While the singer enjoyed such '80s and '90s hits as "Baby Come to Me," "Make It Like It Was," and her duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World," the singer says she continued to maintain her church ties. "I still went to church," says Belle, who is also a pastor's wife and minister of music at New Shield of Faith Ministries in Atlanta. "I carried it with me. I wasn't necessarily in a church because I traveled from city to city. But God is not something that you can box in a building. You have to take him with you. Even though I didn't have the understanding that I have now, He was still covering me even at that stage of the game."

Love Forever Shines is a 14-track collection that includes the first single "God Is Good." Belle says that more than being a gospel album, the new set is an inspirational showcase. "I don't believe that the Lord just wanted for me to do a gospel album," she explains. "He wanted it to be a testimony as to where I am in my life. He wanted to put me in a place where I could share things, intimate things with my audience, to help them get through."

To promote the project, Belle is also kicking off a special multi-city Church And Gospel Brunch Tour, presented by RushmoreDrive.com. Tour markets include Dallas, Oakland, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, Atlanta and Indianapolis.

Belle's previous album was 2004's Lazy Afternoon for the Peak Records label. The set was a partial tribute to the music of Tony Bennett.

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