In the last couple of years, there have been few spiritually-minded singer-songwriters as exciting as Chris Renzema. He offers both quantity and quality, having released a staggering 51 songs between 2018 and the writing of this article. Manna is another excellent addition to an already strong catalog, and it shows tremendous growth as a lyricist and musician.
Interesting explorations of brokenness, grief, and redemption are the basis for a lot of excellent art. One story that has these themes in abundance is the life of Moses, a saga that Renzema previously drew inspiration from for his 2019 single “Caught in the Reeds”. He finds a similar creative muse for some of the strongest songs on Manna, such as the mid-album highlight “Square One”. It's a testament to how good of a songwriter Renzema is that he can make this track utterly captivating with little more than his voice and an acoustic guitar. The title track also makes mention of Moses, frequently bringing up examples of God’s faithfulness to him throughout his life story before hitting us with this absolute stunner of a final verse:
After all these years, I still love You
And after all these years, I'll still praise Your holy name
'Cause even when I've lost my taste for manna
It comes from Heaven all the same
Whether or not I recognize the miracle hidden in the mundane
Oh, the bread of Heaven's offered either way
One particularly notable quality of Renzema’s writing is his uncanny ability to phrase complex and thorny ideas in a manner so simple and intuitive that it makes you think you always understood it that way. Fellow singer-songwriter Jess Ray lends her down-to-earth lyricism and vocals to “Hereditary”, the best example of this lyricism at play:
I've seen a saint fall from grace
But I’m not sure that I'd use that phrase
So, if grace is something you can misplace
Then what's the point of it anyway?
’Cause I said it would never be me
To waver in this faith, I decree
The apple don't fall far from the tree
The human condition's hereditary
Elsewhere, Renzema repeats certain phrases multiple times as if he’s giving himself a pep talk. “God & Prozac'' is one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve ever heard about having faith in the midst of battling mental illness. It's definitely not a new topic in song, but the starkness is striking. He doesn't dress it up in any metaphors, stating point-blank that “writing songs about God while on a Prozac prescription” is really hard on him. “Faith?!” is similar in this regard, with the phrase “faith is like a free fall sometimes, I guess I still freak out sometimes, and maybe that’s alright” looping multiple times over funky indie-rock strumming. By the end, he’s almost screaming this declaration, preparing himself for the next serious test of resolve.
My personal favorite is fourth single “Holy Ghost”. The first verse is dedicated to recounting a past experience with a pop-up revival and finding that the people who were “overcome with the power of the Spirit” were strongly influenced by a shove from the preacher. The chorus heightens his feelings of disappointment and hesitancy before flipping his own cynicism on its head:
It's the craziest thing, after all I've seen
That I still want to believe
Yeah, that Holy Ghost keeps haunting me
As impressive as the opening verse and chorus are, they pale in comparison to his jaw-dropping second verse, which is so well-articulated and timely that any further analysis would be a waste of words:
Well, it's another headline, it's another disaster
Another fall from grace from some mega pastor
The person who taught you about your Savior
Breaking down, sooner or later
And maybe that's just divine irony
As you try to see the forest for the trees
That through crooked teeth the Gospel's preached
And maybe there's hope for someone like me
The quality of this song goes beyond the lyrics; it sounds fantastic too. I imagine that he had live shows in mind when he wrote “Holy Ghost” since he absolutely rocks out, with the driving guitars and thudding drums giving this tune some serious momentum. His voice also really shines, maintaining a resonance that complements the instruments perfectly while wringing a lot of emotion out of each word. The bridge is a chef’s kiss, with the ‘wall of sound’ instrumentation combining with a soaring falsetto outburst in a way that would make A Rush of Blood to the Head-era Coldplay proud.
At his best, Renzema is able to explore the turmoil and heartache of life in a way that feels approachable and honest. It’s no accident that “How to Be Yours”, a song about trying to have faith without knowing how, was his breakout moment. Those who are searching for an artist that can discuss spiritual pain with artistic integrity and respect for the listener should look no further than Chris Renzema. Manna is a great place to start.
BONUS RECOMMENDATION
Let The Ground Rest B-sides contains three live renditions of songs from the album proper, as well as a nice track called “Mercy”. Most importantly, it contains “Tear My House Down”, a rousing cut that absolutely should have made it onto an album.