J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise – After This

J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise

After This
Light Records/Entertainment One (2012)
http://www.youthfulpraise.org/

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

It’s hard to be more musically energetic than J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise. Their high-octane, intense and dramatic full-throated singing packs more punch than a container load of Red Bull.

On the group’s latest CD, After This, the choir blends its vocal enthusiasm with strong melodies, hard-hitting musicianship and a throbbing vibe that moves relentlessly from one track to another. The listener gets a vicarious feel of the live recording experience.

Recorded at the First Cathedral Church in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where Hairston has, until recently, served as minister of music, After This is a star-studded package. It features guest appearances by artists such as Tye Tribbett, LaShun Pace, Lisa Knowles, Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Pastor John P. Kee—two pioneers in the leader-ensemble variety of contemporary gospel choir—and James Fortune who, with Hairston, is Walker and Kee: The Next Generation.

Despite the top-shelf guest lineup, the Youthful Praise bench has some strong soloists, as evidenced by Tiffany Andrews-Woodside’s gut-wrenching hard singing on the high-octane “My King” and Jenifer Johnson’s evangelistic lead on the up-tempo “Reap.” Melissa Bell contributes a strong duet with Hairston on “The Victor.”

Most of the songs come from Hairston’s pen and were inspired by a series of sermons by Bishop T.D. Jakes. The current single, “After This,” delivers its message of hope with a perky melody, strong vocals and a driving refrain. “You” is another Hairston composition with a fine melody and bracing beat. Ashmont Hill member Phil Thompson’s “Love Lifted Me,” featuring Tye Tribbett, is equally melodic and intense, and in some respects more memorable than “After This” for its lyric repetition.

Hairston and Youthful Praise come from the rich musical lineage of Bishop JC and Lady Gloria White. Back in the day, the Whites had their own version of YP, called the Institutional COGIC Youth Choir. The choir’s “Stretch Out” was just as bold musically as YP. “Reap,” with its churchy feel, is aurally reminiscent of the earlier group.

After This is J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise’s best recorded work to date.

Five of Five Stars

Picks: “After This,” “Love Lifted Me,” “The Blood.”