MECCA – 20 Years

Mecca is one of those outfits that I have heard and read about previously but never actually listened to until now, and I must say that this collection containing the group’s three studio albums is quite impressive and oozes class and professionalism.

We are essentially talking about AOR/melodic rock performed by world-class musicians – some of whom have trod the boards with Toto in the past. Melodically strong and exceptionally well-written, these crisp-sounding records are rich in atmosphere and not that far removed from what the aforementioned Toto and Pride of Lions are doing. Having said that, Mecca’s tunes are less (melo)dramatic than those of the latter, but Pride of Lions mastermind Jim Peterik did produce and co-write the “Mecca” album, so it is hardly surprising that his influence is all over that one. Several of the arrangements are quite clever, there is a great flow to the compositions, and the guitars sound lovely and have a nice bit of crunch to them. While each album has its fair share of highlights, some of which include “Gone”, “You Still Shock Me”, and “Ten Lifetimes”, they are luckily also slightly different to one another. While the self-titled debut is groovy and the sophomore effort “Undeniable” is incredibly varied, the third one (appropriately named “III”) comes across as a melancholy and heartfelt piece of work, and one could argue that it possesses more depth and emotional substance than its two predecessors not to mention that it has more longevity to it than the others. Still, all three albums are excellent and well worth checking out, and this nice-looking digipak is a fine celebration of Mecca’s past outputs. One can only hope that these gentlemen will soon crank out a fourth LP.