If you tell Bob Bennett his songs don't sound much like Christian music,
you're likely to invoke a smile. After all, Bob Bennett has always lurked
outside the fringes of contemporary Christian music, crafting songs that
detail not only his joys and victories, but his disappointments, struggles
and failures as well. His acoustic folk-style recordings have honestly
confronted the messy side of human existence over the years, sometimes making
members of the Christian music industry a bit uncomfortable. But those who
have discovered Bob Bennett's depth, wit, honesty and musicianship consider
him to be Christian music's best-kept secret. His classic tunes "Matters Of
The Heart," "Man Of The Tombs," "A Song About Baseball" and others reveal a
songwriting proficiency unmatched among his peers. His ability to express the
complexity of emotions we all experience in our spiritual and visceral lives
is no less evident in his latest release, Small Graces.
Bob Bennett was born in Downey, California, in 1955. He picked up his first guitar at age nine, and formed a neighborhood rock 'n' roll band in high school. In the late seventies he converted to Christianity, and his songwriting began to reflect his newfound faith. His career was launched with the release of his 1979 folk-style debut recording First Things First. Three years later came Matters Of The Heart, a recording Contemporary Christian Music Magazine voted 1982's "Album of the Year," ranking it among the top 20 contemporary Christian albums of all time. Soon after the release of his next recording, Non-Fiction, he served as opening act on Amy Grant's "Unguarded" tour. Lord Of The Past: A Compilation followed, with its title song reaching number one on the Christian radio charts in early 1990, followed by his second number one song, “Yours Alone”. Later that year, Bob joined Michael Card on his "The Way of Wisdom" tour, performing in front of sold-out audiences across the country. Songs From Bright Avenue was released in 1991, a collection of songs he wrote while struggling with the dissolution of his marriage. The years that followed were a time of emotional healing, regrouping, and moving forward with this life. Recently, Bob has found acceptance in the mainstream folk music scene, while performing in music clubs near his home in Southern California. Small Graces reflects this new outlook on life. A host of friends contributed to the recording, from producer Phil Naish (Steven Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace, et. al.), to Michael Card-not to mention some of Nashville's finest studio musicians. Recorded in Naish and Card's Studio at Mole End in the pastoral outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee, Small Graces is perhaps Bob's most remarkable recording to date.
"This recording is about being observant...noticing the small things," Bob explains. "It's about the seemingly inconsequential things that perhaps don't even appear to be very spiritual, but that truly have an underpinning of hope to them. I realize that when you use grace as a theme, you are on pretty safe territory, in terms of Christian language, concepts and understanding. Everybody, I think, knows that grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. But when you get into a situation where you feel so undeserving and then it still comes, I think it becomes a lot more valuable and precious."
A subtext that flows through the recording is one of romantic love, and the hope that springs up even after the most disheartening relational storms. "The Only Risk Worth Taking" is a vulnerable admission that no matter how much it hurts, love is worth the risk.
"When you've gotten hurt in relationships, you make vows to yourself, that you're just not going to do this anymore," Bob says. "And yet, because of the hope inside of us, we're not going to keep those vows for very long. When you think about it, there's really not much more important in this life than trying to love and be loved."
Bob's sense of humor is evident in "The Better Part of Me," and "Lone Star State," two songs that describe a recent not-so-successful relationship with a Texas woman.
"Basically, these songs were the result of a blind date that completely exploded-in a good way," Bob explains. "I met this woman and really, really liked her, and thought we might have a real relationship. As it turns out, we sort of decided that wasn't going to happen. I originally was going to write a third song about how we would have gotten together, and how everything worked out fine. She was born in Texas, and had lived in Texas, and swore she would die in Texas. But the ending of the story, which neither of the songs makes reference to, is that she eventually married a guy and moved to New England! I get a lot of questions as to who she is, but she must remain appropriately anonymous, but not forgotten."
Bob Bennett's ability to write songs about other than the typical "spiritual" topics has always made him stand out a bit from his peers. To Bob, spiritual themes are everywhere, even in the least holy of circumstances.
"The album is pretty evenly divided between songs that hint at relationships and those that are directed upward and outward to the body of Christ as well as those who might not view themselves as particularly interested in religion," Bob says. "I think songs about doing the laundry belong right along songs of worship and grace and other things. What makes the gospel so important is that it works in a real life context. Everything from the mundane to the spectacular is touched by the grace of God and is infused by the truth of the Gospel. I have always felt that the palate that I can paint from, as a songwriter, is a broad one with lots of shades and colors."
His approach to ministry also follows the same line of reasoning, that our lives are intricately woven with the sacred and the human, and that honest communication is ultimately most effective.
"I think that accomplishing some sort of ministry by playing music is a completely faulty, frail method that God still manages to use," Bob says. "My approach to ministry is a little different than some people's in that I think the ministry is actually a secondary goal of what I am doing. To me, my primary goal is to communicate truthfully with people. If I can communicate truthfully the life of the spirit and the always accompanying struggle along the way, then ministry happens as a natural result of that."
Bob is deliberately subjective in his lyrics, carefully avoiding forcing his opinions on others. Instead, he allows listeners to eavesdrop on his personal observations, and lets them decide for themselves if the words ring true.
Ultimately, he reaches into hearts, using his abilities to craft language and music to tell the stories inside each of us. When Bob Bennett sits down with his guitar to play, we share in the angst of a young boy trying to win his father's approval on the little league field. We cringe with the one whose heart is unmercifully crushed. We dance in the arms of an autumn-haired beauty, even if her love is sure to fade as quickly as the leaves turn. We bask in the unfettered, unmerited small graces our Father extends to us, when we need them the most and deserve them least.
