Kat & Jared ‘Self-Titled EP’

Written by: Abby Baracskai (2/4/2017)

Before I even get into critiquing the music, can I just say how adorable these two are? Like, how sweet is it to be making music with your beloved significant other? And how about those photos? Don’t they look just so in love with each other and happy to be together? A+ to whoever designed the cover concept and shot those beautiful photos. It’s definitely a great way to get you in a happy, feel-good vibe; even before hearing their EP full of praise, joy, and worship to our loving Father.

The album opens up with an upbeat, dancy rhythm that instantly seems to lighten to weight off of your shoulders and put a smile, even if it’s a small one, on your face. The picture I created in my head for this song was a warm, sunny day in an inviting field of flowers that I was prancing and spinning around in. The song features a nice drumbeat that keeps everything flowing smoothly and helps move everything along since it is a bit longer than a typical song. The lyrical aspects remind you of reasons that “we adore” God and all of the wonderful things that he does for us.

The lyrics of praise and coming together to sing and praise continue on throughout the album, along with the softer musical elements. I am happy to say that the drums seem a little more intricate than usual contemporary Christian music though, so that’s a plus that makes the album stand out a little more than other albums like it. The album goes on to feature impactful layered vocals that emphasize key messages as well as quirky musical sounds that lift your spirits no matter what sort of mood you may be in.

Overall, I would classify the album as soft contemporary musical wise and heavy worship and praise lyrically. With that being said, the songs can feel a little repetitive since the entire focus is on worship and praise, which means some of the lyrics and messages are recycled. The album features vocals from Kat that sound like Kari Jobe met Lacey Sturm and the voices mashed together to create a powerful, but sweet sounding, musical baby, as well as a different guitar sound than we’re used to hearing from Jared, past guitarist for the Christian rock band Flyleaf.

I can proudly say that listening to this album has lifted my spirits. Lately, the Cleveland snowy, cold, wet weather has been getting me down, but this album helped me remember that there is a God behind the puffy snow clouds in the sky and with Him, there are days ahead that won’t feature gray clouds and dim skies. If you’re looking for something to remind you of God’s love and reasons to praise Him, then I recommend you pick up this EP and throw it in your car CD player. Who knows, maybe it will even calm some after-work-traffic road rage that many of us experience.

4/5