Fair Trade Services
Release Date: March 24th 2023
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Micah Tyler– People Like Us EP (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- People Like Us
- I See Grace
- Praise The Lord
- Nothing Too Broken
- In Case You Didn’t Know
- Remember This
I have never been much of a fan of Micah Tyler. The guys who’s known for “Never Been a Moment”, the guy who sounds similar to Bart from MercyMe, the guy who was signed to Fair Trade Services a while ago. I haven’t reviewed anything original or substantial from Micah throughout this whole duration of our site (aside from the Christmas single “Feels Like Joy”)… and is that saying something about the quality of Micah’s music or about my musical preferences? Maybe both? Now don’t get me wrong- you can read Jon’s reviews of both of Micah’s albums (Different and New Today) and read about how these songs have resonated for Jon… but let me tell you that Micah Tyler’s songs, save for a few, haven’t resonated with me much at all. It’s a bit of a shame as I know Micah is an incredible vocalist with a bright future. Perhaps I’m always comparing him to Bart Millard from MercyMe? Should I even do that, and should I let Micah be his own person? Case In point- Micah’s brand new 6-song EP People Like Us.
After a gap of 3 years, you’d think Micah’s music would grow thematically and lyrically, right? I thought so- because that’s what should normally happen with music artists. They should grow as the years progress and their albums should progressively sound more poignant and mature. Yet with People Like Us, sadly Micah meanders along with no real lyrical impact and imprint. Originally, the question posed to me was this- should I dismiss the EP because I previously hadn’t connected with many Micah Tyler songs, or should I give the project a try? After all, last time when I tried out “Feels Like Joy”, I found that song completely forgettable, and I actually wished I didn’t review that song and that I instead acted like Scrooge or The Grinch instead. And so… I gave Micah probably the last chance I’ll ever give him.
I know, I know, when I reviewed “I See Grace” last year, I gave Micah my ‘last’ chance. But now I’ve really given him his final last chance. The consensus, sadly, is the same as last time. Here is the honest truth. I have now listened to the song “I See Grace” (the lead single) a number of times. And my verdict is this. That considering it’s a lead-in single, well, then comparing “I See Grace” to “Never Been A Moment” and “Amen” … it’s just on par with those. And that’s not that great, not by any means. With this melody being a tad over 3 minutes (the perfect length for K-Love radio), Micah sings about being overwhelmed and amazed by God’s grace and being grateful and thankful for being saved by Jesus. It’s a simplistic song with no doubting or wrestling; and it’s tailormade for the masses who love melodies and lyrics that make them feel good. But though “I See Grace” is solid as a whole because of the presence of many string instruments, as well as Micah’s ever reliable and always dependable voice; this melody is still… ok. It doesn’t wow me. It’s not wonderful or eye-opening or revolutionary; nor does the song minister to me during moments of hurt, pain and confusion. But… what do you expect from CCM these days? Others might resonate with this song, but that’s not me at the moment.
The rest of the EP is somewhat impacting, but like “I See Grace”, the staying power isn’t there. The title track is a CCM-esque radio-friendly powerful ballad that speaks about how God loves each and every one of us- but the song doesn’t go further lyrically, and hence the melody is supposed to be a ‘pick-me-up’ but never really speaks about what to do in the situations where we don’t feel God is near- how do we fully grasp and understand that God loves us? I mean, the sentiment definitely is true, but people hurting don’t want to hear that so straight down the line when a word or phrase doesn’t help them in their time of need. “Praise The Lord”, a jovial, carefree, happy-go-lucky and praiseworthy celebratory anthem, has Micah bountifully crying out that ‘…I’m gonna sing it, I’m gonna shout it, I’m gonna lift my hands and praise, no matter what is gonna come my way, all You’ve done for me, I give You the glory, from the valley to the victory, I know my God is gonna fight for me, so when the devil come try to get me, gonna praise the Lord…’, but the track musically is so, so, so bland and uninteresting; while “Nothing Too Broken” is theoretically true lyrically, but again is similar to “People Like Us”.
It is true that there isn’t anything too broken that God can’t fix, but will the person struggling see it that way? Will they come to Jesus knowing that He gladly welcomes them, or will they see this song as ‘preaching to the choir’? “In Case You Didn’t Know”, a beautiful and heartfelt piano ballad, is one of the few shining lights on a ho-hum EP, as Micah eloquently and earnestly outlines that Jesus loves each one of us, and that ‘…if you’re wondering if He could, is He really that good, you will see that He’s a promise keeper, in case you didn’t know, there’s a God who loves you, a God who loves you, in case you didn’t know, oh you’ve never heard what your heart is worth, just look and see the hands of Jesus, scarred to make you whole, that’s how much He loves you, in case you didn’t know…’; while Micah ends this hopeful and optimistic EP with probably the most engaging song of 2023. “Remember This” is a song where Micah sings about the little moments in his life that he wants to remember and cherish, inclusive of his proposal to his now wife and the birth of his children; and is an emotional, heartfelt melody where we are encouraged to not miss the little moments and to be present in the present so that we can remember the God-moments and the things that will ultimately be special in the end.
I’m sure I’ll find Micah Tyler singing something resonating to me in the near future- as a whole cohesive project. But as it stands, apart from the last two songs, People Like Us the EP isn’t that project. Micah’s music has been hit and miss throughout his whole career in my opinion- but if you’re a Micah Tyler fan, then People Like Us will be right up your alley. But for the rest of us who want to hear something more inspirational and hopeful, then may I suggest only listening to the last two songs of “In Case You Didn’t Know” and “Remember This”? May I also suggest songs from Owl City (“Field Notes”), Big Daddy Weave (“Heaven Changes Everything”), Phil Wickham (“This Is Our God” and “Sunday’s Coming”) and Katy Nichole (“Turn To Jesus”)? I’m positive you’ll be blessed and inspired immensely by those other tracks compared to this EP!
3 songs to listen to: Praise The Lord, In Case You Didn’t Know, Remember This
Score: 3/5
RIYL: MercyMe, Sidewalk Prophets, Pocket Full of Rocks, JJ Weeks Band