To kick off the new year, Passion released a five-song EP titled Burn Bright, which focuses on the impact Christ has on someone's life after they are saved. The worship band has not released a full-length album since 2020, adopting a formula for producing shorter EP's and singles for the time being.

Burn Bright opens up with a theme that revolves around what Jesus has done for us, as both "New Thing" and "What He's Done" portray the matter, with lyrics such as: "Like the winter turns to spring / Like the deserts turn to streams / You're doing a new thing / You're doing a new thing." Towards the back end of the project, the theme shifts into how a Christian should act, based on the things Christ has done. "Shine Like Stars" sings that message clearly, "I'm gonna burn bright / Gonna let love rise / I'm gonna shine like stars in the Heavens."

What makes this record underwhelming, is the cookie-cutter, unoriginal material that every song holds. While worship music is going to (or at least, should) hold to similar themes that lift Christ up high, there are creative ways to accomplish that; which is something that is not found here. Instead, the same generic formulas that have been present for decades in the worship genre are given front and center stage, which detracts from the quality this EP could possess.

Passion certainly has a passion, no pun intended, for spreading the good news, and encouraging others to worship. That being said, Burn Bright brings nothing new to the table at all. The average worship fan will most likely find something to enjoy, but those searching for something more original will want to look elsewhere.

- Review date: 1/8/22, written by James Larsen of Jesusfreakhideout.com