EP's often make excellent teasers, appetizers, and side dishes. For artists like Relient K, they're tasty snacks but for artists like Paul Wright, they're teasers. And thanks to Gotee Records, you don't have to wait till December 2nd to discover this promising new artist.

His national debut release The Paul Wright EP isn't his first appearance on the CCM scene. Earlier this month, Paul Wright offered his rhyme skills on the impressive !Hero project as he filled the shoes of a narrative role for the album. While his songs on !Hero possessed more of a straight-up hip-hop/rap feel that at times was reminiscent of Eminem, his solo work is a lot different and, in a way, a lot more interesting.

The standout track is the single "Your Love Never Changes." His accessible hip-hop flavored acoustic pop/rock is more like a stripped down John Reuben or a watered down TobyMac. That's not a bad thing at all, in fact, it makes for an almost completely different vibe. "Brighter" is a funky and jazzy track about God's love making life easier as we give our burdens over to him. "Hey, Mr. DJ Man" offers a tasty beat and features Ohmega Watts on this reggae flavored track. "Microphone Check" is a nonsense fun and funky tune that showcases Wright's rapping abilities a little more strongly than in previous tracks. Wright's styles are diverse and his vocals versatile. Like labelmate Reuben, it's nice to hear such versatility that the artist can stretch in such different directions and pull it off in each attempt. With that, "South Beach" takes another turn as the music shifts more into a pop/rock tune with hip-hop flavor a la dc Talk. "Wonderful Creator" is almost entirely just Wright and his guitar as he changes gears stylistically once more for an acoustic worship song that is unlike anything else on this EP. Finally, the record closes with Gotee's president TobyMac introducing some clips of other tracks to be heard on Paul Wright's December 2nd full-length debut record Fly Away. Stick around after the end for a hilarious hidden track.

The Paul Wright EP may appear brief to some, but Wright doesn't cheapen his listeners here. While many EP's would only offer a couple tracks to tide the fans over, The Wright EP is just the wright amount of music to whet our appetites for the full helping this December.

- Review date: 9/16/03, written by John DiBiase