Second Cup Café: Israel & New Breed

Fronted by worship leader Israel Houghton, Israel and New Breed is a group of musicians and singers who fuse gospel, jazz and Latin into their own multi-cultural brand of contemporary Christian music.

They visit Second Cup Café to share songs from their repertoire.

Houghton and his wife, Meleasa, along with Aaron Lindsay founded New Breed Ministries in 1995, with the purpose of drawing people of all races, cultures and ages together through worship.

It's a logical mission for Houghton, who describes himself as "a black kid who grew up in a white family in a Hispanic neighborhood."

The group released their first album, "New Season," in 2001, but it was 2004's "Live From Another Level" that earned them wider notice. The album was nominated for a Grammy for best contemporary soul album, and won Stellar, Dove, and Soul Train awards.

In 2007, Israel and New Breed's "Alive In South Africa" nabbed the group a Grammy for best traditional gospel album.

In addition to touring and recording with the group, Israel Houghton is a worship leader at Houston's Lakewood Church, home of TV preacher and author Joel Osteen.