The made-for-congregation style of
Matt Maher's Essential debut may sound very familiar. That lead track "Your Grace is Enough" first appeared on
Chris Tomlin's landmark
Arriving album four years earlier partially explains why. The exposure for the budding songwriter was a lift at the time, but now it poses a challenge to stepping forward on his own merit. Simply put, fans know the song in
Tomlin's voice, not
Maher's. And therein lies the paradox of
Maher's identity: his music is on par with
Tomlin, and even
Matt Redman, but it sounds so much like them that listeners may not discover the true depth of his talents. ~ Jared Johnson