Chicago Tribune - For Mitchell, his third disc also resulted in more earthly rewards — his first two Grammy nominations: best gospel performance, for the song "Nobody Greater," and best contemporary R&B gospel album. His response to the new acclaim was level-headed — at 34, he mentions having worked on his art for more than 20 years — and awe-struck.

"Just to be nominated is good enough for me," Mitchell said. "To have the disc recognized so quickly is a prime example that when it's your turn, God will just continue to blow your mind."

Mitchell's understanding of his community, and even deeper faith, go back to his upbringing around Chicago, where his grandparents raised him primarily in Harvey. Lonnie Hunter, who was the minister of music at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, noticed early on that Mitchell "didn't have a lot of positive male role models" and became a big brother to him while he was singing in a children's choir.

"From an early age, VaShawn was always a leader type," Hunter said. "Even though his situation was less than perfect, you could never tell by his presence, his joy."