Call it the curse of "Our So Called Tour," meaning that if your favorite band or artist was on that tour, you can expect a very long wait between albums. Sarah Masen just recently released her first album since that tour. Sixpence fans have it even worse, waiting years for an album that's already been recorded. But for The Waiting fans, well, the wait is finally over.
After the somewhat disappointing, but much better than most, Unfazed, The Waiting makes a strong return to form with Wonderfully Made, an album that stands on its own not just in Christian music, but music in general. If INXS hadn't already taken the title of KICK, it would have made a great title for this album because this music has a real kick to it. It may have taken a few tries, but they have finally been able to capture the energy that fans love about their live show.
While the lyrics to most Waiting songs have always been strong, on this album they have taken that to an even higher level, especially on tracks like 'Sleepless,' 'Diamonds to Dust,' 'You Believe,' and just about every song on this album. Props to Brad Olsen for not dumbing it down.
This album is not without its flaws, the main one being that it only has 10 songs, which is puzzling considering that certain songs were left off. Also, the ending choir vocals in 'A Thousand Years (Is Not Enough)' belong on a Newsboys album.
But this is one of the best records of the year. It is not enough for an album to be considered good in the Christian music ghetto, it really has to rise above that and stand on its own. Wonderfully Made can be heard next to Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American, Pete Yorn's Musicforthemorningafter, New Order's Get Ready and more than hold its own.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by John WilsonDo people remember The Waiting? Their popular major-label debut back in 1997 spawned a pair of radio hits ("Never Dim," "Hands In The Air"), and earned them fans across the country. That album was quickly followed up by 1998's Unfazed, which was markedly more formulaic than its predecessor and suffered from lower sales. Now, after a three-year wait, The Waiting finally returns with Wonderfully…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Brian A. SmithThe KISS principle is often used in military terminology -- it stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid". The idea here is that instead of overanalyzing a situation, and overplanning for every possible contingency, you take what you know and go with the most obvious solution, thus saving yourself the doubt and hesitancy that comes from delay. On Wonderfully Made, The Waiting employs the KISS theme in…The Rebel Base 2001Reviewed by Josh HurstWhenever I listen to music, it usually affects me in some way. Whether it's a lyric or a melody, I usually have something stuck in my head after listening to an album. Strangely enough, however, The Waiting's new album, Wonderfully Made, left me with nothing. I could not remember a single chorus- or even a song title- after listening to it for the first time. Fusing rootsy rock with…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by John WehrleThere is a little bit of something for everyone here. While most of the songs are better produced with the likes of Bryan Lenox, the Waiting doesn't leave their traditional roots until the last songs on the project. Die hard fans are going to hear reminiscent sounds from Unfazed, while newer listeners will hear a different side of the band. Some of the traditional, overtly predictable songs are…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Dan SingletonBrad Olsen's thick vocal stylings (think Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies but an octave higher) continue to set The Waiting apart from other straight-ahead contemporary Christian rock fare. But that's the only reason I find this album interesting. All the songs seem to run together, same beat, same style. I haven't heard anything particularly groundbreaking from The Waiting since "Hands in the…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Alex KlagesThe Waiting's first nationally available album, Blue Belly Sky, produced by Gene Eugene was a rare gem of clever songwriting and catchy guitar-pop. Under the production talents of Steve Hindalong, their second album, The Waiting, was better again, with a more polished sound, and some great lyrics. However, many fans were somewhat disappointed with Unfazed. While perhaps the most unified,…Similar sounding releases
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