Benton Stokes
Benton Stokes\' new album, Grace & Gravity, is a ten-song reading of the singer-songwriter\'s journal over the last two years. Transparent and honest, Stokes joins pop sensibility and earnest lyrics to create an introspective listen. Start to finish, this unpretentious collection is nothing if not heartfelt. At times self-effacing, at times soul-baring, Stokes has crafted piano pop that moves you and points to the hope and redemption found in his faith.
The journey to Grace & Gravity has been a winding one. After years writing songs and producing records for other artists (Point Of Grace, Kathy Troccoli, Natalie Grant, Sandi Patty, Brian Free & Assurance and Scott Krippayne among them), Stokes found himself at a crossroads. \"I didn\'t plan on being an artist, but the doors started opening and I found that I actually had something I needed to get of my chest,\" he recalls with a laugh. \"Thanks to the talent and generosity of friends, I have ten snapshots of where I\'ve been and what I\'ve been thinking for the last couple years that everyone can hear for themselves.\"
Grace & Gravity starts with the driving \"Sitting On The Edge Of Your World,\" a pop anthem from the view of a persistently devoted God, reaching out to an unbelieving heart. Next is \"Meant To Be,\" a song that encourages those who struggle to find their place in the world (\"Like I was drawn in pencil/Just somebody\'s afterthought/I was always feeling worthless/Only saw what I was not/But I wasn\'t without purpose/And I wasn\'t without God...I was meant to be\"). \"Better Off Broken,\" Benton\'s self-described \"country ballad\" follows, telling a bittersweet story of loving and leaving against the backdrop of a train ride through the Rockies.
\"Confessions Of A Lesser Me\" introduces the listener to the piano-centric rollicking side of Benton Stokes. With fun-to-sing lines like \"I acquiesce to less in me/Than the best in me sometimes,\" comparisons to Bruce Hornsby and Billy Joel become obvious. Clever lyrics with a point, set to melodies that will bounce in your head for days, this one\'s a keeper. The record slows down after that with \"Learning To Live,\" three vignettes that point to the inner strength that comes from holding on through the inevitable hard times to get to the good stuff. Moving cello and solo piano make this a moment not to be missed. \"Blue\" follows with acoustic guitars, a gospel feel and a clear message of unity and acceptance amid divergent points of view.
Stokes shows off his piano chops with the dynamic \"Better Than I Ought To Be.\" An upbeat tribute to the inspiration behind the performer, lines like \"You\'re super you and I\'m simple average me/I\'m better than I ought to be\" poke fun at the spotlight and give the credit to the ones (or One) behind the scenes. \"Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)\" is a Latin-spiced number that sings the praises of change and putting the past behind. Next comes \"The Fury Of Love,\" the edgiest of the set that hearkens to some of Stokes\' rock influences and draws comparisons to The Fray and Coldplay. The lyric reminds you that love, when it\'s true and deep, holds on with tenacity, even in the face of unfaithfulness. Redemption rings clear in lines like \"Heroic like a soldier/You threw me on Your shoulders/And pulled from the fire\'s noose/It\'s the kind that doesn\'t run/When all is said and done/It\'s the fury of love.\"
The album\'s closer, \"Unreal\" is vulnerable and painfully honest as it describes the way \"real\" feels in light of God\'s \"unreal\" grace and love. Stokes recalls, \"Writing \'Unreal\' was like turning a corner for me. After a month of struggling through those lines, I knew I could never go back to writing trite Christian music. I knew I had a desire and a responsibility to write my heart and to trust God for the audience.\" WIth lyrics like \"It\'s so unreal/How Your unrelenting grace/Flies into the face of everything I feel/The way You love is just unreal,\" it\'s easy to see that Stokes knows how to stay away from trite.
Whether traveling with his band or playing alone, his live performances are just as engaging as his record. And the writing has begun for the next collection, which Stokes promises will be \"more condensed, more focused and more band-oriented\" than G&G. It seems Grace & Gravity is just the beginning for Benton Stokes, a songwriter who has clearly and finally found his voice.
Influences
Billy Joel, Elton Joel, Bruce Hornsby, Michael W. Smith, Nichole Nordeman, the Gabe Dixon Band, John Mayer, Switchfoot, the Fray
Sounds Like...
Piano-centric pop influenced by gospel, jazz and soul