UK based songwriters and worship leaders Luke Wareham and Rachael Mason are on a self-described mission to "bring hope to a broken world speaking prophetically the truth of Jesus into everyday situations." Their debut EP, titled Whisper, takes a pop-worship musical approach across the five tracks purposed for both personal and congregational praise. "Shadows" is a great introduction to the duo, and a fine way to open the album with a strong guitar lead-line driving the Christ-directed praise, "Though I am weak Lord You are strong/In the shadows of my life/Through the trials that may come/Your cross is hope/I will hold on/In the shadows of my life/Through the trials that may come." Another highlight is "Faithful Friend," with the gentle reminder of the friendship side of God, "I know You are with me/I know You are good/My close and faithful friend/I know You are with me/I know You are kind/My close and faithful friend." This simple, yet true statement is paired with the pleasant melody and accented with Rachel adding complementary vocals to the last third of the song. On the next two songs of the tracklist, "Whisper" and "Hearing Heart," the duo slows things down with an acoustic guitar and string base with Rachel taking verse one of a vocal tradeoff in the former, and solo lead on the latter. These more contemplative moments therein emphasize the vocal talents of both, but the strength of their collaboration really shines on "Whisper" specifically. "Mirror Your Glory (Barnabas)" amps things back up for the finish with beds of synthesizers carrying the song and its message of shining the glory of God everywhere we go. Overall, though there may be a few moments of similarity to other songs in the genre, this is a strong offering to the worship community with "Shadows" and "Hearing Heart" being the two biggest standouts. Worship leaders looking for an upbeat tune with a strong theological core should give "Shadows" consideration for their rotation with their respective congregations. Luke and Rachel have made their introduction with Whisper and it's a solid one. The future looks bright, and this reviewer, for one, hopes to hear more from this duo sooner rather than later.

- Review date: 5/16/20, Josh Balogh of Jesusfreakhideout.com