Louder Than The Music

What happens when you take a worship leader come songwriter as your lead singer, stick her in the studio with a talented band of musicians in their own right, throw in a small handful of songs on the theme of Grace and tell them to put together a three track EP? Well, I can tell you what happens, because I've just been listening to the resulting product of such a recipe. Kate Simmonds has teamed up with British group Phatfish to record a three-track digital release called 'The Grace EP'.

It kicks off with opening track 'Grace' and straight away you realise this is going to be a musically outstanding project. Clear, pounding drums and sumptuous electric guitar riffs punctuate this incredible worship song. "Grace is not earned, nor deserved, It is a gift from God. Saved by Your mercy alone, Rescued by Your great love. Grace is the heart of the Father, Grace is the gift of the Son, Grace is the work of the Spirit, Revealing the wonder of an amazing God". There's something so simple, yet so powerful about these moving lyrics. Kate's voice is pitched higher than most would probably be comfortable singing this song, but make no mistake, this song is just waiting to be unleashed on churches throughout the land.

If you stripped away the vocals, this song as a purely instrumental piece of music would set the hairs on your forearms on fire. When you add the vocals though, you get a song laced with emotion and filled with passion. What an opener.

But things get better. 'Wake Up My Soul' has an incredible introduction with infectious keyboard and guitars that just cry out quality. The notable bass through the verses provides an excellent backing as Kate continues her superb vocals. "Lift Him up, lift high the praises of Our God and Saviour, our Redeemer! Only one name saves us Him who died to raise us: Jesus". The mid section slows the song down, as Kate repeats "And as we draw near, He will draw near to us". Such a great track, and my pick of the EP.

'Here Is Love' is a hymn that has stood the test of time, but Kate has worked in a new chorus to rejuvenate it on this version. Opening with a traditional piano sound that is carefully placed in the background, with a more prominent jangling electric guitar riff accompanying the verse, the song pours out. The hint of a gently tapped cymbal accompanies the new chorus: "Grace takes my sin, calls me friend, Pays my debt completely. Love rescued me, Seated me with my King forever more".

The idea of such incredible guitar work backing up a solemn female voice covering a hymn like this is not something that you might expect, yet it works so incredibly well that you really have to hear it to believe it. This is THE ultimate cover of this much loved hymn.

It's not hard to see why this is called The Grace EP. Every song contains the word 'Grace' and explores that theme in a worship setting. This really is just 15 minutes of God's grace in an intimate set of songs. Where can you buy it? Simple. Download it online from shop.phatmusic.net

Review by Dave Wood

LTTM Rating 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Standout Track
Wake Up My Soul