New Music, Veteran Voices
Posted January 11, 2017
By CaitlinLassiter_NRT, Staff Reviewer
While Grayson|Reed may be a new name to you, Mike Grayson (Mikeschair) and Molly Reed (City Harbor) are far from new to the CCM scene. Shortly after marrying Mike in 2013, Molly stepped away from her spot as half of pop duo City Harbor and pursued a songwriting career, penning hits for such artists as Amy Grant, Danny Gokey, Francesca Battistelli and Colton Dixon. Longtime worship group Mikeschair disbanded in 2016, leaving Mike free to join Molly in taking on a new musical venture.
Their new venture, Grayson|Reed, signed with Centricity Music last year and are now debuting their duo with a 6-song EP, Walk, that beautifully displays their combined talents and the stylistic approaches they both bring to the table.
The peppy title track opens the project with catchy lyrics that challenge listeners to live out their faith: "Oh Lord, come move my feet, 'cause all I need is a few less words and a little more action, a little less talk and little more walk." Fittingly, it proves difficult to sit still while listening to this one. Equally as upbeat, "Bloom" was written as an encouragement to their daughter Grailey and sonically brings out the City Harbor influence on the record.
Grayson|Reed's debut single, "Fight For You," appears next, a powerfully honest ballad about the struggles of marriage and the sustaining strength that is found in having God at the center of the relationship: "I'm gonna fight for you 'till the breath in my lungs runs out / our love is something I don't wanna lose, so every single day in what I choose, I'm gonna fight for you." The song is already finding great success at radio as stories continue to flood in about the impact it has had on listeners and their marriages.
A highlight on the album, sonically diverse "Can't Get Enough" brings the duo's vocals to the forefront as we get to hear just how seamlessly the two blend musically. Slowing down the tempo a bit and bringing out more of the Mikeschair sound, Molly's voice shines on the chorus of "Be Revealed" as she sings of God's ability to be found even in our chaos. The EP comes to a close with another sonically creative offering, "How This Ends," which acts as a song to the enemy telling him of our already-secured victory in Christ.
A deluxe edition of the EP is available exclusively at Grayson|Reed shows and includes three more tracks: anthemic "Let It Be," worshipful "I Need You Jesus" and an acoustic version of "Fight For You."
The Bottom Line: I was (and still am) a big fan of Mikeschair and City Harbor, so naturally what I love most about this project is that you can hear influences and elements of both woven into these songs. That's not to say that this EP is a remake of their previous work--it's also a completely new sound that displays the duo's own style and shows how well Mike and Molly mesh musically. Watch out for Grayson|Reed heading into 2017. I definitely see big things ahead based on the music and audience connection we're already hearing from them.
Song To Download Now:
"Walk" (Get it on iTunes here.)
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