David Wilcox Into The Mystery CD

David Wilcox"The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope," author Norman Cousins once wrote. What he forgot to add is that sometimes our sense of direction becomes clouded. The points of our compass spin wildly out of control. Obstacles get in our way. Fear, uncertainty, loneliness, pessimism, romantic estrangement - all these things conspire to keep us from living our lives to the fullest and moving in the direction of hope. David Wilcox understands this. For over fifteen years, he has been making music that bravely navigates a path through the emotional static of modern life towards a better place. With a style that The Boston Globe says "Combines the best of both pop and modern folk aesthetics," he writes songs that are wake up calls to the heart, balm for the soul. Through yearning melodies and direct lyrics, they dare us to remember the promises we made to ourselves of who we want to be. They offer us a guiding hand, along with the hope and courage to go forward . . . Into The Mystery. "For me, it feels like when I look out at the world there's just a need for people to be talking about where they get their hope now," Wilcox says, "That's what my music has always been about." "These days, there's so much adversity and loss of hope that anything you can offer that's on the positive side is a welcome relief," he continues, "This record goes through some tough issues and carries a stronger hope by the time it reaches the end. That hope is that our lives will have greater meaning because we have this opportunity to do some emotional alchemy. To take this sorrow and hopelessness and to transform it, and to see that it's because of this frightening backdrop that our lives are going to mean something, that our actions will mean something." The opening track "If It Wasn't For The Night" reaches out with soothing words against the dark night of the soul we've all known, and segues into the soaring lift of "Rise," whose chorus is like a bright morning sun coming over a verdant hill. That bond with the listener established, Wilcox shines his songwriting light on some difficult issues: concern for disappearing nature and wildlife in "Last One Gone," the way our mourning for a departed friend can lead to unexpected revelations in "On To The Next," a longing for dreams deferred by domestic comfort on "Ask For More." And on the anthemic "City Of Dreams," he deals with what is surely the most daunting subject for any contemporary artist - September 11th. "That's the fifth or sixth song I've written about it," Wilcox admits. "The first few songs reflected the initial shock. By the time "City of Dreams" was written, I had had time to do some emotional alchemy on the sorrow and start working toward where to find hope. It's about the people in that city not turning on each other. And that was one of the surprises. On a national level, there was a lot of prejudice coming back at Muslim people, but in New York City, there was a lot less than people expected. It was because there is this awareness that that's the city that welcomes all of us. I thought that was one of the best angles to remember." As on Wilcox's previous records - Into The Mystery is his eleventh - there are flashes of sly humor alongside the serious themes. The catchy "Apple A Day" plays with a Truman Show - style scenario about the downside of a perfect world, and "Radio Men," written for Wilcox's son, looks through a child's eyes and sees the wonder of how all those singers, and DJ's, fit inside a tiny radio. "There are a bunch of songs that have been inspired by my son," he says, "And yet they're not kids' songs. They're songs that come from looking at what makes for a good life, and what makes for a life well-lived. Because at first, as a parent, watching this little kid, you want to keep him safe, protect him from all harm. But then you realize that that doesn't make for a good life. It makes for a boring life. You wish for him to havDirty Linen (8/03, p.65) - "...Wilcox's guitar playing is at once intricate and intriguing. He produces a full, rich sound, yet allows enough space between the notes for the songs to breathe, take shape, and grow..."