Fresh Worship From Rock Genre Veterans
Posted February 03, 2017
By CaitlinLassiter_NRT, Staff Reviewer
Though Kat & Jared will be a new duo to most fans, they are far from new to the music industry. Jared Hartmann, founding member and former guitarist for Flyleaf, and his wife Kat spent the first nine years of their married life on the road seeing thousands of lives changed by the Gospel through music. Following Jared's departure from the platinum-selling rock band, Kat and Jared are now worship leaders at Bethel Church in Temple, Texas, where they are passionate about helping people discover that true life comes from spending time in the presence of God.
Their first project as a duo, the self-titled EP, introduces fans to their new sound with five worship tracks. "We really feel like God gave us these songs, like this is the time for us to release these songs," Jared says of the EP.
Bringing a bit of their accustomed rock sound into some new worship tunes, "We Adore You" is an upbeat anthem of praise that begins the album with plenty of energy: "You can have it all / we just love to worship You / and as we sing, You respond to us." Guitar-driven "Hallelujah" once again displays the gentle boldness of Kat's vocals and meshes the high-energy elements with reverent worship, making it a song I could see doing well at the opening of a church service.
"We come expecting / our hearts are jumping / we know You want to meet us here," slower, faith-filled "We Want To Know You" sings out in longing. Back in the up-tempo realm, "In Awe" is a beautiful picture of the response we can't help but have to Christ's goodness and love for us. Album closer "You Amaze Me" seems to be the highlight on the EP, with Kat's elegant voice ringing out effortlessly in worship. I would easily place this song in the same category with other powerful moments from groups like Bethel and Hillsong.
The Bottom Line: Kat&Jared shows much promise for the former rockers turned worshippers, mixing the best elements of both genres to craft an EP that gives fans a taste of what's to come stylistically from the duo in the future. With guitar-driven melodies, reverent lyrics and moments of heartfelt worship all in the same mix, Kat & Jared's debut has something for everyone to enjoy and shows why they may soon be a force to be reckoned with in the worship genre.
Song To Download Now:
"You Amaze Me"
View All Music And Book Reviews By CaitlinLassiter_NRT | View CaitlinLassiter_NRT's Profile
|
