Musically speaking, Bridging the G.A.P is fluent in the language usually associated with thugs, playas and gangstas, but the message this hip/hop entourage conveys is far from any street cred inspiration. If it’s any indication of how serious this group is about saving souls, the producer for The Great Commission is Transformed and all the songs were written and inspired by “the Guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
With salvation at stake, Bridging the G.A.P has delivered an extremely listenable album that any hip/hop fan can enjoy. The music and effects are tasteful and relevant to the genre and the lyrics are well delivered and intelligent. G.A.P stands for Gospel and Poetry. Rap after all, is poetry in motion. This group simply takes that ideal to a much higher level.
The Great Commission begins with a dramatic spoken word introduction. A female voice laced with echo effects implores the listener to seriously consider the words of the gospel and the message of this album as distorted guitar, handclaps and choir are heard in the background. Throughout the ensuing 16 tracks, each of the main artists, Meek, Zealous and Transformed give their testimonies built around a song called “Hear My Cry.” The synthesized flute and quiet mellowness give the perfect backdrop for each artist to personally address the listener, like a one-on-one revival through the stereo. Each of these gentlemen delivers their messages with urgency but are not pushy or condemning in their pleas. They simply ask questions and speak the truth. The album ends with the last of these testimonials with a choir chanting “Amen” to the final cymbal crash.
The majority of the tracks on The Great Commission however are full production numbers, layered with many different urban musical ideas. Some of these tunes add a mixture of R&B to the rapping as in “Get Closer.” Detracting slightly from the message is the lack of bass in the chorus where the high timbre of the singer and the synthesizer are closely related. In the coda this is remedied as the vocalist sings an exposed solo without back up instrumentation, however his pitch goes slightly flat. The singing is also weak in the beginning of “Surrender” but as the song progresses the vocalists seem to gain confidence and sing perfectly in tune.
The heartbeat of Bridging the G.A.P however is the suburb rap deliveries. “God First” exhibits stellar enunciation in this straight-up moderate tempo number. The dichotomy in the chorus of the tenor singing high and slow with a slight electronic pitch bend over the quick and gruff “We put God first” is wonderfully executed. The vowel sounds in “Jesus Saves” suffers slightly and some of the vocal lines seem forced to flow into the rhyme scheme. However, the admirable freestyling in the bridge more than makes up for those slight flaws.
The irresistible beats of many of these tracks coupled with relevant lyrics harnesses the same raw energy as possessed by groundbreaking CCM groups such as early Newboys and O.C. Supertones. “Captured” is a fine example of this full ensemble effort with clever lyrics and big sound. The crowd pleaser off The Great Commission though has to be “We Won’t Back Down.” From the fuzzy beginning with drums, whistles and synthesizer to the fun backbeat that encourages jumping, hand waving and joining in on the “Whoas!” this track is high energy for the Lord. The rapping is lightening fast and even features special guest Jessica Jelf who totally holds her own on one of the verses.
Bridging the G.A.P is bringing the gospel to the people in a creative, enjoyable way. These talented artists should be commended for their efforts and God willing, will continue to be blessed as they share their music with young and old hip/hop fans alike willing to lend an ear.
Review by Kelly O’Neil
