Carrollton “Breathe In Deep” EP Review

Worry is the major cause of spiritual glaucoma.  Often our sights are so preoccupied on our wants that we become tunneled visioned. As a result, we begin to lose all our peripheral vision as to what God is doing all around us.  Anxieties have a way of making us so need-centered that all we end up seeing is the wont of the gift and not the Giver. Therefore what is needed are songs of faith that help heal our spiritual optic nerves so that we may be able to see that God's grace is always around us and that by itself is enough.  If there's one thing this EP does well, it's this: here are some faith-empowered God besotted songs that will help re-focus our sights back on God. Through their brand of Christian rock that calls to mind Jeremy Camp, Kutless and Building 429, Carrollton rocks with a holy abandonment that is not only a delight to the ears but it is also contagious to the heart. 

Formed in late 2008, Justin Mosteller, Jeremy Menard, Michael Loy and Jordan Bailey first worked under the moniker "Mosteller."  Later, after the small town of Carrollton, Kentucky became the hub of where the band would meet, soak up inspiration and allow their creative juices to flow they had decided to adopt the name of the town as their titular. Fast forward to 2013, after garnering the attention of Centricity Records (Jason Gray, Unspoken & Downhere), "Breathe in Deep" is the result.  Part of the blessing of being on Centricity allows the quartet to work with award winning producer Paul Moak. Those who are fond of reading credit notes on CD sleeves would recognize that Moak has had helmed career defining records for Jenny Simmons, Matt Maher and Leeland amongst many others.  

Though "Breathe in Deep" is marketed as an EP, in reality with 9 songs (6 proper studio tracks and 3 acoustic songs) it leans closer to a LP.  Albeit one of the most accessible tracks here, lead single "Pass You By" finds the group bringing their theological convictions to the fore.  Building the seed structure of the song around the words of Jesus from Matthew 6:25-34, "Pass You By" speaks of how we shouldn't allow our worries to crowd out on what God's doing in our lives.  More theological gems are brought out of the coffers with the formerly released "This is Life."  A life, according to Carrollton, that has placed its gaze on the Savior, radically alters our perceptions of suffering and pain.  Quipped with memorable lines, yet the coda that makes a home run for the heart is:  'If there's no pain in the offering, then how can I say I've lived? When sacrifice is daily life/the joy and peace is mine." 

With Easter coming up, one would love to see churches embrace "Red" and "Death Has Lost Its Way."  "Red" gives the rock sound a recess as Carrollton draws on their roots by indulging in some southern country blues.  Expounding on how Christ has defeated death for all generations, it's a delight to hear how the boys join voices with a choir with the chiming of ancient bells in bringing out such a truth.  Not sure why the closing three acoustic tracks are dubbed as "bonus" material; they could well be worked into the record making his a full album.  Anyway, "Bring Me Home" gorgeously incorporates a hymn into it; while "Rest' and "Found" hint at how great Carrollton could be if they were to release a worship album down the pipe.  Nevertheless, if you are buried under a mountain of worries and you need a set of songs that help you fix your gaze on Jesus again, Carrollton's "Breathe In Deep" is high on the list of recommendations.

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