 |
 |
Philip Enzor, Gabe Dunlap and John Sanders had already realized an important part of their individual ministries before they ever sang a note together. Attending the same high school and youth group at church, each believed strongly they were called to minister to one another. And as they attended college and prepared for whatever life would bring, they encouraged one another as young men wanting to live out their Christian faith in an increasingly secularized culture.
This type of "accountability relationship" is the spiritual foundation on which Brother's Keeper is built. "When I think of Brother's Keeper, I just basically think of Philip and John," explains Gabe. "It's two guys that I've grown up with, who I've known since I was in 10th grade and who were my best friends then and are still my best friends now. Those relationships were at the core of this group before we ever sang together, and are still the reason we are called to be in this ministry. Accountability is an often misunderstood and misused word. When people have no accountability, chances are they're not communicating with anyone about the things that really matter in their lives. The heart of accountability is really just ongoing, quality communication."
It was on a tour with the church's youth choir that John Sanders, Gabe Dunlap and Philip Enzor discovered their ability to make a joyful noise together. Originally singing a cappella, the guys were initially inspired by vocal groups like 4Him and Boyz II Men, taking occasional gigs while finishing high school and throughout college. For a time, the group utilized a swing/jazz vocal approach, and caught the attention of Ardent Records executives after competing in a Gospel Music Association regional talent competition.
Brother's Keeper's 1999 self-titled debut album featured a bright pop vocal sound in step with the emerging boy bands of the day, and garnered them plenty of radio airplay-particularly the #1 charting "Rain On." But the new album from this threesome, Cover Me, reflects the next step in their musical and spiritual development.
Says John, "I've been playing guitar since I was 16, but hadn't found a way to incorporate it into our music until recently. We'll always incorporate tight, vocal harmonies because it's what brought us together musically in the first place, but now we've developed more of a guitar-driven, pop-rock sound that represents where we are today much more accurately than our first album."
Helping to get their new sound recorded the way they wanted it heard were Christian rock veteran and producer Dana Key, who also co-wrote the majority of the songs, and Kevin Paige, who produced their first album. Long time Christian music fans may also recognize BK's new rendition of "In His Love," a ballad written by DeGarmo & Key and originally recorded by Sandi Patty in the early '80s for her live album, More Than Wonderful.
The experiences of new-found fame and increased touring combined with the responsibilities of being the only musical spokesperson for Christian Blind Mission International (CBMI) and a sponsorship affiliation with Chick-fil-A, in each of the member's lives, have caused them to mature-a fact that is apparent both in the recorded performances that fill Cover Me and in live appearances that stress ministry over music business. Philip says it's partially the result of many lessons learned over the last couple of years. "For me personally," explains Philip, "one of the most valuable things I've learned is not to assume that the folks you are singing to in churches-or even some of the artists you meet along the way-have a personal relationship with Christ. I say that partially from experience, because I had been singing with these guys for eight years before I truly surrendered my life to Jesus in September of 1998. It has given me a new appreciation for ministering to the Church, because there are so many people that have grown up in the church, but have still not given control of their lives to the Lord."
"I'm really beginning to realize the magnitude of what we're doing now," continues Gabe. "It's not just about touring the country on a bus and having a great time. We're telling people about the Gospel, and sometimes you can forget that and get caught up in the routine of life on the road. This is much bigger than me and much bigger than Brother's Keeper. We need to continue to be accountable to one another, communicating and reminding each other of what we're doing and why we're doing it."
"I'm learning lessons about dealing with people," says John. "I'd love to sit down with somebody and hear them talk about their ministry and learn whatever I can from them. I have to really work though, at focusing on people that approach me at concerts and realize that they are looking at me as a representative of Christ. It's real easy with my hyped-up personality to move too quickly, forget names, and worst of all, forget to pray for people I have promised to pray for."
The decision to title the album after the song "Cover Me" was made on the day scheduled for the photo shoot for the cover-which happened to be September 11, 2001. As Gabe explains it, "We were on our tour bus, getting make up applied just before the shoot, and the TV was on. All of sudden, the story of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center began to unfold in front of our eyes, and we collectively thought, 'We can't do a photo shoot and smile for the camera when we don't even know what's going on in our country.' We called off the shoot that day and just prayed together. After that, we all just knew the album needed to be titled Cover Me. In this unstable world where we don't know what will happen tomorrow, we need to remind each other that we are covered by Christ, and we can cover each other in prayer."
"This album is centered on being faithful and being fearless," John concludes, "and with that, we chose 'Cover Me' as a way to blend our past with our vision for the future in our walk with the Lord by saying, 'We are covered by His grace, love and mercy ... and pray for me.'" |
