Jesus and Mary
Magdalene.They were the first
gospel act to record for the
industry giant Columbia
Records since Tramaine
Hawkins in the mid-1990s.
Their first single, "Shackles
(Praise You)" became a
crossover hit, being popular
with gospel, R&B, and pop
audiences. It was a Top 5 R&B
and Top 10 pop hit, and peaked
at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot
100 chart. It became the first
gospel song in five years to
crack the R&B top ten and
gained wide exposure on the
MTV video cable channel. The
album was a huge success
because it offered a younger,
hipper version of gospel that
audiences could relate to. Their
debut album, Thankful was
released in May 2000. It
peaked at No. 1 on the Gospel
album chart and at No. 59 of
the overall Top 200 chart, and
was certified Platinum for
shipments of one million
copies in the USA. It went on
to win the Grammy Award for
Best Contemporary Soul
Gospel Album. The second
single "I Sings" features
rapper BB Jay. Both singles
were also hits in the UK and
Europe, and to this day remain
popular with Christian youths
in the US, Latin America, and
Europe. Their only Top 10 UK
hit to date is "Shackles (Praise
You)", which reached No. 5 in
the UK Singles Chart in June
2000. The follow-up "I Sings"
peaked at UK No. 32.
With their second
album Incredible, the duo was
able to maintain their success.
Soon after its July 2002 release
it was No. 1 on the Gospel
chart and was able to enter the
Top 20 of the Top 200 album
chart. Incredible was later on
certified Gold for 500,000
copies sold in the United
States. The album's singles
were In The Morning and I Try.
While this album charted
higher than their debut, sales
were lower. The duo attributed
the lower sales to less
aggressive promotion due to
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