Josh White & Josh Garrels ‘Resurrect Our Love’ Album Review

Josh White & Josh Garrels
Resurrect Our Love
(Gospel Song Recordings/BEC)

It can be both flattering and a little unnerving for an artist to have a fellow musician cover your songs. It’s not unlike sitting for a self-portrait, waiting to see how the painter has interpreted you.

Both Josh Garrels and Josh White decided to alter the “cover” process a bit for their new collaborative EP, Resurrect Our Love. The initial idea was a simple one: to trade covers of each other’s songs. Garrels chose White’s “Enclosed by You” and White covered Garrels’ “Don’t Wait For Me.” Another trade happened when the pair realized they’d been covering the other’s songs while leading worship at Portland’s Door of Hope church. With a bit of momentum, a collaborative project emerged.

Resurrect Our Love is a five-song EP, including those two pairs and a new song, “Spirit Resurrect.” The pairing works. Garrels and White complement each other vocally, and the covers are fascinating realizations of the original songs. The songs are painted with different colors and textures, but the heart of each song is realized and retained.

–Mark Geil