What is it about Charlotte, NC? Every time I stumble upon a worship artist & think “Now THIS I’ve not heard before”, they’re either based or have roots in Charlotte!
K.C. & Julie Clark got their start as The Offering, one of the very first artists produced by the now famous Ed Cash. Scoring a minor hit with the immediately familiar “Be my Everything”, their sound back then shared equal shares Caedmon’s Call & early Bebo Norman.
Their latest EP, In the Meantime, is not nearly quite so predictable. Deep, & brooding, yet at times simultaneously delicate & celebratory, this CD attempts to walk that (very, very) thin line between corporate worship, & true, detailed artistry. Musically there are more than a few moments when you wonder if Over the Rhine or Innocence Mission might be a major influences. Lyrically, you can tell from the first line that not only was every word likely wept over more than once before it went to record, but that every moment of this CD is truly a reflection of their heart.
Out of the five tracks, the two stand-outs for me were the title track, & the closer, “Hope is Rising.” “In the Meantime” reminds me as a more raw, organic take on Out of the Grey’s later work, & would be – I imagine – the most broadly corporate, but you’d need a GREAT band to pull it off anything close to this recorded version. The track is absolutely beautiful, & grows from a light folk-pop worship song to an intensely beautiful piece of artwork. The 2nd real stand-out is the album closer, “Hope is Rising”, which is one of those, “Let’s pull off the road now & have a good cry” songs the first few times you listen to it. It will quite literally move you to tears. I don’t know if there’s anything I can constructively add to the song – you just need to experience it yourself. I’ve written more on the song HERE (including helpful links to loops & other resources helpful to using this one live).
Overall, this is a wonderfully refreshing offering, & well worth purchasing. If you’re adventurous, you might attempt to use those later two during your services. Actually, I dare you to!
Thank you, K.C. & Julie, for taking your craft so seriously. Looking forward to hearing more in the near future!
Give their CD a listen below, & post YOUR FAVORITE SONG from it in the comments to be entered to win a hardcopy of In the Meantime, & a FREE DOWNLOAD of the lyric video & loops for “Hope is Rising“!
