BRAD - In The Moment That You're Born
August 15, 2023, a year ago
(Loosegroove)
With the passing of singer/pianist Shawn Smith in 2019, most fans of Brad (which also features Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard) probably felt they had heard the last from this underrated/overlooked band. As is turns out, the band was hard at work on album #7 at the time of Smith’s death. And now, we get to hear Smith’s final recordings with his Brad-mates, on In the Moment That You're Born.
Now is the best time to offer a disclaimer – if you’re a diehard metalhead who only accepts albums that are front to back HEAVY, then this is not the LP for you. While it does indeed contain its heavy moments, Brad was certainly one of the most diverse rock acts throughout their recording career – which was part of their appeal and what made them unique. And In the Moment That You're Born is no different.
As with past Brad offerings (if you’re unfamiliar with the band, do yourself a favor and check out such classic offerings as 1993’s Shame and 1997’s Interiors), you’ll find tunes that could be classified as hard rock (“Hey Now What’s The Problem?”), punk (“Stars N You”), funk (“Straight To The Hoop”), piano ballads (“Take Me Back Home”), epics (the title track), etc. But at no point does all this genre gear shifting sound forced, and as a result, listening to In The Moment That You're Born takes you on a true journey (which is becoming increasingly rarer in today’s singles-obsessed generation). A fine final tribute to the talents of the great Shawn Smith.
