Prime Cuts: "Sunday Morning," "Cantaremos (Que Cante La Iglesia)," "Let The Church Sing"
Overall Grade: 3/5
With Breathe On It, Tauren Wells leans further into congregational worship than ever before. While his earlier releases balanced sleek pop production, R&B grooves, and radio-ready hooks with worship themes, this 16-track effort places the church experience front and center. The result is an album filled with sincere moments of praise and strong vocal performances, even if its oversized runtime and repetitive sonic palette keep it from reaching its full potential.
The album opens confidently with "Serve The Lord" and "The Church Is On Fire," both setting an energetic tone that mixes gospel exuberance with Wells' polished pop sensibilities. The title track, "Breathe On It," carries a heartfelt prayerful atmosphere, asking God to move in places that feel unfinished or stagnant. It captures the album's central message well, even if musically it stays within familiar territory.
One of the strongest moments arrives with "How Great," featuring Phil Wickham and Hulvey. Wickham's soaring worship vocals provide lift while Hulvey's verse injects needed momentum and texture. It is one of the few songs where the collaboration genuinely expands the track rather than simply decorating it.
The standout track, however, is "Sunday Morning" with Pastor Mike Jr.. Built around a warm groove and joyful energy, the song feels alive in a way much of the album struggles to sustain. Wells sounds relaxed and fully engaged, and the track captures the celebratory spirit of gathering together for worship without sounding overly polished or restrained.
"Cantaremos (Que Cante La Iglesia)" is another highlight. Featuring ECCOS and Samu Robles, the Spanish-language worship anthem adds needed variety late in the album. Its vibrant arrangement and multilingual approach make it one of the project's most memorable moments and demonstrate how effective Wells can be when he stretches beyond his comfort zone.
Still, Breathe On It suffers from excess. At over 73 minutes, the album frequently feels weighed down by songs that blur together structurally and sonically. Tracks like "Bless Your Name," "Thank You For The Cross," and "Making Room" are individually pleasant, but in sequence they struggle to distinguish themselves. Several songs also extend well past the point where their ideas have already landed. "Not Guilty" and "Here Comes The Church" both contain strong moments but lose impact through repetition.
The inclusion of "Joy In The Morning" with Elevation Worship is especially puzzling. While still a strong song, its appearance here feels unnecessary given its prior release history, and the nearly nine-minute runtime contributes significantly to the album's bloated feel.
Thankfully, Wells closes on a high note with "Let The Church Sing." Bright, upbeat, and genuinely infectious, the song reminds listeners that worship music does not have to sacrifice energy or personality to feel spiritually sincere. It is the kind of track the album could have used more often.
Vocally, Wells remains one of Christian music's most gifted performers. His smooth delivery and ability to move between worship, gospel, and pop remain impressive throughout the record. The issue is not talent, but editing. A tighter tracklist with more stylistic risks could have transformed Breathe On It into one of his strongest releases.
Instead, the album lands as a solid but uneven worship project: heartfelt, well-produced, and occasionally excellent, but ultimately too long and too safe to leave a lasting impact as a complete listening experience.
