Summit Church Music
Release Date: April 21st 2015
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Summit Worship– Broken Saviors EP (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- The Only One
- You Are Our God
- God Forevermore
It’s probably weird and strange for me to champion a 3 song EP (as frankly 3 songs isn’t enough objectively to fully gauge whether a batch of songs is good or great, however Summit Worship’s new 3 song EP Broken Saviors EP is such a joy to listen to, that it’s one of my favourite EP’s of 2015, yes at 3 songs long! Originating from Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina; this recent worship movement, led by Hank Murphy, Kelby Dober and Kat Helder, have delivered a thoroughly enjoyable, thought provoking and comforting EP, filled with corporate and personal worship melodies to encourage us in every walk of life. To me, this EP is enough to make any lover and fan of worship music excited, and that’s saying something about these young passionate men and women of God. Though Summit Worship could be seen as another Hillsong or Planetshakers, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing- these catchy melodies will most certainly be on repeat in my iTunes player for sure! So should you all listen to this EP? Definitely, but don’t take my word for it! Read on and find out!
Driven by the piano and vibrant and pulsating drums, Hank Murphy passionately recounts how ‘…only One God is Savior, Your name is power, You are the only, You are the only one…’ in the EP highlight and album opener “The Only One”, channelling his inner Steve Fee vocally and drawing me in with the brutal honesty and emotion in the heartfelt vocals and lyrics. Simple in the message, that Jesus is our everything and our only hope, saviour, and everything we could ever imagine, and also effective in the delivery, a majestic epic crescendo swells from a reflective piano beginning, and I can’t help but praise the band for this worship anthem opener, that sets the tone for the rest of the album! Hank’s vocals are top notch in this track as well, as Kelby Dober and Kat Helder each lead the final two tracks.
Proclaiming that Jesus is God, and that He is sovereign, faithful and loving, saving us from ourselves, Kelby ardently highlights across captivating synth in the worship anthem “You Are Our God”, that God’s mighty hand is working every day in our lives. The chorus of this vibrant eclectic praise anthem is sure to heal and touch the lives of many, as we are reminded that we can ‘…lift up our eyes,
lift up our eyes, back to the One faithful and sure, You give us life, You give us hope, You are our God…’, and Kelby and the rest of them team need to be congratulated, as this is as good a song as I have heard in 2015, despite the absence of a label backing these young guys. The EP ender is the piano led slower ballad “God Forevermore”, where Kat Helder praises Jesus for His sovereignty, and the fact that He and His name reigns forevermore (which should boggle the mind when we sit and ponder about this freeing fact!). With a stirring vocal like Britt Nicole and Christy Nockels, as well as hopeful and ever true lyrics, Kat’s offering to an already encouraging and inspiring EP is the icing on the proverbial cake; that is this short but impacting EP.
The first EP by Summit Worship that I have listened to (I have previously listened to Summit FutureNow’s EP- read our review here!); is a winner in my books, and while I had virtually known nothing about the worship movement prior to me listening to this album, I am rather intrigued in listening to future albums from this relatively new worship band. It’s a matter of time before a label like Integrity Music or Capitol CMG sign the band, so I guess you now know a bit about why I think these guys will be very popular in the coming months and years ahead! A great EP to listen to and purchase if you are a fan of artists like The Afters, Tenth Avenue North, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman; Broken Saviors EP is a fresh, poignant, enjoyable, fresh and unique set of worship melodies to listen to as we celebrate Jesus and the fact that we are free and alive in Him! Well done guys for such an encouraging EP, with some of the most honest, emotional and heartfelt worship songs throughout 2015 so far!
3 songs to listen to: All of them!
Score: 4/5
RIYL: The Afters, Steve Fee, Tenth Avenue North, Sanctus Real