Album review: Really Good News by Ian Yates

Ian Yates is a Christian singer,songwriter and musician from Liverpool in the United Kingdom. He is passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone.

Yates, a worship leader,  is also part of Elim Sound, an exciting initiative that seeks to inspire, create and equip worship leaders and teams within the Elim Movement of churches through networking and resourcing.

His first album, “The Hope and The Glory” was released in 2010. He followed it up in 2012 with the highly acclaimed album, “Good News.”

Following the successful release of “Good News,” Yates’ label decided to release a free EP called “Really Good News.”

Yates brings to the EP a sound that is impressive, unforced and experimental. This EP is really good news for the UK Christian contemporary scene. It’s not the most radio-friendly EP, but that’s okay. This is one record that should challenge a lot of UK Christian artists both indie and mainstream to up their game.

The first song on the album is “Fire.” The first thing I usually do when listening to any song that mentions the elements is to reconcile the sound of the song with the title. The song has a sound similar to something from The Fray. On the track, Yates declares that we should resolve to nothing except Christ and that there is a “fire” in our hearts that “burns” for the One who paid all our debt.

“Heaven’s Open” is a hype, rock song with hints of Techno and House. It declares that heaven is already open and that we live in a place where we can see lives radically changed, healed and restored as heaven touches earth. I think young people will love the way this song sounds.

The powerful, “Fully Satisfied” is taken from Colossians 2 and proclaims that Christ lives and that He has given us power and authority. The strings, instrumentals and vibe of “Fully Satisfied” remind me of Daniel Bashta. I must say that this fast became my favorite song.

“Passion” declares that everyone can have a hope and a new life in Christ. Passion also has random build ups that makes the song quite intriguing and sonically great.

The EP finishes with “I’m Alive.”  It takes the message of 2 Corinthians 5 and states the amazing truth that we are now alive in Christ. Yates goes old school on “I’m Alive,” yet he still manages to make the song modern and appealing.

Visit http://ww.7coremusic.com to get the EP. It’s free.