, and when you have more to choose from, I think you reach more people.”

Winans has certainly done that.

As part of BeBe and CeCe Winans and now on her own (the two embarked on successful solo careers in 1994 after a 10-year partnership), she has won six Grammys, sold millions of records and paved the way for the likes of chart-topping gospel artists such as Yolanda Adams and funky newcomers like Mary Mary.

Her fourth solo album, “Alabaster Box,” was recently certified gold and this month was nominated for a Grammy for best contemporary soul gospel album--a category in which she competes with BeBe, who was nominated for his disc “Love & Freedom.”

For Winans, who is part of the famous singing gospel clan that includes the group the Winans and the duo of Angie and Debbie Winans, being able to spread the message of God and garner commercial success has made her feel doubly blessed.

“I feel again I’ve been fortunate, I’ve been blessed over the years,” she said. “But it is something that you have to make sure you don’t get caught up in, as an artist, worrying about the sales more than your ministry. As an individual, it’s something that you always have to be accountable for . . . to make sure you maintain your integrity.”

Winans gained immediate success on both the gospel and R&B; charts when she debuted with BeBe in 1984. Their albums, one of which was certified platinum, spawned such hits as “Addictive Love” and “Heaven.” That success continued with her own albums, two of which have been certified gold.

Although criticism from the traditional gospel set has dwindled over the years, and her own solo work has included songs ranging from traditional hymns to inspirational R&B;, the notion that her music wasn’t “gospel” enough is something that still puzzles Winans.

“People always try to put gospel music in a box, but God is bigger than that,” she says. “Gospel music is not always going to be a song that says, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.’ You have a Bible you read every day, and every Scripture doesn’t say, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.’ But the Scriptures talk about the lifestyle. It talks about being holy, it talks about loving one another.”

Winans’ mix of the worldly with the religious has been a key part of her success. On her albums, she has worked with non-gospel artists such as Lauryn Hill and songwriter Diane Warren. And one of her biggest hits came in her duet with close friend Whitney Houston, “Count on Me,” from the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack.

“Christian life, it’s not a religion, it’s a lifestyle, and so music can reflect all of that,” she says. “You can talk about the birds and the trees, because God created that. A lot of times, we feel like if it’s not ‘Amazing Grace,’ then it’s not gospel music or [it’s] something that’s watered down, and that’s not true.”

That doesn’t mean, however, that Winans thinks that all secular styles of music should be mixed with gospel. Winans admits sometimes finding herself examining the music of her younger counterparts with a critical eye. She admits, for example, that it took her a while to accept the rap-gospel group Gospel Gangstaz. And there are some kinds of music that she believes go too far.

“I learned that I’m not going to always agree with everything--that’s OK,” she says. “That doesn’t make it wrong, or me right. But I’ve learned to love everybody and to pray for them . . . and hopefully they’ll see it, because I think it’s real important that it does remain gospel, that it remains reverent or protected in some way.”

Early Lessons in Family Values

Winans’ stance mirrors her religious beliefs, which were reinforced during her strict upbringing in Detroit in a working-class family. The eighth of 10 children, Priscilla “CeCe” Winans (she doesn’t know where the nickname came from) was not allowed to wear makeup, listen to secular music, watch television, go to the movies or attend parties by the decree of her parents, who are heavily involved in the Church of God in Christ.

Though she was sometimes frustrated by her parents’ tight control while growing up, now, as she raises her own two teenage children with her husband, Alvin Love, in Nashville, she finds herself admiring the way they sheltered her.

“I’m not as strict as my parents, but God knows, I certainly should be,” Winans says with a laugh.

Winans, who attends a nondenominational church with her husband and children, checks out any movie before her youngsters get a chance to see it, and secular music is off limits in her household.

“I wish I could shelter them the way I was sheltered,” she laments. “There are things that are on TV that were never on TV when I was growing up. . . . Cursing is everywhere, nudity is everywhere, sex is everywhere, so they are much more knowledgeable and have much more wisdom than I did at their age.”

Winans released her autobiography, “On a Positive Note,” two years ago. Although the book includes some trying moments--including the heart attack of her brother Ronald, who was declared dead on the operating table but later recovered--it is mostly an inspirational, feel-good tome that focuses on blessings she and her family have received over the years.

But Winans says that doesn’t mean that her faith hasn’t--and still doesn’t--get tested from time to time.

“I have some difficult things that I probably wouldn’t share,” she says, laughing. “You have different types of struggles, different types of highs and lows, that build you up, build up your faith, but during the midst of this, it’s like, ‘Oh God, I’ll never live through this, I’ll never make it.’ But if you press on, if you hold on, joy will come in the morning.”