Gotee Records has a longstanding reputation for introducing and producing some of the biggest names in Christian music today. Just a few of the label’s alumni include Family Force 5, Sarah Kelly, Out Of Eden, and John Reuben. Needless to say, whenever the Gotee family welcomes a new member, people say attention. Which leads us to 19-year-old Atlanta native, and newest Gotee Records artist, Jamie-Grace.
Jamie might be a familiar face to some due to her work on both the iShine and Revolve tours over the past several years, but she is mostly known for her popular YouTube covers of contemporary Christian songs, which is how Gotee Records founder and fellow CCM artist tobyMac stumbled across her. The two hit it off right away, and it led to a partnership of mutual respect and the development of songwriting. The result is Jamie-Grace’s first official project, the ‘Hold Me’ EP.
The EP starts off with the title track featuring none other than Toby himself. It is a catchy and uplifting song that sets the tone for Jamie’s style of fun and bubbly pop. Up next is ‘One Song At A Time’, another catchy tune with somewhat of a reggae feel to it, also featuring Gabe Real from tobyMac’s band DiverseCity. The message of the song is upbeat and positive, Jamie singing about how music is her way of conveying her message, one song at a time (‘just give me six strings and I’ll sing you the truth…’)
‘Holding On’ is the only ballad-type song on the album, co-written by tag team tobyMac/Jamie Moore, as well as Matt Hammitt from Sanctus Real . It showcases Jamie’s unique vocals and highlights the passion she has for songwriting and her craft. The last song on the EP is a cover of dc Talk’s classic ‘Into Jesus.’ This is one of my favorite dc Talk songs, so I was interested to see how she was going to remake it. It turned out amazing and I love the changes she made, taking it from it’s darker original, to making it her own by bringing it into her own airy acoustic feel.
Jamie-Grace is an artist to watch in 2011 and beyond. Don’t let her age fool you, she is wise beyond her years and it shows in her dedication to her music. This is a fun EP and I recommend it to fans of artists like Britt Nicole, Francesca Battistelli, or anyone who is into catchy pop with a message for Jesus. I really enjoy this EP and I’m looking forward to what is coming next from this up-and-coming artist. Great things lie ahead for her.