Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music on Amazon!

JFH Music Review


Ryan Stevenson, Yesterday Today Forever EP
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Ryan Stevenson
Yesterday Today Forever EP



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 6 tracks
Street Date: February 15, 2011


Worship music is a fickle thing. It's probably the hardest genre to nail for any artist, mostly because of its potentially recyclable nature and how saturated the market is with poor to barely-acceptable attempts at worship projects. With this in mind, it takes quite a bit these days to make a truly remarkable worship record, but BEC Recordings' newest addition to its roster, Ryan Stevenson, is trying his hand at the game with the electronically-infused Yesterday Today Forever EP.

As can be expected from electronic music, digitized voice effects, synths galore and drum loops are all the norm on Yesterday Today Forever EP. It's hard to argue that Stevenson doesn't stick out from the rest of his compatriots of BEC, as no one else is really carrying the same sound on his label. Stevenson's got the talent to pen catchy and listenable songs, and this EP is proof. The title track and "No One Ever Cared" shamelessly nails the irresistible beats down, and the ballads "Let the Praises Rise" and "In the Sun" showcase Stevenson's ability to use minimal effects to their advantage. With only several songs to show, he attempts to include variety to his credit.

The main issue with the project overall, however, is that the electronic effects in play, while done reasonably well, aren't enough to make the EP anything more than average. In some ways, the title track would be a run-of-the-mill worship song if it wasn't for the overpowering synths, mostly because of how basic the lyrics are ("Yesterday, today, forever, all may change but You will never, glory to Your name, glory to Your name/all that is within me longs to touch Your heart with this love song, glory to Your name, glory to Your name"). In short, the electronic effects don't improve the unremarkably-written lyrics attached to the songs, and this is a constant problem on all the tracks presented here. "We Got the Light" is an especially curious case, as well, mostly because there are two versions of the track on the EP, one being a "radio mix." The songs are noticeably different, with the radio mix being a little less produced, but it feels more extraneous to the EP than anything else; a sixth separate track would have been preferable over two versions of another.

The concept of electronic worship is nothing new, either. Listeners could definitely do far worse when it comes to the hybrid (with the likes of DreamLab, etc.), but Charmaine, Danyew, and David Crowder*Band (specifically their last record) all feel like really tough acts to follow, especially since their songwriting is stronger and they don't necessarily purely rely on laptops and computerized sounds to carry their projects. Though parts on "Let the Praises Rise" include acoustic guitar strums and "No One Ever Cared" features an average electric guitar solo, it's all about the same effect in the end. It's tempting to say Stevenson's sound would be better tested on a full record to see the depths of his abilities, but Danyew's self-titled EP, one of the best projects of 2009, seems to disprove that logic with every track having a special trait. Stevenson's short set just doesn't stand out in any significant way, making this release not nearly as interesting as it could be.

Ryan Stevenson is obviously trying to do something different with the worship genre with Yesterday Today Forever EP, but it takes something more than synths and auto-tune to leave a memorable mark. It'll be once Stevenson breaks out of his box and finds a defining factor beyond his instrumentation that he'll release something spectacular in the worship field, but until then, listeners still have better options available in the electronic genre.

- Review date: 3/20/11, written by Roger Gelwicks of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Listen to the debut EP from the band Hopeful.!

 

. Record Label: BEC Recordings
. Album length: 6 tracks: 22 minutes, 22 seconds
. Street Date: February 15, 2011
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: AmazonMP3
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Yesterday, Today, Forever (3:37)
  2. No One Ever (3:34)
  3. Let The Praises Rise (3:51)
  4. In The Sun (3:46)
  5. We Got The Light (3:47)
  6. We Got The Light (Remix) (3:47)
spacer     Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 


(JFH Sponsor Spot)

 

 

                 
Listen to the debut EP from the band Hopeful.!

Search JFH




This Tuesday, March 26, 2024
ALBUMS
Brandon Lake Apple Music Nashville Sessions - EP [Provident]

This Thursday, March 28, 2024
ALBUMS
David And Nicole Binion The Revelation Of Jesus - EP [Integrity]
The Rocky Valentines Erase [Velvet Blue/Tooth & Nail]

This Friday, March 29, 2024
ALBUMS
Grungepunks The Fall Blues EP [Charon Collective]
Meadows Familiar with Pain [Facedown]

SINGLES
Joe L. Barnes Altar - Single [RCAI]
iNTELLECT It Ain’t My Fault - Single [Polished Arrow]
Spoken Worth Holy Week - Double Single (independent)
Gileah Taylor Summer Jubilee - Single [Velvet Blue]

VINYL
Battlecross Pursuit of Honor (Blood Moon Vinyl) [Back Breaker]
Battlecross Rise To Power (Silver Bullet Power Vinyl) [Back Breaker]
Battlecross War of Will (Amber Wave Vinyl) [Back Breaker]

Next Friday, April 5, 2024
ALBUMS
EmanuelDaProphet Fab5 [Capitol CMG]
Me'Kayla Prelude - EP [Motown Gospel/Capitol CMG]
We Are Messengers Where the Joy is [Curb]


For all release dates, click here!
 



Listen to the new album from Hope Beyond Suffering!




Listen to the new Album From Tim Juillet!

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images