The 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, sonically, of their albums, the production tended to turn The Waiting in a more polished pop direction, rather than the edgier rock sounds of their first two albums.
This might seem like an unnecessary introduction, except that I think the key to this album, the band's fourth major release (not counting the early, independent Tillburry Town or the Sparrow re-release of Blue Belly Sky) is knowing which of the two types of album this is. This album is definitely another step in the pop direction, for the most part.
This is, in many respects, too bad, since The Waiting, live, are essentially a guitar-based rock band. An intelligent rock band, but a rock band. Some of the tracks simply seem too poplike and over-polished, as a result. The production work is not bad, by any means; Bryan Lenox certainly knows what he's doing, and the result of his production will likely be much more Christian radio success for this band. Sonically, it's a mix of roots-rock with some Newsboys-styled programming and percussion.
That caveat aside, this album is a good one. The songwriting, as one would expect from The Waiting, is strong. The lyrics, this time around including such notables as Mac Powell (Third Day) as cowriters, are good, and the melodies are quite decently hummable.
The imagery of "Diamonds to Dust" is strong, a reminder of the changes that occur in life, but also that God is there in all the changes to guard and guide us.
Other strong tracks are "The Rest Of The World," "You Believe," and "A Thousand Years." However, the one track which really made this album work, for me, is oddly enough the track which doesn't really fit the mold of the rest of the album. "Sleepless," a song which laments the effects of sin in the world and in our own lives, alternately pleads and screams "Why?"
Oh sin, Oh sin.
It leaves me here without and hollowed out within
Oh sin, Oh sin
Like a fool to his folly I keep coming back again...
Brad Olsen's voice has never experienced such a wide range of expression on any previous album, let alone any previous song. This song alone is worth the price of admission.
On the whole, this album is growing on me, but it just doesn't seem to have the timeless qualities of their self titled or Blue Belly Sky. Was it worth the wait? Certainly. But I hope we don't have to wait as long for the next one.
3.5 tocks
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…ReAL Magazine 2001Reviewed by Jose B.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…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…Similar sounding releases
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