We Are Messengers has been steadily gaining popularity...
God Of The Impossible (Deluxe Edition)
by
Lincoln Lincoln Brewster has had a history of creating fun, creative Praise & Worship albums powered by his incredible guitar playing. In a genre full of worship cliches, Brewster stood out from the rest because...
A Step in the Right Direction | Posted April-03-2019
We Are Messengers has been steadily gaining popularity over the past few years since their self-titled debut album released in 2016, and for good reason. The band has a knack for crafting catchy pop anthems that see great success on Christian Radio. However, while the songs themselves have been enjoyable listens, musically they lacked innovation and did not bring anything all that new to the table. That being said, the band showed promise for the future, and now here they are in 2019 with their EP titled ‘Honest’.
Based on the title alone, we get an idea of what to expect lyrically. Frontman Darren Mulligan said that “Honest is the most truthful, raw and personal record we have made”. This is made evident right off the bat, as the title track focuses on how it is important for us to be honest with who we are, and not try to hide our hurt from others. Musically, We Are Messengers fans will feel right at home in familiar territory for the band as “Honest” is filled with infectious hooks, backed by catchy and peppy electronic elements. Following this up is the slower “Abide”, which almost acts as a response to the title track. This song speaks about abiding in God for comfort, and letting go of all fear in His presence: “All of my hurt erased / With you my heart is safe / All my fear is gone / With you I find my rest / God, I'm running home”. This is followed up by the anthemic radio hit “Maybe It’s Ok”, which perfectly meshes the first two tracks together from a lyrical standpoint. Darren passionately sings that “Maybe it’s Ok, if I’m not Ok / ‘Cause the One who holds the world is holding onto me”.
Things take an unexpected turn with the rock-based “The Devil Is A Liar”, a boot-stomping anthem for Christians to rise up and face the Devil without fear, because God has already set us free. Musically, this is something we haven’t seen from the band before, and got this particular reviewer quite excited - I hope we see more of this from them in the future. The album switches gears again with the heartfelt, acoustic-driven love ballad “Wolves”, before closing on the epic anthem “Gold And Glory”. The latter track is based on Mark 8:36 and focuses on how it is important for us to find our worth in Christ instead of earthly things, and is a solid closer.
Like most pop records, this one isn’t without its flaws. This album struggles a bit with its musical identity, relying too heavily on electronic elements at times. While each song serves its purpose on the album, some are weaker than others (“Abide”, “Maybe It’s Ok”). Thankfully, Darren’s passionate vocal delivery and solid lyricism keeps these tracks from sinking completely into mediocrity. Also, “The Devil Is A Liar” seems a bit out of place, as it is quite different than anything else on the EP. That being said, We Are Messengers delivers for the most part on this EP, and definitely shows potential to rise above the status quo. Is this the most innovative, groundbreaking pop we’ve heard? No, not really. But, it’s solid pop that grows on you with each listen. For pop fans, this EP is a must listen; and if this isn’t really your thing, I would still recommend giving it a spin - you may be pleasantly surprised.
Decent...But Could be Better | Posted July-08-2018
Lincoln Brewster has had a history of creating fun, creative Praise & Worship albums powered by his incredible guitar playing. In a genre full of worship cliches, Brewster stood out from the rest because of his stellar musicianship. In his 10th album however, Brewster continues the trend that Oxygen set: pushing the live band to the background, and allowing the synths to take over in full force. Of course, Brewster throws in his riffs and solos here and there, but they aren't nearly as prevalent as previous releases; and unfortunately they get lost within the synth.
The album opens with the upbeat, peppy 'Deep Down (Walk Through Fire)', in which Lincoln passionately sings that "Even when I walk through fire / I won't be burned / I'll set my feet upon your word". The next two tracks, 'Your Love Is Amazing' and 'Turn It Around' keep the upbeat vibes going, the latter being a positive look on the recent wildfires in California. The hard-hitter 'While I Wait' really tugs at the heartstrings, with lines like "Though I don't understand it / I will worship with my pain / You are God, You are worthy / You are with me all the way".
The rest of the album is filled with some more upbeat, joyful tunes about God's providence in our lives (Loyal, Everything, No One Like Our God), and a couple more that would fit better in a traditional worship band setting (Amazing God, Here I Am, the title track). While these songs aren't bad, they lack the musical genius we used to see from Lincoln, and most of them seem like they were designed for radio play.
Brewster has a real heart for the Lord, and wants to spread the love of Christ to everyone around him, so it is definitely hard to be harsh to the music he produces - because his heart is certainly in the right place...however, this certainly isn't his best work, nor is it close. The aspects that used to make him stand out are almost non-existant. Now, before you think I hate this album...I don't. It's not a bad album, and I actually found some parts of the album to be better than Oxygen (the guitar solos sound much more natural, but unfortunately the synths are much heavier). Compared to what he is capable of, this bunch of songs is pretty disappointing. It's alright, but it definitely could be better.
On a side note, the instrumental track from the deluxe edition (Relativity) is absolutely incredible - definitely worth checking out that one!
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