Brad is known for defying the common path and taking on less-traveled or never-traveled paths that pave the way for other musicians to set their sights on new adventures. Such was the case when he released Finding Gabriel on May 17th, 2019. Rather than focus on previous themes of life’s struggles, journeys, love, and loss, he took on another concept – biblical themes. This twist alone was enough to garner attention from all corners of the world. We look at the key concepts in this album and how it changed his career trajectory overnight.
What is Finding Gabriel About
Brad spent 18 months on this album, collaborating with different artists in a bid to bring out the most of this concept. Interestingly, he produced the album himself, releasing theme songs that revolved around biblical stories, as follows:
- The Garden: Christianity ties the origin of mankind to the Garden of Eden, which is where Brad sets out on his journey. In relation to this origin, this song focuses on the beauty of new beginnings.
- Born to Trouble: Humans are always questioning the source of their troubles, which this song conveys, touching on the constant sense of struggle that affects most people.
- Striving After Wind: We live in a world where people pursue things they think will make them happy rather than what gives them purpose. This song explores this, using the teachings of Ecclesiastes to talk about productive pursuits.
- O Ephraim: Brad takes his fans on a journey of repentance in this song which ties to the story of Ephraim. In it, he talks of the longing for redemption, which is something that resonates with most human beings.
- St Mark is Howling in the City of Night: Societal issues run so rampant that they often stand in the way of stability. This song calls out the noise and confusion that result from these issues and the need for people to find clarity in their lives.
- The Prophet is a Fool: As people seek their way out of societal issues, they come face to face with so-called prophets who lie to them. Brad talks about the deceit in this and how people who push back against these lies get castigated.
- Make it All Go Away: Many people go through life feeling numb to what’s happening around them. This song talks about how people often escape reality and how this temporary relief does not address the real issues in our lives.
- Deep Water: The only way out of strife is through it, as this song emphasizes. It talks about the need for self-reflection and the value of connecting with ourselves in the search for peace.
- Proverb of Ashes: While many things in life may feel permanent, they are not. This song talks about the impermanence of life and the value of finding meaning in human existence rather than focusing on temporary things.
- Finding Gabriel: This song, which the album is named after, takes fans on a journey of truths where the goal is to help them find a way to listen rather than get distracted by the noise around them.
The songs, which lean on biblical teachings, open the audience up to another realm where they can explore spiritual and philosophical themes that can help them gain more understanding of life and get insights into what can give their lives more meaning.
Surpassing Critics’ Expectations
Merging spiritual and philosophical themes is not an easy task. But once again, Brad was able to prove that he is a true master in everything he does. From the minute the album went up, people could not help but talk about how it had excelled in the following aspects:
- The music conveyed depth. This album was not something that listeners would struggle to understand. Somehow, Brad had found a way to marry societal issues with biblical themes, resulting in an intellectual and emotional depth that attracted his audience. People could easily grasp the core message without searching far and wide for explanations. As such, they could go on the journey with him, reflecting on their lives, feeling hopeful, building resilience, and muscling through melancholy – they felt nothing and everything at the same time.
- The musical style was top-tier. As usual, Brad was not one to go for just one instrument and playing style. Instead, he went all out with synthesizers and percussion to ensure that the final sound effects played into the emotional depth of his concept. To further immerse his audience, he went for wordless vocals that were the perfect fit for his pieces – the idea was to use them as expressions of emotions rather than to have traditional lyrics.
- The musical team was a dream. Brad knew that he needed a strong team to achieve what he wanted. So, he brought in names such as Joel Frahm, Kurt Elling, and Ambrose Akinmusire to increase the complexity and diversity of the music.
So good was this album that it won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. And when the jazz accolades start streaming in, you know that a musician truly gave their all to their work!