This EP is what I’ve been waiting for! Right before I found this new project by Isla Vista Worship, I was thinking why is there not more Christ-centered soul music.
I’d heard some D’angelo playing recently and was thinking, why doesn’t anyone make this style of music from a christian perspective. Nothing about this genre precludes it from honoring the Lord.
Low and behold, the next week I hear this as an answer to prayer!
With all that said, this is not a full on soul/r&b album. This is an EP that has soul and r&b tracks, along with some soulful leaning worship tracks.
In particular the tracks ‘814’ and ‘Captured’ standout for their soul/r&b stylings. The vocals along with great live instrumentation make for great music.
One thing that stands out about all the tracks is the musicality. All tracks have live instrumentation and they are used well. The instrumentation is not just a standard “beat” but used to breath life into the track and changes throughout.
This album was a surprise. Not just because I hadn’t heard these type of tracks from Christ honoring artists, but this is such a departure from Isla Vista Worships’s usual sound. The music I associate them with is usually more in line with the current worship song trends.
I don’t know if there will be more of these Soul Hymns, but I hope so.
Per Isla Vista’s bio of the album, Mark Barlow is the catalyst for the album. They state, “Closing up an 8 year process that began with a dream of creating a soulful, personal worship EP, Barlow finally brings his heart to the table with a minimalist mindset.” Mark has definitely succeeded and thank you Mark for sharing this dream with us.
I need more! If the reception from the people I’ve recommended this album to is any example, there are a lot more like me.
Please purchase the EP on iTunes or the singles on Google’s Play Store.