The Oswald brothers, also known as OBB, are: Zach (21, lead
vocals/keys/guitars), Jacob (19, lead guitars), and Nich (18, drums). They placed third in the CBS Early Show’s
‘Singing Family Face-Off’ in 2009. The
brothers are on the worship team at Atlanta’s Passion City Church, the
congregation started by Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin. A press release says: “The trio’s infectious
songs, infused with Hope amidst a backdrop of colorful pop, are connecting with
young fans desiring to sing along to something that matters.” OBB have been part of the highly successful
Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, exposing their music to a very large
audience. On their self-titled EP, OBB
(2013, Curb Records), tracks 1-3 and 6 were written by OBB and album producer
Justin Ebach, while tracks 4 and 5 have an additional writer, Sam Tinnesz.
‘All I Need is You’ is a fresh pop number that points to our
Father God as the remedy for our spiritual longings: “Everyone has a heart
that’s burning for more/A greater need than this world could ever afford/And
You are the One that we’ve been searching for/Nothing satisfies/Like the love
that I/Found in You alone/All I need is You.”
‘Come on Home’ is a catchy pop song about the kind of church I would
like to be involved with: “May the people of God sing ‘Welcome home’/Let us
meet the broken with open arms/We will look past stains, throw away our
stones/With open hearts we’ll welcome those/Looking for hope/Searching for
peace/Falling apart/Down on their knees/So, if you’re out there looking for
love/Come on home.”
A pleasant, effective ballad, ‘Song of A Savior’, is up
next. It finds Christ calling out to the
lost and wounded: “I’ll never let you go/You’ll never be alone/Open your eyes
to the truth/I’ll take you from hurting to beautiful/Broken to being whole/Your
heart is my greatest pursuit/All of your life, I’ve been here/Chasing you.” ‘Wildfire’ will get your feet moving, like a
Newsboys pop song. It is clear that OBB
desires to have a positive spiritual effect on others: “I don’t wanna live just
to be another shooting star/Who shines for a moment/In the end I just fall
apart/I wanna live a life that brings You glory/Be the one who tells Your
story/That love is alive/I wanna be light, be light/I wanna burn bright, burn
bright/Spreading hope like, hope like/A wildfire, wildfire.”
‘Through His Eyes’ encourages the discouraged: “You’re only
seeing/A small part of the picture/So hold on/To your faith/He has a plan/Cause
there is a light in the middle of the darkness/Love has made a way when
everything seems hopeless/You’re gonna make it.” If you have a physical hard copy of this EP,
you are treated to an acoustic bonus track called ‘Beautiful Ride.’ It makes good use of percussion and backing
vocals and its message is a real confidence booster: “Jesus came to give us the
power of His grace/To mark us with His freedom/So we don’t have to be afraid/So
walk with your head held high/You’re a child of the King.”
Of their live performances, Jacob Oswald says: “I believe we
serve a fun God, and I’m not afraid to stand on stage and jump around and run
and raise my hands and give everything I have to worshipping God.” OBB’s vibrant pop music with a decidedly
Christian message for young people, will appeal to fans of Starfield¸Sanctus
Real¸and Jeremy Camp. Teen girls will
likely make up much of the fan base of the three brothers. I’m rating OBB 87.5%. For more info visit www.obbmusic.com and www.curb.com.