Album Review – Benjamin Tod’s “Vengeance and Grace”

Traditional Country (#510), Singer/Songwriter (#570.15) on the Country DDS. AI = “Clean”

Pointedly opinionated, attitudinal, quick to pass judgement, increasingly polarizing, and predisposed to scathing rants, Benjamin Tod is a songwriter who seems outright incapable of diluting his heavy emotions, or checking his principles for a more pragmatic approach to life. In many respects though, that’s what you want from your favorite songwriters—vessels of raw feelings threatening to boil over or burst at any moment, and pile-driving that passion into their songs.

And as Benjamin Tod illustrates on his new album Vengeance and Grace, there is no bigger critic and villain to Benjamin Tod than Benjamin Tod. As quick as he might be to point the ugly finger of fault towards others, he’s even quicker to turn it upon himself. Recognizing his hard-headed disposition and faults, he’s willing to commit to the personal work of resolving them by codifying that struggle in song.

That is what Vengeance and Grace is about—attacking those parts of yourself that present self-defeating weaknesses, but also not being so hard on yourself (or others) that you veer into self-destruction. Tod not only illustrates this in the lyricism of this album’s 10 songs, he also does this by recording each of them both with a full band, and then acoustically as sort of a “hawk vs. dove” creative expression, highlighting the duality of his disposition.

The former frontman of the Lost Dog Street Band who blew up viral via videos on Gems on VHS and Western AF has since tried to mature and evolve with his music. His last album, and his first really stepping foot in the country realm called Shooting Star was an exploration of the country genre and its various eras and influences, re-familiarizing himself and perhaps his audience with country, while also working to reclaim the genre from the creatures on Music Row.

As enjoyable as Shooting Star was, Vengeance and Grace feels much more like a true Benjamin Tod project with Benjamin Tod songs, just rendered through a country band as opposed to the underground string band sounds that the Lost Dog project was best known for. This results in a “best of both worlds” scenario for many Benjamin Tod fans who crave those serrated, incisive and insightful lyrics, but love to hear country fiddle and steel guitar backing him.

Billy Contreras and his fiddle are all over this record produced by throwback country extraordinaire Andrija Tokic. Tod calls his new live band The Inline Six after he put the Lost Dog Street Band on indefinite hiatus since his wife and primary band mate Ashley Mae announced she was having the couple’s first child.

Though the folks who love Benjamin Tod would lean on his vocal delivery as one of his strengths, the way his voice comes across as forceful and fairly dry doesn’t fit everyone’s sensibilities. But Vengeance and Grace really seems to find the sweet spot of Tod’s tone, especially the full band songs. A song like “It’s What You Meant” with its strong melody really brings out the hidden beauty in Benjamin’s voice, yet without sacrificing its rugged appeal.

Any complaints about the Vengeance and Grace experience might be procedural. These songs are rendered so well in the full band aspect, when you get to the acoustic tracks, they can feel a little thin. Maybe you could have put the acoustic songs first. Maybe if you have a vinyl copy, you can just flip it around. But country fans should also be cognizant that to many long-time Benjamin Tod fans prefer him stripped down and acoustic. He not only tried to illustrate both sides of himself through this album, but satisfy both elements of his fan base.

We all have an angel on one shoulder, and a demon on the other, good and bad days, beautiful and malevolent tendencies we’re always trying to wrestle with and balance. With artists and songwriters, that battle just often plays out in public. It might not always be pretty. But it’s also often essential to tapping into those most pure of emotions that then render themselves in the most compelling songs—songs like you’ll find and in two different versions on Vengeance and Grace.

Vengeance Grade: 8.3/10
Vengeance and Grace: 8.1/10

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Stream/Purchase Vengeance and Grace