MercyMe formed in 1994 and put out six independent albums
before signing with INO Records. Their
debut album for that label was 2001’s ALMOST THERE. It was produced by Peter Kipley. Band members were: Bart Millard (lead
vocals), Mike Scheuchzer (guitars and background vocals), Jim Bryson (keys),
Nathan Cochran (bass and background vocals), and Robby Shaffer (drums). In the liner notes the band writes: “To all
of our ‘fans’. Thank you for supporting
us these last seven years. Watching you
worship makes all of the 3 a.m. driving shifts, hard work, and flat tires worth
every minute”.
Peter Kipley and Reggie Hamm wrote the pop song ‘I Worship
You’. It reminds us that worship can be
fun: “I’ve been walking with a big grin/Singing with my eyes closed/Lifting up
my hands/I’ve been lost in the moment/Sending up praises/Now I think I
understand/When I open up and let it flow/I feel Your touch and then I know/I
can never live without it/And I’m never going to doubt it/Everyday it’s new,
yeah”. ‘Here Am I’ is a rock song about
the lost: “On the other side of the world/She stands on the ocean shore/Gazing
at the heavens she wonders/Is there something more?/Never been told the name of
Jesus/She turns and walks away/What a shame/Just across the street in your
hometown/Leaving from his nine to five/Gazing down the road he wonders/Is this
all there is to life?/Never been told the name of Jesus/He continues on his
way/What a shame”. ‘On My Way to You’ is
a prayer: “Teach me to think like You think/Show me the things that are
true/Finish the work You have started in me/As I’m on my way to You (2X)/Create
in me a pure heart and make me new/Less of me, Jesus more of You”.
‘How Great is Your Love’ is one of three songs penned solely
by lead vocalist Bart Millard. It’s a
pleasant adult contemporary song that glorifies God: “Praise the Lord O my
Soul/And glory to the King/Forever You are robed with majesty/We come to You O
Lord/Lay our praise at Your feet/How great is Your love/So much higher than the
heavens/With faithfulness that reaches the sky”. ‘I Can Only Imagine’ was the album’s second
single. It won a Dove in 2002 for ‘Song
of the Year’ and went on to top the Billboard 200 Sales Chart for seven
weeks. This now modern Christian music
classic anticipates heaven: “Surrounded by Your glory/What will my heart
feel?/Will I dance for You Jesus?/Or in awe of You be still?/Will I stand in
Your presence or to my knees will I fall?/Will I sing hallelujah?/Will I be
able to speak at all?/I can only imagine”.
‘Bless Me Indeed’ was the album’s lead single. It didn’t fare well, but I like this pop song
that cries out to God: “My Jesus, I need You now/May Your grace look my way/To
hear You sing over me/Make Your desires and mine the same/Bless me indeed/Open
wide my horizons to share Your Name/Bless me indeed/Let Your hand keep me from
harm and pain/Bless me (2X)”. ‘Cannot
Say Enough’ is a lovely ballad: “What can we say to describe just a glimpse of
Your glory?/How can our words portray but a thread of Your majesty?/But still
we praise our Savior/In Spirit and in truth/For we cannot say enough about
You”.
‘House of God’ is a cool rock song of invitation: “Welcome
to the house of God my friend/All are welcome, all may enter in/Come experience
the peace and hope within/We come here for God and God alone/The house of
God/All draw near, make yourself at home/The house of God”. ‘Call to Worship’ testifies: “I will worship
the One who calmed the raging sea/And I will worship the One who hushed the
rage in me/And I will worship You and I will worship You/My hands I lift to
You/My voice I lift to You//My heart I lift to You/Hallelujah!”
‘All Fall Down’ is one of five songs written by the five
group members. This one is about having
a sure faith: “My soul finds rest and comfort from only You/My fortress and my
rock/I won’t be moved/You are my cornerstone whose love endures.../And I praise
You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (2X)”. Last up is the adult contemporary number ‘In
You’ which looks towards heaven: “It’s the Creator calling the created/The
Maker beckoning the made/The bride finding what she’s always waited for/When we
find ourselves that day/In You, where the hungry feast at the table/The blind
frozen by colors in view/The lame will dance, they’ll dance for they are able/And
the weary find rest/O the weary find rest in You”.
ALMOST THERE is a very strong album of mostly adult
contemporary and pop sounds, with a bit of rock mixed in. Bart Millard’s lead vocals are just
great! This album is about praising and
worshipping God wholeheartedly for His love, faithfulness, majesty, saving
power, and creation. The songs also express
a desire for intimacy with God and to be more Christlike. It is made clear that Christians are to share
the Gospel with those who don’t believe it or haven’t properly heard it. I’m rating this one a perfect 100% and
recommending it to fans of Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. For more info visit: www.mercyme.org.