The City Harmonic -- Introducing the City Harmonic

6/10 

The City Harmonic starts off their debut EP sounding excitingly close to their name.  "I Wonder," "Manifesto," and "My God" all sound like a wintry walk to church through an electrifying city night, lights bright through shop windows, snow falling from the sky.  The fourth track, "Coming My Way" mixes things up with a sort of weird African-chant like chorus--in the melody, not the actual vocals.  Sadly, the final two tracks are standard CCM fare.  The moment the generic guitar and dreary vocal melody of "I Am" began, I felt my shoulders droop, and this sadly leads into more of the same for the closing track, "What I want."  Where are the big bells, the song-leading piano melodies, and the heavy drum beats of the first half?  What happened to the soaring vocal melodies of that opening trio?  That opening half sounds not only original, but full of life, two things the CCM Worship genre habitually lacks.  Here is a band who appears able to transcend the doldrums of their field, and yet just when it looks like a new star is taking flight, they get snowed in.  I hope their full lengths rise to the heights the beginning of this EP promises.


2010 Kingsway Music
1. I Wonder 4:01
2. Manifesto 5:15
3. My God 4:13
4. Coming My Way 2:46
5. I Am 4:27
6. What I want 4:43