Tye Tribbett & G.A. - Victory Live (CD)

All Music Guide

After a solid yet otherwise understated instudio debut, contemporary gospel supergroup Tye Tribbett G.A. took to the stage of a Philadelphia megachurch to record the followup, Victory Live, thus offering a more truetoform representation of the group's sound, synergy, and spirit. Ironically and perhaps coincidentally, Victory's predecessor, 2004's Life<, had more in common with Philly in the way it married urban gospel with neosoul tendencies, but overall it was too polite an album to really catch anyone by surprise. Victory is different: it explodes right out of the gate to position itself as one of the most unusual, spellbinding contemporary gospel spectacles of 2006, if not of the entire history of the subgenre. The album's sonic ambitions recall those of gospel provocateur Tonéx himself a kindred spirit of bandleader Tye Tribbett but here things aren't overblown to the point of exhaustion or showmanship. Instead, Tribbett makes sure his agenda for the disc to inspire the faithful to use praise to declare victory over their own inadequacies isn't obscured by the pyrotechnics, which are already formidable to begin with. By keeping a firm footing on highpowered gospel vocals, Tribbett is able to gel an endless palette of sensibilities, including ferocious funkrock ("Victory," "I Want It All Back"), Celtic pop ("Hallelujah to Your Name"), bossa nova (Andraé Crouch's "Bless the Lord"), pop/rock ("No Other Choice"), inspirational ("Seated at the Right Hand of God"), and even straightup Broadway ("Everything Will Be Alright," "Sinking"). Such an extensive laundrylist of styles could've been hot mess if handled any differently, but Tribbett is a church boy: he and his troupe know where they are, so they stick to the program and try as best as possible to keep it churchy. While on occasion things do get too grand for their own good, Victory in the end is a triumph: it stretches the boundaries of gospel music to places that it's never been.

- Andree Farias, All Music Guide