Highlighting the greatest Gospel commandment with Love God. Love People., Israel played the title track of the recording for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno crowd as he sat in recently with Rickey Minor and the Tonight Show Band, and now carries that message into the “The Love Revolution” tour.

“Love God. Love People. is a return to a simple, foundational Gospel command: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself,” says Israel. “Virtually every song touches on this profound simplicity. It all comes down to ‘love God, love people.’ Period.”

In this spirit, and in the midst of the tour, Israel will also play songs from the new album for an AIDS benefit concert Sept. 26 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by Magic Johnson and Blair Underwood, the benefit culminates the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s first annual “AIDS California Walk” to be held in Griffith Park.

In addition to featuring the new music from Love God. Love People. on tour, Israel will highlight his hit songs and fan favorites spanning nine best selling recordings as a solo artist and with New Breed. Joining Israel for the tour will be longtime collaborator Aaron Lindsey, along with guest appearances by Michael Gungor in select markets.

Lindsey and Gungor, as well as Meleasa Houghton and Tommy Sims, co-wrote songs with Israel for the new album that has garnered praise from critics reaching out to a diverse variety of music fans nationally and beyond. Media outlets ranging from CCM to Gospel Today and ChristianityToday.com to SoulTracks.com, CBA Retailer + Resources, GospelFlava.com, Breathecast.com, Crosswalk.com and more have lauded Love God. Love People., calling it “gospel music milk and honey,” “profound” “uplifting,” “spectacular,” “God dropped it out of heaven,” “excellent,” “amazing,” “musical and spiritual masterpiece,” “relentlessly original,” “wonderfulness” and more.

Featuring the musically masterful energy that has become synonymous with Israel Houghton recordings, Love God. Love People. became the No. 1 selling album on the Top Gospel, Top Christian and Praise & Worship charts. Released Aug. 31, the album also climbed seven notches higher than his 2009 GRAMMY Award winning hit album, The Power Of One, to land at No. 27 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The album further includes special guest appearances by Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and Take 6’s Claude V. McKnight, III, Mark Kibble and Joey Kibble.

Released simultaneously with the CD, Houghton’s Love God. Love People. iTunes LP is available at www.itunes.com/israelhoughton. The first ever Christian artist iTunes LP and first LP, mainstream or Christian, that includes interactive social network capabilities, a music mixer, Bible verses and the ability to create your own album cover, Houghton’s LP also interactively includes the new music, animated lyrics, chord charts, liner notes, performance videos, photos and other bonus materials.

Writing or co-writing all but one of the songs on Love God. Love People., Israel is an innovative worship leader, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer who has also written or co-written 11 CCLI Top 500 favorites. Breaking down barriers and defying categorization with his music, Israel uses his own multi-cultural upbringing as a reference point with a desire to draw people of all races, ages and cultures together. Israel laughingly describes himself as “black kid who grew up in a white family in a Hispanic neighborhood.”

Active as worship leader in his local church, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Houston, Israel has served as worship leader at Hillsong conferences, Franklin Graham crusades, and is a featured CompassionArt songwriter and artist. Israel also ministers through concerts in the U.S. and around the world, has accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards for a performance of George Michael's “Freedom '90,” and has performed at the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards, taking part in a segment saluting Gospel music alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans.

In 1995, Israel and Meleasa Houghton founded New Breed Ministries, an organization they continue to run and that is comprised of noted musicians and singers who serve within their respective churches and together serve the Church at large. Since then, Israel has been featured on FOX, CBS, ABC, BET, CNN, TBN and CBN, and has amassed a legion of followers that crosses generational lines with popularity across African American, Latin and Caucasian listener lines. While blasting down barriers, he has been fittingly graced with 2 Gold-selling albums, 3 GRAMMY Awards, 6 Dove Awards, 2 Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Award.

Israel Houghton is signed to Integrity Music, distributed to Christian retail by Provident-Integrity Distribution and to the general market by Columbia Records/Sony Music. For more information, go to www.israelhoughton.net.

Upcoming Israel Houghton “Love Revolution Tour” dates follow:

9/22 - Munster, IN (Chicago area)
9/23 - Detroit, MI
9/24 - Indianapolis, IN
10/3 - Fort Worth, TX
10/5 - Oklahoma City, OK
10/6 - Tulsa, OK
10/10 - Gaithersburg, MD
10/12 - Rochester, NY
10/14 - Toledo, OH
10/15 - Washington, DC
10/16 - New York City, NY
10/17 - Martinsburg, WV
10/18 - Long Island, NY
10/24 - San Antonio, TX
10/26 - Raleigh, NC
10/28 - Greenville, NC
11/3 - El Paso, TX
11/6 - San José, CA
11/12 - Seattle, WA
11/20 - Philadelphia, PA
* Tour dates subject to change.

For more info on Israel Houghton, visit the JFH Artists Database.