Ocean Above

Oceans Above was a pet project of Paper Route's Chad Howat. This ambient sampler worked like a remix album of popular worship anthems by artists such as Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, and Sanctus Real. Howat layered these 15 cover songs in dense electronica and revival synth pop, concocting remixes that never could be mistaken for the originals. In some cases that was a credit to his creativity, like on the wispy cover of Starfield's "Filled with Your Glory." In others, it proved how short he came when attempting to repackage songs that were beloved by the masses in their original skins. For instance, Howat's renditions of Jeremy Camp's "Beautiful One" and David Crowder*Band's "O Praise Him" both lack the zest of the originals. The style doesn't change from track to track -- Howat trades guitars and live rhythm sections for highly processed drum loops and orchestrations. Fans of Frou Frou and the Postal Service would enjoy this set, while those without an ear for synth alt-pop might shy away. ~ Jared Johnson, Rovi