We the Kingdom – Holy Water

Capitol Christian Music Group

Release Date: August 7th 2020

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

We the Kingdom– Holy Water (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

  1. Cages
  2. Waking Up
  3. Child Of Love
  4. Dancing On The Waves
  5. Holy Water
  6. No Doubt About It
  7. God So Loved
  8. Peace
  9. Don’t Tread On Me
  10. SOS
  11. If All I Had Was Christ
  12. You Are Heaven

The heart of We The Kingdom is to create music that candidly tells how God reached into the middle of our brokenness, and drew us into His story of redemption. Songs of testimony and worship have been a healing salve for us. We want to share our journey with others with the hope that God will use that as a catalyst for healing in others. Our heart’s desire is to see captives set free, relationships restored, and people brought to the Cross. We pray that God would sew the thread of His promises through the stories of each song we write, and weave together a tapestry that points straight to the great love of Jesus

As I look around at all of the worship artists (solo and bands) out there; I’m left wondering. Are we in fact at worship saturation point? It’s the point when a worship artist releases a new song, and then we all shrug our shoulders and go about our business- we don’t really care anymore whether a worship artist releases something new or not. I know I have felt that many times with Planetshakers… but the point is that there is a time, maybe now or maybe into the future, whereby new bands come and they sing praises to Jesus, but we aren’t as excited anymore. For some bands, worship saturation may be very applicable to them, however for this next ‘new’ band recently signed to Capitol Christian Music Group, I’m definitely not at saturation point yet. Because We The Kingdom musically is something different. Similar to I Am They, Zach Williams, Passion, Rend Collective and The Crabb Family all rolled into one; the band comprises of songwriter Ed Cash and his family (brother Scott, children Franni and Martin as well as close friend Andrew Bergthold) and is probably the most energetic band since Rend Collective. I know, I know, it’s a bold statement, but one listen to their debut EP Live At The Wheelhouse EP and one or more watches of any of their live videos on Youtube will quickly change your mind. What will also change your mind is the group’s debut album Holy Water which released yesterday.

A glance down the track list and we see that this list is around about half familiar. With the group releasing new songs periodically as promotional singles to the world from late last year onwards, we are presented with a joyous, heartfelt and poignant 12-song debut full of praise to Jesus. “Holy Water”, the band’s first single, is situated in the middle of the album, as lead singer Ed Cash channels his inner Zach Williams, describing God’s presence like ‘…holy water on my skin…’. As Ed and daughter Franni combine for vocals that are out-of-this-world and eloquently remind us that we all need Jesus more than we even need water; we are delivered an anthem for the ages and a song that I never am tired of…at least not yet! “God So Loved”, a keys and acoustic guitar mid-tempo ballad, is a modern retelling of the most recognised verses ever- John 3:16, as we remember that we each have eternal life because of Jesus- thus we can thank Him and be grateful for His sacrifice. Upbeat in tempo and vibrant musically, this track is a best as an opener as the group hold nothing back and sing immensely from their heart- the presence of a line of the hymn “Doxology” in this bridge gives this track extra depth also.

The acoustic guitar led reflective, contemplative and personal “SOS”, another recognisable song (which was first debuted on the EP Live At The Wheelhouse), is another personal highlight, as Franni passionately sings about needing a Saviour, from the point of view of a non-believer, crying out to ‘somebody’, asking them to save her from herself. Similar in theme to “Anyone” from Demi Lovato, We The Kingdom have released a song that is sure to bring comfort and healing to all who sing and listen. While one of the songs where the band is at their best is “Dancing On The Waves”, a Jesus Culture type ballad, whereby Franni eloquently invites us all from God’s point of view to be in communion and in a relationship with Him- complete with a segment of free worship. It’s as simple as that, and as we are presented with a musically simple yet effective and heartwarming melody; we are reminded at the lyrical and vocal prowess of this band- and I hope and pray that there are many more albums to come, as this family is crazily talented!

