Double Take Tuesday: True Victory

Jeffrey LaValley is probably best known for writing Revelation 19:1 (whose title is often mistaken for Hallelujah, Salvation, and Glory) recorded by New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir and most recently by Stephen Hurd; however LaValley is another songwriter whose songs always minister to me. This week's double take features his song True Victory which is about Jesus returning for us and taking us to heaven.

True Victory first hit airwaves in 1980 when it was ministered by Keith Pringle and The Pentecostal Community Choir on their debut album, True Victory released under Savoy (the album also included their hit Call Him Up). The song starts out with this funky intro which leads into the verse. But the drive of the song is the vamp where the choir sings, "there's a special place prepared for me". The song overall was ahead of it's time in my opinion, because around this time the traditional choir type songs reigned, whereas this was more of a contemporary sounding song at that point in time.

Speaking of contemporary, what a nice surprise to hear Friendship Baptist Church Mass Choir's cover of the song on their 2005 release, Heaven In The Room
. From the start of the song you hear not only how it's updated a bit with the keyboard, organ,and the guitar, but it also has a slightly more up-tempo beat to it. I don't really have much more to say about their version because it's good, which is rare nowadays that you hear covers that are just as good as the original.

Let me know what you think of the song, which version you liked better, ect. in the comment section below the post. If you've got a request, let me know in the shoutbox to the right.

What's To Come This Week: Old School Friday feature

(here's a few hints: a popular youth choir song back in the 90's, a rearrangement of a hymn...for the answer stay tuned until Friday :-) )


P.S.

To listen to the songs just click on the album covers. I also want to apologize, towards the end of Keith Pringle's version the record skipped slightly and I couldn't edit it out.