DAVE HOLLISTER
There is perhaps no better artist than singer/songwriter Dave Hollister to testify about the virtues and struggles of a born again Christian man. As one of the most powerful and persuasive of this generation's soul singers, Dave made his mark in the mainstream music world – first singing background for folks across the spectrum of pop music from Yolanda Adams to Patti LaBelle; as a coveted session singer for motion pictures such as The Prince of Egypt and The Brothers; as a member of multi-platinum-selling group BLACKstreet, and then as an R&B solo artist with four albums featuring radio hits such as "One Woman Man" and "Take Care of Home." Then, around 2004, he made a profound life-altering decision to answer the call to ministry that was first put on his life when he was only 17. "I ran from it for a long time," Hollister says. "I finally decided to accept it once I came into the full knowledge of my relationship with God." This decision transcended to his musical career and Dave Hollister the R&B artist became Dave Hollister the gospel recording artist. The result of this transformation was his forthrightly titled Gospocentric/Zomba Gospel debut The Book of David: Transition, an honest and real series of mostly self-penned songs about struggles along life's path that eventually brought him closer to Jesus Christ.
Two years later, Dave Hollister returns with the continuation of that journey on Witness Protection, a CD that still reflects the catharsis of autobiography but more fervently reaches out to others with messages of light and hope – songs that are desperately needed not only among believers but Americans and citizens of the world. Those dual missions are clearly delineated in the album's humbling opening number "I'm Here" and the sonically thrilling "Glow." "I had several different concepts going through my mind when I started preparing this second album," Hollister shares, "but as I got closer to the actual recording, this big recession fell on America. People are hurting and need messages of striving. I began to understand that God wanted to use me to speak hope and faith into people. This new CD is still me...but it's a lighter me."
However, a "lighter" Dave Hollister does not mean one without a heavy concept overall. "From my all-time favorite singer Donny Hathaway and Curtis Mayfield in Chicago to Marvin Gaye in Detroit, most of us mid-western artists are very conceptual," Hollister – a Chicago native – states. "The idea behind Witness Protection is me entering into a witness protection program under The Lord as I go out to the people to give His message, so 'the enemy' can't touch me as I testify against his devices. The enemy wants people to be depressed and hopeless; broke in a recession forever; but I'm protected by The Holy Spirit and the angels to tell the people that God says there is always hope in Him."
Longtime fans will note the absence of skits and interludes that Hollister typically uses to bring his concepts to vivid life. "(chuckling) I just ran out of time this time," he confesses! "But in the absence of interludes and skits, I was very specific about the sequence of the songs so that they tell a story - from 'I'm Here,' which is my mission, to 'Champion' which is about everyone getting through these trying times victorious."
The first single from Witness Protection is "Striving," a joyous, hand-clapping declaration of faith that God has our backs in every waking day, therefore whom shall we fear? "Me and my band MVP (Most Valuable Players) have been performing that song for a year and a half now to amazing response." Dave says. "In fact, we had been performing a lot of these songs before recording them, so the live musicianship feel you hear is exactly the way we've been performing them in shows."
Key to the bulk of this album is Dave's 24 year-old cousin Jevon Hill, the album's primary writer and producer. It says a lot for Dave to turn over these responsibilities to anyone else, but he knew the power of Jevon's music would touch others because it touched him first. "Jevon has been my MD (musical director) for a while, but this is his first production and I'm very proud of him. Jevon and his friend Jeremy McIntyre used to have a group and originally did these songs for themselves but they never came out. But we've changed them considerably over the years. I did all of the background vocal arrangements to give them my signature. Jevon played all of the keyboards while his brother Jimmy Hill, Jr. played all of the slammin' drums. They're both a major part of my MVP band, along with Rick Benjamin who plays bass and wrote a couple of songs, and 22 year-old Markeith Black on guitar. Their songs spoke to me...saying things I wanted to say. I don't have to write every song on my albums. I just have to be in the same 'season' that the song is in. And when we hit them live...oh, man!"
