Jesusfreakhideout.com: Wilson, "Follow You" Review

JFH Indie Review

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Wilson
Follow You

Album length: 5 tracks: 22 minutes, 12 seconds
Style: Folk, Acoustic / Indie / Worship
Street Date: May 29, 2020
Official Site: Instagram
Buy It: Amazon Music

Wilson is a husband and wife duo (Brandon and Breanna) from Fresno, California. The couple play worship music with an indie and folk feel to it -- so the sound is different from your typical radio worship. The opener, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," is a great example of this style. The sound is distinctively indie rock, but it's carried out on an acoustic guitar with some banjo added towards the end. Speaking of the opener... What a great rendition and take on a classic hymn! After the upbeat opening number, a more subdued "All Things" takes the stage. While the bridge of the song is repetitive lyrically, the change in music and vocal delivery here make it stand out despite the repeated lyrics. "Be Set Free" slows things down a little more and is the only track to feature Brandon on lead vocals. Breanna takes over lead once again for the title track. "Follow You" is the most worshipful and introspective song on the album and also features the most "standard" worship sound musically -- perhaps a little more towards the All Sons & Daughters side of the spectrum though. Breanna sings, "I want to change, I want to grow. Where You send me, Lord, I want to go. I want Your way and I want Your will. It is the least I can do, so I'll follow after You." She prayerfully follows in the bridge, "Mold me, shape me. I want to become new. Teach me, try me. Make me more like You." For the closer, the duo revisits "Great is Thy Faithfulness," but this time as a straight piano-led hymn. While it's a beautiful and simple version, it doesn't have all the fun of the opening version. However, the two tracks do make excellent bookends to this short album.

Follow You has a lot to offer. The album features mostly simpe, but enjoyable instrumentation, Breanna's voice is stellar, and the production is outstanding. Even the album artwork is fantastic! The gorgeous drawing features a couple (presumably Breanna and Brandon) walking a narrow and dark path instead of the attractive wide and colorful path. However, the narrow path leads to and even brighter and more beautiful place, while the wide path leads to a much darker place. The cover is beautifully drawn and packs in a lot of meaning. Wilson has released an excellent debut EP. I personally enjoy the worshipful lyrics set to a different-than-usual soundtrack. This is a great first step for this husband and wife team and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future.

- Review date: 6/26/20, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com

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JFH Staff's Second Opinion

Husband-wife worship duo Brandon & Breanna Wilson (formally Wilson) have released a new EP titled Follow You. This collection gives 5 tracks that center around God's faithfulness and a Christian's desire to change. The EP is bookended by the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," though the opening track is a more rockin' rework of the classic. The redone version is pretty catchy and could easily be used by a church with a decent band. "All Things" presents the duo's first original work--a quieter, folk affair that continues the focus on God's great faithfulness ("You've never failed me/And You never will…").

"Be Set Free" is the center of the collection and also its low point. The music plods along and the lyrics don't add much of interest. The duo tries to keep things interesting with slow builds and octave jumps, but it's not a strong tune to keep you hooked. The title track also plods along a little too slowly, but its message of how Christians aren't often that great at following God's commands, but how we can change, feels unique and apropos. The reprise of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is softer, more akin to the actual hymn and serves as a good outro. Overall, Follow You is a satisfying little EP brimming with potential. It's maybe not the most balanced work, nor does it always hit the mark, but it shows what Wilson is capable of even as it may show needed areas of improvement. - Review date: 6/30/20, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com