Benton & Company

Nate and I were discussing the Nelons the other day after coming across some YouTube videos from the We’ve Come To Worship Him project that Benson put out in the early 90s.  In the Nelons appearance on the project, Karen Peck Gooch is singing soprano with the group, though by this time she had left and formed New River.  Charlotte Penhollow had apparently just recently left the group, and we were wondering if Karen filled in with them before they hired Kelly Benton as their next soprano.    I remembered Benton as having a pretty nice soprano voice from the Promised Reunion project, and wondered what she had been up to since leaving the Nelons.  A quick Google search gave me the answer:  Benton & Company.

The group consists of Kelly and her husband Ernie, along with Jon Eagle, who sang with Don DeGrate for a while.  They have numerous audio clips on their site, and the clips are very impressive.  They have a fairly progressive sound that borrows from the Inspirational or even Praise and Worship styles, yet still retains an overall SG feel.  Mentioned in the group’s bio on their website is their admiration for Lari Goss’s music, and the fact that he has produced their recordings and worked with them.  It shows.  I’d not heard anything from these folks before, but I love their sound on the clips they have on the site.  I also see that they performed in a Showcase at NQC this year (perhaps the Song of a Lifetime?).  Did anyone happen to catch their performance?  How was it?

I’m not really sure why this trio hasn’t caught the attention of the powers that be, but at first glance they are VERY good.  I hope to hear more from them soon!