Ben Tankard - "Piano Prophet"

By Rene Williams

Verity Records

Few artists can be credited with creating a genre; Ben Tankard is one of a few. It was quite apparent that the Lord had His hand on this young man when, years ago, he attended a Pentecostal revival service. It was at that service, shortly after realizing his hopes to play in the NBA were dashed after a career-ending injury, his true calling emerged. That night, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was asked by the revivalist to sit at the piano. With no natural ability to play, the preacher anointed him with oil and he began to play. He has played ever since. Even to this day, 15 albums later and 15 years later, he still has never had a piano lesson and doesn’t read music. It’s amazing what the power of God can do. Tankard is credited with being the best-selling gospel jazz instrumentalist in the world. Not too bad for someone who was raised poor with no idea of what his earthly assignment would be.

Tankard has just released Piano Prophet (Verity). He introduces us to Piano Prophet with a cover of the inspirational 80s anthem by McFadden & Whitehead, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now. The track features some of the best instrumentalists in gospel - Fred Hammond provides bass guitar work; Tim Bowman (Vickie Winans’ brother) is featured on lead guitar; Ray Bady delivers his impressive drumming and Shirley Murdock gives us some bold vocals. The second and title track, Piano Prophet, is a catchy and uplifting one, textured with interspersed piano and saxophone vocals. Tankard also decides to give us some sleepy blues, layered with a romantic saxophone, on the track Touch and Agree. Lionel Richie’s song Jesus Is Love is redone quite nicely on Piano Prophet. Shirley Murdock gives a powerful performance (à la Patti LaBelle) on this song, providing a gospel feel absent in the original recording.

Positive Change, a slowed-down, and almost dreamy cut, is a jewel. Speaking of “jewel”, Tankard’s wife, Jewel, along with her husband, writes the majority of songs on this project. Tankard is not only the principal songwriter but the executive producer and producer of this great collection of songs.

Positive Change, a contemporary jazz song, is a strong track as is Head To The Sky, the same song made famous by Earth, Wind & Fire. The slicked-back version of the song is lead by Shell Massey who does a very nice job with the rendition of the classic. Another track, Lil’ Ole Church, is a piano-driven tune with soft feel to it. Keepmovinon gives us a dose of funk and a lot of bass guitar. One of the prettiest songs on Piano Prophet is Bible Keys. Its beauty is timeless and breathtaking with just a simple piano. Tankard’s exceptional piano skills make this one of the best songs on this CD.

Tankard also provides instrumental tracks to Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now and Jesus Is Love. Piano Prophet is a wonderful project. For those who like contemporary jazz with a gospel theme, you’ll love this Piano Prophet. It’s the kind that you just put in and let play. After 15 years, Ben Tankard seems to just get better and better.

Feedback - Rene Williams is a freelance writer for Gospelcity.com, GTM Magazine and Charisma Magazine. She also is the author of the Gospel News Update, a bi-weekly e-zine about what's happening in the Christian music industry, and the D.C. Gospel News Update, a weekly newsletter about gospel events in the Washington, D.C. area.