![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.mjyoung.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/img0335Bennett.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBob Bennett’s debut album, First Things First<\/i>, reached the radio station not too long after I did, and I was immediately greatly impressed. From the opening cut Carpenter Gone Bad<\/a><\/i> he shot straight for the mind, with solid arguments for believing in Christ set to comfortable light folk-rock music heavy on the guitar picking. My fond memories include Whistling in the Dark<\/a><\/i>, You’re Welcome Here<\/a><\/i>, I Belong to You<\/a><\/i>, and the closing Healings<\/a><\/i>. This was a gentle but heavily intellectual collection, and I was captivated by it immediately.<\/p>\n When an artist or band releases a great first album, the fear is that they have have done their best work, and that which is ahead won’t measure up. Yet three years later he appeared again with a disk that was in one sense completely different, and in another a great continuation of what he had already done. From the smooth processed sound and emotional message of the opening title song, Matters of the Heart<\/a><\/i> again impressed as it talked about life in songs like Falling Stars<\/a><\/i>, 1951<\/a><\/i>, A Song About Baseball<\/a><\/i>, Madness Dancing<\/a><\/i>, Together All Alone<\/a><\/i>, Beggar<\/a><\/i>, and Come and See<\/a><\/i>, then wrapping up like bookends with Heart of the Matter<\/a><\/i>. He had topped his debut impressively.<\/p>\n What really surprised me today was how many of these songs I remembered–not just recognized, but could sing along in sections of the words. They were well written and got inside powerfully. I have omitted songs that I would include simply because I have included so many from two albums. Somewhere I have both of these on vinyl; I’m going to have to find them and transfer them to CD so I can listen to them in the car. They are great collections throughout.<\/p>\n That was the last I heard from him, but he continued releasing albums every few years, the most recent in 2016 making ten in all. Everything I heard impressed me, and that’s rare.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n The series to this point has included:<\/p>\n This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #335, on the subject of Bob Bennett’s First Matters. Bob Bennett’s debut album, First Things First, reached the radio station not too long after I did, and I was immediately greatly impressed. From the opening cut Carpenter Gone Bad he shot straight for the mind, with solid arguments … Continue reading #335: Bob Bennett’s First Matters<\/span> \n