When I received Ben Utecht's debut CD, my first thoughts were on the order of, "Oh, great! Another pro athlete who can afford to make a vanity CD." I decided to listen to it anyway, and the first surprise was hearing his smooth voice; not only did he sound better than most NFL tight ends (he's currently on the Bengals), but he sounded like someone recording on the merits of his musical ability rather than because of his pro sports credentials. Interestingly enough, he played for the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl a few years back with punter Hunter Smith (now a Redskin), who also released a Christian CD this past year with his group, Connersvine. The singing in the Colts' showers must have been the best in the NFL for a few years.

Utecht's self-titled project features a duet with Sandy Patti, not surprising since Stylos Records is her label. The two met when Patti, a die-hard Colts fan, asked Utecht for an autograph and he promptly reciprocated. Ben Utecht includes two songs by Mark Harris and one by John David Webster, but the rest are written or co-written by Utecht. Collaborators include Jeremy Camp and the aforementioned Hunter Smith. Producer Nathan Nockels (Watermark) is well-suited to this style; while I've heard it described as pop-rock by some, this is more adult contemporary on the majority of the tracks.

Regardless of how long Ben Utecht's NFL days last, he has a long career ahead of him in music. Someday fans may be surprised to learn that he used to be a professional athlete, and that would truly validate his former Colts' coach Tony Dungy's comments:

"Ben Utecht is a talented football player. He started at tight end for my team, the Indianapolis Colts, in Super Bowl XLI and helped us beat the Chicago Bears," says Dungy. "However, I always thought his real impact would be in Christian music. Ben has a tremendous voice and a passion for music, but more than that, he believes in the gospel message and that comes through when he sings. I believe God is going to use his musical gift in a special way."

Visit Ben Utecht.