Leon Bridges uses a combination of soul and gospel music in order to inject the song with traditions of the African-American community. The emotion portrayed in his voice shows how sincere he is about the topic and it connects the audience with his story. Along with the gospel choir in the background of most of the song, the viewer is able to understand the pain that the people of Baltimore experienced.
However, Bridges also wanted this video and this song to be a message of light. Around the two minute mark of the video, a tambourine is added to the sound, the only percussion instrument throughout the song. The tambourine is a happy, cheerful instrument that relays the message of love and community. Jack Ashford, the most well-known tambourine player from the Motown era, made the tambourine a mainstay in music and he brought the sound to mainstream America. This new sound, plus the symbolism of the moving river, show that Bridges was using his sound to not only open the eyes of outside communities, but also to open the eyes of the African-American community.
-Sammy Turk Tolub
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