“He Reigns” – Pastor Ira Acree and the Greater St. John Church Choir

“He Reigns”

Pastor Ira Acree & the Greater St. John Church Choir demonstrate that not all Chicago gospel choirs sing in the old time way. At least, not always.

On “He Reigns,” written and produced by the astutely modern Henry “Henry J2” Johnson II, Pastor Acree’s choir sings to a funky accompaniment highlighted by thumping bass and string-scratching electric guitar. True to Windy City choral structure, Henry J2 adds cascading vocal lines towards the end, a la Ricky Dillard.

To this shoulder-shaking arrangement, the choir chronicles Jesus’s death, rising, ascension and final reign in Heaven, where at the end, “every knee shall bow, every tongue confess.”  The pounding climax at the conclusion makes that ending sound, well, pretty final.