Dalton gained the appreciation of many with their 2006 debut Taste The Sky. That album, busting at the seams with up-beat pop rock melodies and driving harmonies, gave listeners a great project and a great idea of what to expect from the band. After much touring, the Dalton brother duo and friends teamed up with Grammy champ Stephen Short to create the self-titled sophomore EP.

The Dalton EP opens with the very catchy "Jezabel." The upbeat acoustic guitar with soft vocals and solid drumming lead to a soaring chorus that almost sounds electro-rock in nature with muffled guitars and synth notes that will remind many of the classic sounds of Mute Math. The bridge lyrics of "Jezabel" are very nice and worshipful, "No more, no more, you are my cure, I won't take my eyes off of you." The second track on the EP is a remake of the title-track on Taste The Sky. The remake is a little more raw in nature as the guitars have a bit more resonance and the chorus feels a little more loose than the tight and clean sound of the original. One negative might be the instrumental bridge, however. That funny synth sound from the original is bumped up in volume in the remake which, to many, may be an annoying feature of this rendition.

The third and fourth songs of the EP, "Colder Days" and "I'm Still Here," are fairly similar with echoed drum machine beats along with echoed soft sung lyrics. To many, this type of sound may come across as outdated and the songs don't really hit their high points until all echo and reverb presets are turned off and the instruments are played normally. Dalton however continues with the solid lyrics with the lines from "I'm Still Here," "See the light, Feel the light, Take the light." The closer of the EP is another remake of a song from Taste The Sky, "Gabriel." In the original, the song was played with acoustic guitar and with more complexity in its drum machine beats and sound effects. The EP version is stripped down to just piano and a bit softer vocals. The excellent lyrics of course are not altered at all, "Hold on, hold on, with His light He will make you strong."

All in all, Dalton prove themselves capable of their signature sound. The soaring and powerful choruses along with positive lyrics reflect another solid Dalton effort. Despite the maybe outdated techno-vibe intros and verses, the highs of the album prove the band's talent as musicians. While this EP doesn't shine any brighter than their debut Taste The Sky, Dalton holds their weight with a nice EP release.

JFH Reader Review: written by RJ Papaleo, 1/3/09, for Jesusfreakhideout.com