The Ember Days - Finger Painting EP

Artist: The Ember Days
Album: Finger Painting EP
Release Date: 8/31/10
Label: Come&Live!

I'll lay it out on the table right now, worship music is the biggest hit or miss genre with me. Despite always full of praise to God, there are just some bands that lack in creativity and some that just do it in a very accessible way that is very enjoyable to anyone. The Ember Days are a hit. The presence of God that fills the five tracks on their newest EP, Finger Painting, will no doubt make you want to uplift your praise to Jesus Christ on the spot. This five track effort is filled with three instrumentals and two tracks with vocals, provided by Janell Belcher, adding the the beautiful ambient atmosphere, that is perfect for a worship setting.

Setting the atmospheric sense right off is "Hope," the first of the instrumentals. The ambient feel provided captures you from the simple strumming of a guitar to the pounding, triumphant drums that go on through the song. "It Is Well" has a softer feel to it, with Janell's soaring vocals resonating to the sounds of an orchestrated section and an acoustic guitar. The last two instrumentals follow, "Rest" and "Finger Painting." The latter clocks at, yes, nearly 11 minutes long but has the surprising ability to take hold of the listener and not let go, with a nice drum buildup that binds the song together. The closer, "Simple Song," starts off slow and piano driven, but breaks into a chorus of guitars and choir that proclaims "Hallelujah, we praise You" to close out Finger Painting on a high note.

Rating: 8/10 Out of New Zealand come one of the best bands in the worship circuit today, The Ember Days. The atmospheric, ambient songs contained on Finger Painting provide an intimate feeling of worship and praising Jesus Christ. This is no doubt some of the best worship music this year has had to offer.

Tracklisting:

1. Hope
2. It Is Well
3. Rest
4. Finger Painting
5. Simple Song

(Download Here)