J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise are to the Millennial Generation what Hezekiah Walker and Donald Lawrence’s respective ensembles are to the prior generation of church folks who were raised on contemporary choir music. For just over a dozen years now, the Soul Train Award nominated group has ignited a barn fire full of gospel radio hits that have become standard fare in Sunday morning church services (including many non-black congregations) such as “Lord, You’re Mighty,” “Incredible God, Incredible Praise,” “After This,” “Lord of All” and “Resting On His Promise.” Now, this exciting choir that’s shared stages with personalities as diverse as The Muppets’ Miss Piggy and Patti LaBelle is about to release its seventh album, I See Victory (Light Records).

Youthful Praise’s charismatic leader J.J. Hairston has witnessed many battles in his life such as his late mother’s recent and valiant bout with cancer but with each and every test, he’s seen victory and the new 14-track set echoes the sentiment. “This is the first record where I had a theme before I had a song,” Hairston explains. “Usually I start writing songs and I find out what the common theme is but this time I came up with the theme of I See Victory long before I wrote any songs. Years ago, I heard a message Bishop Joby Brady (Campus Pastor of Potter’s House North of Dallas, TX) preached and it was just saying you have to see what you want before you can go after it or have it. I see myself with the victory over everything so I’m going after it and I believe I can have it because I can see it and all of the songs revolve around that theme. That made the writing easier and the songs have a little more depth because they come around a theme.”

It’s a riveting collection showing Youthful Praise at its vocal best and sharing its platform with Grammy Award winner Karen Clark Sheard, Donnie McClurkin, Vashawn Mitchell and Pastor Jason Nelson among others. The songs range from the Rock-edged “Nothing Compares” that boasts an uplifting, congregational sing-a-long feel to it and the funky “You’re Mighty” to more traditional-styled choir numbers such as the rousing, down home ballad “Good to Me” and the pulsating “The Blood Still Works.”