The album opens with a beautiful rendition of "Come Thou Fount." He wonderfully executes an additional refrain as Langley sings, "Oh the grace that made me whole. Oh the blood that washed my soul. What a gift from God above, praise the Spirit, praise the Son." Other than that, the melody is held intact and has fantastic instrumentation. Worship leaders looking for some new music for the beginning of the year are going to seriously be pleased with this. Keeping the momentum up is the anthem, "The Only One." The energy is strong, the music exciting and the lyrics are a clear declaration of the Gospel: Jesus saves.
Switching gears is the thoughtful "Through It All." It's an honest song of thankfulness that God is with us always--a beautiful message of encouragement wrapped in breath-taking music. "Satisfied" maintains a contemplative tone that takes an introspective look at remembering the goodness and satisfaction of the love of God. Some listeners may think this song may be exclusively pointing to our satisfaction of Christ. However, even greater, it's about God's satisfaction with us, not because of our works but because of Christ's righteousness and complete work. It's doctrinally sound and musically impeccable.
Closing the EP is "The Cross Has Made A Way," in a passionate and genuinely worshipful way. The title says it all; listeners know the point of the song, but it's presented with such sincerity that it's a flawless conclusion to this EP. In the future, if Langley decides to include it on an LP, it will be completely understandable and welcome.
Let's be real: with each new release, Langley continues to impress. There's an authentic depiction of healthy maturation whilst not becoming repetitive or overly-complicated. Truthfully, what makes Mitch Langley such a remarkable artist is that he's not fueled by record companies or building off of name recognition; he's a very real artist who loves who/what he writes and sings for - Christ's Church. (Yes… the church-at-large.) His music is merely a reflection of his deep rooted passion.
- Review date: 11/1/15, written by Ryan Barbee of Jesusfreakhideout.comRecord Label: None
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Mitch Langley: Thanks man! I'm very humbled by the many great responses we have had on this new EP. The inspiration behind Through It All came out of deeper desire and understanding of just how vast His grace and love is for us. Words can only begin to express the depths of the forgiveness we find in Christ! It is almost unfathomable while we were still sinners and at our lowest moment, God sent His one and only Son. The EP sums up the story of the cross and how Jesus holds on to us through every season of our life. He never lets go because He loves us before we love Him and He is a good Father!
Mitch: Thanks and yes we did release a full-length record back in January! 9 months later, we released this EP! That is a pretty quick turnaround but I guess the thing that fuels me is trying to steward the gift God gave me. I believe with all my heart that God bestows upon us spiritual gifts that have nothing to do with us earning those. Because they are gifts, it allows us to say thank you and should produce a greater sense of excellence and stewarding the abilities He gives us. So the fuel is not trying to burn the wick too far by being a workaholic or to try and write a hit song. It is being who God called me to be and out of a thankful heart try and represent our God in the clearest and sincerest way I can.
Mitch: This question hits me the hardest. Being doctrinally sound isn't the most popular idea in the music industry. But I believe it should play a vital role in the development of a song. While the music style, the melodies we create, and even the production quality of a record are very important for the growth of a song, we must be diligent in keeping the songs we write theologically sound and pure. It does the church no good if we have motivated them to sing about shallow or even false ideas of who God is and what He has done for us. For the worship leader looking to write songs for the church, I would say: be original. The most important thing to cling to when writing songs for the church is to not forget who you are writing for. One of the greatest parts of being a worship pastor is the aspect of writing songs for the very people God has placed me to be with. And because we are writing for the church, we need to be able to be doctrinally sound first and also have accessible lyrics and memorable ones for that matter. If a song is too hard to sing, the church will not grab a hold of it. I am not saying go find the top 5 most known songs and try and sound just like them. Be original in your writing, but at the same time, keep in mind the message you're wanting to get across to your audience and how that may lead them closer in their walk with God.
Mitch: The first album I ever purchased after I became a Christian? :) I probably wouldn't want to share the record I first bought before I was saved. So the first album I purchased was a Shawn McDonald record. I forgot the title of it but I loved how genuine and real it sounded. It was stripped down and I could really feel what Shawn was singing. His story is incredible and it came across in his music and I appreciated that.
Mitch: I am most thankful for how God is growing my family! There will always be more work to do in ministry, songwriting, church services, evangelism, and record producing. Those are all important things to me, but if my family isn't growing closer together and closer to God, then I need to take a step back. This world will always be busy with something for us to do, but I pray that my family will never be sacrificed for the busyness and cares of this fading world. I hope 2016 will be another great year for my family, my sons, and my marriage. I am excited to see what God has in store for our ministry and the journey he has set before us!
Mitch: How do I answer this when I like all three meals!!! But if I had to choose one, I guess it would be breakfast. I love me some pancakes, eggs, and bacon!!! It has something to do with the sweet pancakes and the salty bacon! LOL!
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