Search - David Massengill :: We Will Be Together

Fireflies in His Heart*

A Music Fan | 03/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here is a collection of nineteen songs, drawn from several projects that David Massengill is working on: songs revisiting his home town, a salute to friend and mentor Dave Van Ronk, valentine/lullaby/love songs, a rollicking interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk, the fantasy adventures of the child heroine Morgana, and songs of protest. He delivers them all by way of guitar, signature Appalachian dulcimer, and his primary instrument, a beautiful voice.



Always the storyteller, Massengill presents hometown songs that are simple but profound, often humorous, and deftly told. Family Reunion is an ode to humility (and beer) in which the city and country relatives take each other's measure. In a sly twist, Massengill sings the part of the New York sophisticate with his best Tennessee accent, thick enough to slice. Killer Keller's Last Stand tells of an everyday hero who, for the sake of honor, chose to go down in flames. These autobiographical tales speak to the human condition in ways that every listener can recognize.



Walking among us are some people who are larger than life, and if we are privileged to know one, we are ever grateful for it. Massengill's songs about Dave Van Ronk--two poignant tributes and two from his repertoire--attest to the stature of this man both as a musician and as a person, and the impact he had on those around him. It is fun to hear Massengill's versatile voice on Tell Old Bill and Somebody Else Not Me, giving a nod to Van Ronk's growl while offering his own interpretation of these traditional favorites; he has always had a special gift for presenting the sounds and imagery of past times.



Massengill's "valentine/lullaby/love" songs sparkle with childlike imagination, sweetness, and light, while deeper notions move beneath the surface. Forever Love takes a witty look at those animals who mate for life. It begs a question that is never directly mentioned but one can sense its presence. The album's title song, about lovers who are apart, is so filled with hopeful longing that it evokes something larger-- the sure sense that a better time is coming; if not in this world, then in the next.



There is one song of political protest here, The Gambler in Chief, a necessary catharsis. Massengill knows how to make a pen sharp, so this is a theme he could ably pursue further if he chooses.



Jack & the Beanstalk and the adventure songs are set in a world of outlaws, fairies, legends and miraculous events. (Massengill's playful drawings for the album insert underscore the vision.) This is a child's world, though it speaks to all ages. In one song, a band of pirates are smitten with a foundling child who they bring up in exemplary fashion. In another, two woodland creatures (spirit of bark, spirit of leaves) declare their love. Throughout there are references from the literature of childhood and the wisdom of innocence. We are not merely reminded of these, we are taken by the hand and pulled right in; to fly out the window, to disappear down the rabbit hole. The nature of the imagery and the richness of sentiment in Massengill's presentation are unusual to us, but they would have been very familiar at the end of the nineteenth century. I don't know if that is what he intends, but it might be. An example that folk listeners may recognize is Priscilla Herdman's heartbreaking song Water Lily, where the lyrics are a poem written by Henry Lawson around 1890. Another would be the songs that Johnny Cunningham wrote for the Mabou Mines production of Peter Pan.



Artistically, Massengill has never chosen to play it safe. In the introductory song for this album, he seems to acknowledge this: "out on a limb, I bow to you." In previous projects he has recorded songs that are gently but unblushingly erotic, and stories about the sensuous side of childhood; forays into the realm of the outrageously icky; luminous songs rooted in faith that may be too Christian for the sophisticated and too inventive for the Christians; and now he brings this wide-eyed sensibility to our skeptical ears. It is thoroughly unconventional, yet anchored in an auspicious place. All these pirates, renegades, and sprites, they do mischief but no actual damage--except maybe to our preconceptions. Sometimes we listen to folk singer/songwriters in order to hear what we already know; there's nothing wrong with that. But the greater art, and the greater joy for the listener I think, is to be lifted to a place we have never been before. David Massengill can do that.



*Title cribbed from the artist's work (Down Derry Down/Twilight the Taj Mahal)"

Love This Collection of David Massengill Songs!

RebeccaPea | 12/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say, I love this album and listen to it a lot. There are a few new arrangements of traditional songs/spoken word, a great interpretation through song of the story "Jack and the Beanstalk," some very sweet lullabies and love songs and even a few hometown hero songs in the spirit of his last album "My Home Must Be a Special Place." With a very generous nineteen tracks there is something for everyone on this album and young and old alike will be transported. David Massengill has a very unique imagination when it comes to storytelling through song, a subtle sense humor and a clever wit to boot. I love that in a climate of such angst and cynicism David is able to produce a collection of songs that preserve what is best in us. He gives special thanks on this album to people who never laugh at dreams. Thank you, David, for producing such beautiful dreams for us to hold onto."