Nowadays worship albums are a dime and a dozen.  It seems that every church and their worship team seem to be churning out records perennially eyeing for our purchase.  So, in such an oversaturated market, what does justify the release of yet another worship EP?  "Holy" is the debut EP that hails from the worship team of ThornCreek Church.  What sets this 5 song EP apart from the copious worship releases is that worship pastor Ryan Hopkins is not a dilettante in any sense.  But gifted with a deep passion to see God's kingdom explode through worship, you can sense Hopkins' earnest and Spirited-tenure especially when he croons a worship ballad.  He has the voice that knows no pretense.  Rather, a desperate longing for the outpouring of God pulsates right through every syllable.  Also, having penned all 5 cuts, Hopkins has a richly poly-stylistic palette. In fact, each of these 5 cut is unique; each is individually clad in sonic multi-colors that should ought to satisfy those who enjoy a rainbow of styles when they come to their worship.

Adorned by enough big natural sounding guitars to build a dynamic foundation, Hopkins rocks up the rhythm on the album opener "Sing Your Praise."  "Sing You Praise" gets a reprise again as the EP's fifth and final cut where it is dubbed as the "acoustic version."  But frankly, the backings are so different that it sounds like a whole different song.  While the former has the guitar amps max out, the latter is a free from anything that hints at Switchfoot or Relient K.  Imbued by strings that gorgeous calls to mind Hillsong Live's "Believe" and "Cry of the Broken," the acoustic version of "Sing Your Praise" is this EP's highlight.  "Pour Out Your Spirit" strikes just the right balance between human responsibility and divine sovereignty.  Not only does Hopkins calls upon the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives but it also challenges us to empty our hearts as vessels for the Spirit to fill.  "I Need You Now," on the other hand, is an elegiac worship ballad filled with lots of prayerful lines: "To the broken and blameless/You show Yourself beautiful/You are pure, You are holy/The only one we shall adore."

"Found" is demonstrative of how expansive ThornCreek Worship can be in their depth and breadth.  For starters, "Found" is lyrically a rich tapestry of threads interwoven from the various promises in the book of Jeremiah.  Melodically, "Found" is not like most worship ballads.  Rather, you will hear traces of blues, country and even some high church liturgical sounds all giving texture to this gem.  This is a song that deserves to be mediated, sung repeatedly and prayerfully appropriated in our lives.  Thus, despite the overhaul of worship album releases, there is still a place for "Holy." It's fresh, unique and so life changing.  If you want to find out more about ThornCreek Worship or purchase their EP, please visit: www.thorncreek.net.