By Tris McCall and Naomi Nix/Star-Ledger Staff
For its first two minutes, “He Turned It” behaves as a casual music listener might expect it to behave.
The song begins as a piece of thoughtful piano jazz-pop reminiscent of the music on Stevie Wonder’s mid-’70s albums. Then a big band crashes into the mix and the song begins to rock, sway and grow in startling directions.
Singer Tye Tribbett and his bandmates begin introducing elements from arena rock, soul, ragtime, Caribbean music and the hymnal. The history of 20th century American music goes crashing by in 10 minutes of exuberance and praise.
“He Turned It,” arguably the most critically acclaimed recording released by a New Jersey artist in 2013, is the climactic track of “Greater Than,” Tribbett’s fifth album — a varied, inspiring and creative set. Grammy voters took note of the album’s brilliance: This January, the Camden artist walked away from the Staples Center in Los Angeles with two trophies.
As Christians around New Jersey celebrate the spiritual renewal that Easter represents, in more ways than one Tribbett is reinventing what it means to spread that message through music.
“I like to think that I bring good news through my music: that trouble is not the end. Whether or not you’re a Christian, you go through hardship and storms,” Tribbett, 38, said. “Our music — gospel music — is going to become more relevant to all people.”
During his growing up years in Camden, Tribbett recalls, his family was loving but strict. There were no house parties, club hopping or hanging out in the streets. His music-loving parents attempted to limit his exposure to mainstream music.
“I was kind of sheltered,” says Tribbett. “It wasn’t really the streets. I didn’t really feel what people feel when they demonize Camden. My experience was church and family and music.”
But his parents instilled a love for gospel in Tribbett early on. His father and namesake, a pastor, played organ at the El Bethel Church of Christ in Camden. Neicy Tribbett, the singer-songwriter’s mother, has been an on-air personality and musical director on gospel-friendly radio stations in Philadelphia and New York since 1990; she’s currently the co-host of “Afternoon Praise” with Bishop Hezekiah Walker on WLIB (1190 AM, New York).
“I remember some days my mom would wake us up playing music,” said Tribbett’s sister DeMaris Toy. “My brothers were very musically inclined.”
By the time he was a teenager, Tribbett had adopted the piano and organ as his primary instruments. He and his brother Thaddeus Tribbett would play music in their garage regularly after finishing their homework. At first they played gospel and jazz covers, but later started to add their own twists to the music.
“That would grow until the little covers became a whole song,” Tribbett said. Soon other musicians joined them in the garage playing every day.
Around 1999 Tribbett’s parents got divorced, prompting a period of self–reflection that included experimenting with other genres more often. “I kind of went on my own (musical) journey and my own spiritual journey,” he said.
Tribbett was drawn to genres that accommodated harmonic and musical development, gifted soloists and daring composers.
“I love all kinds of music,” says Tribbett. “Pop is cool. But once I was allowed to listen to other things, I did get into progressive bands and jazz fusion. Some of my first listening outside of gospel were to (electric Miles Davis sideman) Marcus Miller, Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report, Dream Theater. That stuff to me is amazing.
“I didn’t listen to much R&B or hip-hop. I love it, but so much of that music has loops, and that means the same thing over and over.”
‘The Prince of Egypt’
His experimentation would prove to be lucrative. DreamWorks commissioned Greater Anointing, his gospel group, to lay down several tracks on an album that accompanied the animated film “The Prince of Egypt.” They toured as backup singers with Faith Hill and Don Henley and even performed in a studio with Justin Timberlake and Will Smith.
But Tribbett says his love for gospel music persisted. With Greater Anointing, he recorded the gospel albums “Life” (2004), “Victory Live” (2006) and “Stand Out” (2008). The last two, which were produced in front of live audiences, earned four Grammy nominations.
“I wanted to feed off the energy of the audience,” Tribbett said. “This has to be heard, this has to be felt. I wanted them to hear the music in context, with that ambience.”
Metamorphosis
Tribbett’s life as a musician reached a turning point around 2009, after he cheated on his wife with another woman in the gospel band. Their marriage went through a very public separation. Tribbett said he contemplated suicide at times.
“I never thought that would happen,” he said. “That moment made me realize, you’re not beyond anything you are singing, or preaching. You are not Superman; you are very much Clark Kent.”
Tribbett and his wife agreed to stay together, but decided to set more boundaries in their marriage, he said.
“We put a stake in the ground,” he said. “(We said) ‘I love you. You love me. I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going anywhere.’ ”
As Tribbett was dealing with the breakdown of his family, his music was going through its own transition. He decided to retire Greater Anointing and released his first solo album, “Fresh,” in 2010, with a set of songs that were slower and included fewer musicians. The mood of the music is more somber and reverent.
“That was my cocoon moment,” he said. “My whole life was, at that moment, ‘Let’s just figure this thing out.’ ”
After Tribbett put his family back together, the tone of his music shifted. In 2013 he released “Greater Than,” which, he said, reflected his new perspective on his role as a gospel singer.
“Church never taught me that I could show the church Clark Kent and still have an effective message,” he said. “His love is greater than our jack-ups. His love is bigger than our failures. You can preach the Gospel with our failures because the Gospel exists because of our failures.”
“If He Did it Before … Same God,” which took the Grammy for best gospel song, blends a swaggering chant inspired by rap music with guitar-driven accompaniment. Consequently, many fans of church music have called Tribbett a modernizer: one of a new generation of gospel performers shaking hands with contemporary pop styles in the name of inclusiveness.
“Many people don’t frequent churches because of how the message has been presented. It’s been estranged from what it was when Jesus walked the earth. Who was this guy making everything better? I want to be one of the vanguards, because the Way isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s better! I want to present it as better.”
The modernization of that album would earn him other recognition. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. He won a Soul Train music award for best gospel/inspiration song.
Despite his success, Tribbett has maintained a presence in Camden. He and his wife run a Bible study on Wednesday nights at Word on the Street, a worship gathering at the Octavius V. Catto Community School in the city’s Dudley neighborhood.
But change is on the horizon for Tribbett.
The Bible study meets for the last time later this month, because he and his family are planning to move to Houston. And he is talking with several television networks about a reality television show on his family, he said.
He continues to perform around the country. But in the future, he hopes to deliver his message of hope through different mediums.
“I feel like my calling is to focus on the hope,” the singer said. ”Don’t hide the sin. He’s greater than the sin. Go to church with your mistake-making self.”