There I Go Again

Description

There I Go Again is the eleventh and final studio album by the American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist David Meece, independently released on Aluminum Records in October 2002, distributed by Diamante Media Group. The album was produced and recorded by Brian Hardin at The Box and Wildwood Recording in Nashville, Tennessee; and at SVS Productions in Pasadena, California. Also mixed and mastered by Hardin. Pre-production by Scott V. Smith and David Meece. Arranging and programming by Smith, Meece, and Hardin. All music written by David Meece with lyrics co-written with Dwight Liles (except the bonus track featuring lyrics by Meece only).

Featuring David Meece on piano, keyboards, and lead vocals, backed by David Cleveland and James Harrah on guitars, Jimmy Johnson on bass, as well as Chris Meece and John Robinson on drums. Backing vocals by David and Kelly Meece.

It’s been a long time since David Meece fans have had any new music to talk about. Occupied with at least two major items on his to-do list, the years casually passed by. Indeed, it’s been seven years since ‘Odyssey‘, Meece’s 1995 project, hit the stores. His frustrating search for a new record company coupled with pre-production prep ended up consuming more of the calendar than his fans probably wanted.

As time unfolded, Meece started to sense that God was preparing him for something very special. “At a time when I felt at my professional height,” says Meece, “God called me to be alone with him. It was my choice to walk away from an extremely professional career to be alone with God, but when people hear the songs they’ll understand.” In an industry which has a notoriously short memory and high turnover, postponing the release of a new project for a year, not to mention seven years, can be risky. For some artists, it might be tantamount to career suicide.

Demonstrating a loyal and devoted fan base, David Meece has consistently sold over 100,000 units of each album release for over twenty years now. Even so, There I Go Again, which was released in October on the small independent Aluminum Records label faces an uphill battle. Notwithstanding, if radio and the retail give this project a shot, it’s destined to attract attention.

Indeed, Meece has been turning heads since his teenage years, earning a scholarship to Peabody Conservatory of Music as a young classical sensation. With Jesus Music gaining momentum, in 1976 Meece jumped in with both feet. His debut album David produced the upbeat and memorable tune called «Jesus». In 1980, the album ‘Are You Ready’ included the anthem «We Are the Reason», which remains a classic today.

David Meece is part of a small fraternity of artists that have been able to successfully transition from Jesus Music in the days of yore to modern day CCM. Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, and Petra are artists that have been malleable enough to cruise through the decades, selling enough records to turn around and make another one. Meece’s proclivity for pursuing new musical avenues may have hurt sales of his albums in isolated cases – but overall, it’s probably been more helpful than harmful. Adapting just enough to blend in with changing musical fads, Meece has been able to regularly attract new listeners without substantially alienating long-standing fans.

Further, in spite of all that formal classical training, Meece developed, retained, and refined a steadfast pop sensibility. All the while, he somehow consistently carried the integrity of his own sound from project to project. An artist who routinely finds a way to mesh his own established musical calling card with the in-vogue vibe of the day, can truly be called rare, especially in the ever changing world of pop music.

So, seven years later, sabbatical apparently over, here I sit with Meece’s ‘There I Go Again’ in my CD player. Admittedly, it’s difficult for me to review a new David Meece project with much semblance of objectivity. In the early days of his career, I didn’t place Meece in the first tier of my favorite artists. But, that all changed one day in 1991 in Seattle, Washington.

I had just finished a fantastic and meaningful four day camping trip with my life-long best buddies. We get together every two years at a convenient locale. We had a wonderful time camping at Mt. Rainier, visiting Mt. St. Helens and watching M’s baseball. More importantly and as always, we had shared from the heart as only the closest of friends can. Now, it was time to say good-bye. As we drove to the airport on this not-a-cloud-in-the-sky, beautiful sunny day, «To the Glory of God» was on the radio. We cranked the speakers as the song hit both of us like a ton of bricks, especially the spoken part, which is done with incredible dramatic effect, implicitly pointing out that friendships – indeed all blessings – are graciously given and purposed for the glory of God.

So, after that credibility shattering confession, when I refer to this project as timeless and timely, I hope you will believe me. Truly, the best songwriters always find a way to construct songs which resonate with as much urgency and relevance today as they will in twenty years. Although nearly every American songwriter has written a song about the 9-11 horror, on ‘There I Go Again’, David Meece seems to have written an album full of them. Yet curiously, these songs were written before this terror was perpetrated on American soil.

