The first time you hear the power of her vocals, you understand why Tramaine Hawkins is considered by many to be one of the greatest gospel singers ever.

Since she was a teenager, the San Francisco native has applied her mezzo-soprano to genre-defining hits such as "Oh Happy Day," "Changed" and "Goin' Up Yonder." She's also known for the crossover smash "Fall Down (Spirit of Love)," which helped break the mold of how traditional praise was supposed to sound.

After a six-year hiatus, Ms. Hawkins channeled her personal trials into her ninth solo release, I Never Lost My Praise, which was released in March. On Saturday, the Black Academy of Arts and Letters will celebrate Ms. Hawkins' almost 40 years in the gospel industry with a tribute that will feature performances by her and other gospel greats, including Andrae and Sandra Crouch, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Regina Belle and the Caravans, as well as local singers Candy West and Tommye Young-West.

The Grammy-winning singer, who just turned 56, recently talked to us by phone from her home in California about the tribute and her new album.

How did you feel when you learned of the tribute?

"I'm just so honored. My pastor, Jerome Bell, as well as Mr. Curtis King in Dallas, Texas, put this together for me. I'm blessed to have people like them in my life that have thought so highly of me. It's mind-blowing to know that people love you so much. ... I just praise God for it."

What do you think of the artists who are coming to sing for and with you?

"I love them all madly; most of them have been an integral part of my ministry for many years, so it's an honor. ... It's a wonderful time in my life to have them come share with me on an evening to share praise, honor and glory to God."

It's been six years since your CD Still Tramaine. Did you feel pressure to record again, or did that new music just evolve? What kind of reception has it received from your fans?

"I'm an artist that's thoughtful about the music. So I'm very cautious to make sure that it speaks to what I'm going through at the time, so that I'm able to really minister from a place that I'm walking through and from the depths of my soul.

"I think it was well worth the wait because of the testimony, especially from the title track – that one is my favorite. I produced half of the CD with my son Jamie Hawkins, and I'm thrilled that the Lord ... saw fit to put songs that really depicted my struggles in life and my walk with the Lord. They put into words the thing I would've said if I had written the song.

"As for how people are receiving it, everybody says that when they listen to it, they really get caught up, even pulling their cars off the side of the road to just take a minute and worship God because it's overwhelmed them spiritually and emotionally."

You were among the first in gospel to use a contemporary-sounding song to reach the masses and heard a lot of criticism for it. How do you feel about today's secular style of gospel?

"When I first came out with "Fall Down (Spirit of Love)" it was No.1 on Billboard's dance chart, and I didn't even know what the dance chart was at the time. I kept its message clear, and it opened doors for me that would not have opened normally in the ministry. A lot of young people aren't churchgoers, so I was able to really witness to them with that song. God used it at the time for an opportunity to minister to the masses, a real seed of ministry, to draw them back to Christ. It's just a tool, then or today."

What do you hope that fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and around the world take from I Never Lost My Praise?

"I want the testimony to really permeate; there are a lot of people dealing with crises in their lives, going through major trials and struggles. I want my fans to know that I sing the songs from the place of truism. I've gone through things, and I'm yet praising God through it all. I sing that title track because I praise him through my tears, my pain and major disappointments. Bless the Lord at all times, not just when things are good, but when we're not feeling so great about things."

Saturday: Tribute at 7 p.m. at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, 650 S. Griffin (at the corner of Canton and Akard). 214-743-2400 or Ticketmaster.

{TriRight} $15 to $20.

Sunday: Ms. Hawkins will perform with First Baptist Church of Hamilton Park's mass choir at 6 p.m. at the church, 300 E. Phillips St., Richardson.

{TriRight} Free.