::ALBUM REVIEW::

The hype is definitely resting on the ministry of Tye Tribbett & Greater Anointing - the musical ensemble which launched an onslaught of urban gospel with their successful debut unto the music industry after a few shortlived glory moments from Disney's "Prince of Egypt" soundtrack and Tribbett's energetic material to some of the East Coast's highly respected musical aggregations. When word broke out of their very first live recording, Tye's fan camp and a lengthy list of gospel trailblazers planned ahead of time and made their way into the Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 3, 2005. When the night was over, word leaked out about the anxious multitude that didn't get on the inside, the infectious new material that were delivered and the myriad of guest artists that offered up unforgettable praise to God. Lo, and behold we now have the finished product of that recording: "Victory Live". But maybe, just maybe, it was just all hype. That kind of statement can be concluded after a few runs through this very busy, unevened, highly orchestrated musical offering.

Opening things up is a theateric production full of crazy drama as Tye readies for the recording in the style of a boxing match on gameday. The eerie, ghoully sounds are flirting with the dark musical backdrop, while a ring announcer prepares the stage with his introductions of the fighters for the evening. That would be Satan and the children of God. Then comes a heavy rock-influenced "I Want It All Back", containing blazing horn and synths with lots of vocal shouts done in unison. "Bless The Lord" borrows moments and lyrics from Andrae' Crouch's worship standard while Tribbett brings a Calypso arrangement to the mix. The song, believe it or not, is one of the stronger cuts available here. It is gentle with its first impression - trying not to be too flamboyant in character. Sadly, most of Tribbett's offerings on this collection, in which he is mostly responsible for composing, are all highly chaotic in nature and sound like a rebellious musical affair flirting with a few occasional creative sparks.

Of all of the styles Tribbett is familiar of tackling, he teases gospel grooves while he focuses on some of the more overlooked styles and sounds in the gospel realm. Acoustic pop/rock with obscure guitar rages are found on "No Other Choice". Celtic glances can be heard on the graceful "Hallelujah To Your Name". This track has a calming praise fragrance attached to the guitar plunks and the energetic deliveries of G.A. but it feels as if Tribbett desires too hard to crossover to the bigger bucks. Years later, this track will probably be looked at as being beyond its time for black gospel music, but as for now the song, with its rare sound, may not sit well with conservative listeners. "Everything Will Be Alright" has a song title that is bound to impress, but the song has tons of uninhibited surprises. It opens like Thomas Whitfield's "Genesis" - stacatto phrasing and dark, robust, mature background vocals. Then the rhythms change up, and then everything else follows the changes moments later. And the pattern repeats itself. Do not expect any church choir to pull this one out. Before the song fades out, Tye shouts out ad-libs with the choir following his lead. Then comes the reprise, featuring Kim Burrell delivering throaty, yet chilling jazzy vocal rolls. She seems to be a bit groggy (a la Mary J. Blige), even on her most simpliest of notes. May not have been a great night for her vocally, but the reprise gives you a glance at Tye's creative drive going past the speed limit. "Sinking" is a dramatic, traditional rollercoaster that most certainly is one of those things you only get in a live recording setting. Even though the song delights in parts and has a moment of truth dealing with how hypocrtical saints can be even in the gospel field, Tye's screams are very unapologetic to the ears and are overly showcased here like no other cut from Tye's music arsenal.

The only real single found here is, of course, the urban-styled, hip-hop spiced "Victory". It has the a memorable melody, enough crunk funk and dazzling horn outbursts. Sad, you have to go all the way towards the end to find it. "1-2 (Victory Check)" is also a successful composition and helps stage the easy acceptance of "Victory" for those experiencing the cut for the first time. By the way, check out the popular live version of "Everything Part I, Part II", which is included as a bonus cut. The song, in which first appeared on Tribbett's debut project, proved to be a favorite on gospel radio and helped sparked a revival of sales for the album many months after its inital release.

With only three worthy cuts placed here, it should be noted that Tribbett's desire to create a new facelift for his music ministry has led him to a dead end for most critics. While "Life" wasn't praised because of its lack of extraordinary musical arrangements, this album goes a bit overboard. It feels like a minature version of Tonex's "Out The Box", with various moods, changes and unexpected challenges. The yelling, screaming and uncomfortable lack of authentic gospel music makes this project one very difficult to digest. At times, it's too serious and at other times it's too eerie. And then, noticing the wrong moments when fading a song can really damage preceptions of a project's overall value. All of these moments are heavy negatives for "VIctory Live". This will probably be hailed, after months of die-hard patience from fans of "Life", as one of 2006's greatest upsets. A word to the wise: don't believe all hype.