If one were to pick a single adjective to sum up the Planetshakers' career in recent years, it's probably a safe bet that the word they choose wouldn't be "inactive." On the contrary, in 2018 and 2019, alone, the hard-working Aussies churned out no fewer than nine separate releases. In fairness, two of those projects simply gathered material from several of the others, and one was a Christmas-themed offering. Even so, by all but the most liberal standards, such prodigious output - which has now been expanded to include the new five-track Glory, Part One EP - is still leaps and bounds above that of the average contemporary praise-oriented outfit.

Many a skeptic will contend any rapid-fire approach of this sort is eventually bound to take a toll on output quality. And, to varying degrees, they would be correct. On the one hand, "How I Praise" and "Walls," spirited and rousing though they are, are pretty much interchangeable with the dance-pop-oriented cuts which have opened the group's last several albums and EPs. On the other hand, the sublimely stirring ballad, "I Remember," arguably stands shoulder to shoulder with any worship song written during the past half-decade. Stationed between those two extremes are "Overwhelmed" and "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You," which, although less than thoroughly distinguished, do manage to establish and maintain a tangible sense of reverence, thanks, perhaps as much as anything else, to their generous running time.

In the end analysis, how much any given listener enjoys Glory, Part One will probably depend on their relative exposure to the Planetshakers back catalog. Audience members with little or no familiarity with the band's previous material will probably find it to be a pleasing, albeit largely average affair, no better and no worse than the bulk of what they hear on inspirational radio. Those who have followed the group for any length of time, by contrast, likely know just what to expect from the PS collective by this point and will surely be more than pleased to find that the new project delivers exactly what they anticipated.

- Review date: 4/5/20, written by Bert Gangl of Jesusfreakhideout.com