It’s hard to imagine, but «Run» was penned at least three years ago:

Sinister shadows in a dark chaotic state
Ominous thunder erupts in hate and rage
Desolate sidewalks cast a fear upon the Wind
Evil awakens in the hearts of hopeless men
In times like these I cannot walk
No I must run – run!

Through the blood red moon
To the breaking sun
I must run! Run!
Through the mouth of death
To the Risen One I must run!

Says Meece, “In making a record now, I want it to be because there’s something that really needs to be said and that I want people to hear. I believe something powerful is going to happen as a result of this project, and that the fruits of it will go far beyond anything we’re even aware of while we’re on this earth. It’s a real power that comes upon anybody when they seek God with all their hearts.” Indeed, Meece’s effort on this project seems inspired. Always a decent lyricist, his words and phrases seem to have been chosen with utmost care. The production is flawless, the melodies touching and red hot, the singing passionate. The emotion of this project is palpable.

Before I get too carried away with accolades, understand that those that are turned off by waves of electronic gobbledygook might not appreciate the work of David Meece. He infuses every project – yes indeed, nearly every song – with a large, prestigious synthesizer laced wall of sound. In that sense, Meece’s sound seems like a project from the 80s or early 90s. Despite that slice of musical antiquity, these auspicious songs resonate timelessness.

The crown jewel of ‘There I Go Again’ is the energetic «Dancing With the Enemy». With uncanny applicability and wit, it bites and indicts personal and corporate sin such as greed, lies, avarice:

It’s on the Prime-Time TV and the radio.
It’s on the magazine covers and the late talk shows.
Seems like everybody, everywhere you go
Is dancing with the enemy

From the oval office to the corner store
From New York to London to Singapore
It’s just, “Give me this – Give me that – Give me more”
Dancing with the enemy

And in light of the Enron/Arthur Anderson scandal and other corporate funny business, how compelling is this verse?:

Corporate executives slug it out
debating which pig has the biggest snout
Using words like power, prestige, and clout
Dancing with the enemy!

They say, the whites hate the blacks, the whites hate the Jews
And if you’re any different everybody hates you
Why can’t we find better things to do than dancing with the enemy!

«Things You Never Gave Me», seems to document the journey of one who has ventured through and accepted the trials of life, courageously confronted the resulting pain, ultimately finding God faithful and dependable. David Meece’s devastating and abusive childhood has been well documented and his albums often portray a vincible and vulnerable spirit, perhaps validating that frightful childhood. Hope comes in at least two flavors. There is a hope that is like a wish, contrasted with the hope that is strong and full of conviction.

As I compare ‘There I Go Again’ with an earlier Meece work such as ‘Learning to Trust’, the primary difference might be in the ambient hope it generates. ‘Learning To Trust’, sounded like the emotionally disabled singer wanted to believe all the things he was singing, but was too fearful. ‘There I Go Again’ projects a confidant, assured tone, as if the singer had been through the fire – felt and dealt with the pain – emerging perhaps with scars, but unafraid.

There is one exception to the generally confident hope of ‘There I Go Again’. Track nine, the ballad «Help Me Stand», is written in the form of a prayer in the context of one who is feeling weak. If the lyrics featured in ‘There I Go Again’ are indicative of a spiritually mature David Meece – praise God. Still, although most believers strive for maturity, it’s still helpful to know that other brothers and sisters become broken and torn, even after years of Spirit filled walking with God.

Meece has the uncommon courage to bare his soul and the artistic skill to magnify it to such a proportion that we feel it deeply. If fact, that is my preeminent justification for recommending this album – if you listen to music because it makes you feel something – David Meece and ‘There I Go Again’ is one project that won’t disappoint. It’s taken seven years, but there he goes again. [Curt McLey, The Phantom Tollbooth, 11/2/2002 ]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/there-i-go-again/215682318)

CD tracklist:

01. No Other Hope – 5:31
02. Dancing With The Enemy – 4:22
03. I Just Want To Be With You – 3:45
04. I’ll Be Waiting For You – 5:02
05. Run – 3:49
06. Things You Never Gave Me – 4:43
07. Raise These Arms – 3:39
08. There I Go Again – 4:43
09. Help Me Stand – 4:48
10. By The Waters – 4:36
Bonus Track:
11. We Are The Reason (Live) – 4:42