Previously present on the album PEACE from Bethel Music, the somewhat lullaby-ish track “Peace” is present on this track list, as Franni eloquently and earnestly relays to us that whenever we are feeling lonely and troubled, that God’s peace washes over us and makes us feel whole, that ‘…peace holds me when I’m broken, sweet peace that passes understanding, when the whole wide world is crashing down, I fall to my knees, and breathe in Your peace…’; while another promotional single- the no-nonsense, high-octane and energetic “Don’t Tread On Me”, beautifully encapsulates We The Kingdom’s heart for Jesus, while also giving us a dose of loud raucous calamity music-wise; an explosive track and a joy to listen to, and one of the year’s most impacting tracks thus far! We aren’t usually presented with full-on songs that are directed to the devil…but We The Kingdom have delivered a compelling anthem that we all can sing out whenever we don’t feel as mighty and confident. As we sing out this eternal truth that God has shown us- that the devil has no hold on us anymore; it’s evident that by the power of Jesus that is in us, that the devil has to flee!

A few weeks ago, We The Kingdom also dropped the majestic, near-flawless and poignant promotional single “Child Of Love”. Probably one of the most radio friendly songs on the album, as Franni and Ed sing across vibrant synth, an 80’s dance atmosphere as well as ardent and passionate gospel choirs, that ‘…I’m gonna climb a mountain, I’m gonna shout about it, I am a child of love, I found a world of freedom, I found a friend in Jesus, I am a child of love…’; while the group most recently dropped the piano only I AM THEY-like “No Doubt About It”, whereby Franni reminds us all that we’re all on a journey to where God wants us to go, but we’re not there yet. And as Franni reminds us about the heart of the song, it’s clear that this track is one of the most personal to the band- and it’s a joy to listen to as well as we’re reminded that home is where Jesus is and it’s where He is leading us towards step by step: Each one of us is on a journey home. Sometimes we get discouraged when we look ahead and see how much further we have left to go. We see the mounds of sin and brokenness in our lives and the time and process it will take to be whole. But when we look back and see how far the Lord has brought us, it is amazing. God is faithful and He will finish the good work that He started in each one of us. Our new song “No Doubt About It” is a song about the journey and we cannot wait for you to hear it and hope and pray it connects with your heart and your story.

Even though these brilliantly recorded and heartfelt already-released 8 tracks means that Holy Water only has 4 brand new recordings that we’ve never heard before, this doesn’t mean that the album enjoyment is diminished for me. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Because these new songs are some of the most impactful and inspiring of the year thus far. Album opener and intense guitar led rocker “Cages” emphatically relays to us the notion that we all need to take risks and step out in faith to what God is calling us to do- coming out of our cages and letting the world know what Jesus has done in our lives; while the Rend Collective-like celebratory and joyous guitar led poppy “Waking Up” highlights the fact that Jesus has caused us to wake up from our slumber, and has caused us to realise that we have new life when we should’ve been dead- thus our gratitude needs to turn into action when we show the world what a wonderful Saviour Jesus is. The potential modern-day hymn “If All I Have Is Christ”, is very biblically strong lyrically, as we are unveiled a passionate worship anthem that could make its way to churches on Sunday mornings very soon. Holy Water then ends with the acoustic guitar led mid tempo track “You Are Heaven”. Though the song doesn’t mention Jesus or God by name; the implication here is that this is a worship song to God, however non-believers can take this track to mean a feel good love song with loads of imagery- and hopefully God moves in this track enough for more and more people to be drawn into His presence.

With nothing much more needing to be said about We The Kingdom and their debut album Holy Water; this group is extremely good considering that this is a full length debut project, while both Ed and Franni sing to perfection! Songs like “Holy Water”, “Waking Up”, “No Doubt About It” and “Don’t Tread On Me” are personal album highlights, with every track having no discernible weaknesses in any aspect. So what are you all waiting for? Holy Water, just like Live At The Wheelhouse before it, deserves 2, 3, 5, 10+ listens. So howabout I go away while you guys check out We The Kingdom? Alright, have you finished? What do you reckon?

3 songs to listen to: Child Of Love, No Doubt About It, Don’t Tread On Me

Score: 4.5/5

RIYL: Jesus Culture, Passion, I Am They, Rend Collective, Crabb Family, Zach Williams

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