Smack Down!! – “The First Look”

Ila Knight’s composition, “The First Look”, was first recorded by the Inspirations on their 1974 album When I Wake Up To Sleep No More.  While the title cut of that album went on to become a Southern Gospel classic, the song in this week’s smack down was popular during the era of this recording but faded over the years.

As you can hear from the first verse and chorus of this song, the Inspirations style has not changed over the years.  That is what endears them to their many fans.  The Inspirations version is a mid tempo tune.  The Inspirations will take the first verse and chorus.

It was a young trio out of Mississippi that decided to cover this song.  Paid In Full recorded “The First Look” on their 2002 recording Every Day Is A Testimony.  Paid In Full took a different approach to the song by slowing the tempo down.  Tenor Jeff Crews was featured on the verses to Paid In Full’s version.  Paid In Full will take the second verse and chorus. 

Who gets your first look?  The original version or the newer version?