Shall We Gather
Rubicon, 2021
9/10
A husband and wife collaboration, the Grammy winner Lucas Meachem brings his esteemed baritone to Irina Meachem’s very agile piano playing, as the pair offer American art songs that honor resilience, and togetherness.
“American Anthem” starts the listen with warm, graceful keys alongside the flawless, striking pipes in the Gene Scheer composition, and Arthur Farwell’s “Song Of The Deathless Voice” follows with a sublime delivery of firm piano and versatile singing.
Further into the listen, “The Rich Man” rumbles with a strong attention to detail in the vivid storytelling, while “Night” interprets Florence Price’s work with a stirring intimacy from the flowing keys and poetic vocals. “In The Mornin’” then truly showcases Meachem’s inimitable talent amid the soft, pretty keystrokes.
Approaching the end, “Hard Times Come Again No More” builds into a passionate landscape, and “At The River” exits with Aaron Copland arranging the Robert Lowry tune with the Meachem’s lush chemistry illustrating a timelessness you can’t help but admire.
This is the first solo album from Lucas, and, as to be expected, it is exceptionally rich with both fuller moments and ebbs of sparse, moving song craft. All proceeds from the album will go towards Meachem’s non-profit, Perfect Day Music Foundation, which promotes diversity in classical music, and gives us another great reason to explore Shall We Gather.