John's new CD, Figure In A Landscape" (release date, August 21, on Gold Circle Records), will demonstrate yet again that he is a unique singer-songwriter. The distinct vocal style he is known for shines through every track.

The CD's opener, "Keys To Your Heart," which will be the first single released from the album, is an upbeat song in the "Americana" vein. It's already garnered a very favorable review in Billboard Magazine's singles column.

"Fly," which is expected to be the second single, is about the need to let go of certain emotions and the determination to carry on with life once you've done so. It was written and originally recorded by a band named Radford.

"Their A&R man played me that song," John recounts, "and I'm thinking, man, that's a beauty. It sounds like The Babys would sound. I made a mental note of it, and when we came around to cutting tracks, I rang the singer up and said, would he mind if we cut his song? It's like being Frank Sinatra at some point. He once said that singing songs is like pulling out fine bottles of wine. When you are a singer-songwriter, it's nice to have a bottle of somebody else's wine occasionally."**

Two tracks that stand out from the CD are "New Thing," for its Spanish-sounding acoustic guitars, and "My Special One," for its Ry-Cooder-like slidework. Not the styles we're used to hearing from John.

There's also a faithful rendition of Vince Gill's "Whenever You Come Around." Says John: "I went to see Vince Gill play at the Garden in New York City about five years ago and he played it. I made a mental note that it was a very beautiful song. I'm a big fan of country artists, and that's a stellar artist and a beautiful song. I just wanted to put my spin on it."** On "Godhead," the disc reaches another level. Although the dictionary definition of the word "Godhead" speaks of divinity, John's application is a little more abstract. Here, he sings of sexuality in its most majestic form, and the song's psychedelic instrumentation seems to echo his sentiment.

The foundation to a good album is impeccable song writing and "Figure In A Landscape" comes close. You will definitely be moved. John has drawn from many of his diverse musical influences and proves that he has matured and come to fruition as an artist. He submits these songs from his soul. This effort should put John Waite back on the charts!

John has spent the summer of 2001 on a large-scale tour throughout the U.S. He's been putting in an energetic set each night and the response has been overwhelming. "This is the best I have ever felt," he says, "and I'm having such a great time on tour. It's great to be back out there, seeing all those familiar faces."

John will embark on a solo tour this fall, and you can get all the details about it at johnwaite.com. He'll be playing many of his classics, plus several numbers from "Figure In A Landscape," like "NYC Girl," "Thinkin' Bout You," and the afore-mentioned "Keys To Your Heart" and "Fly."

Written by Christine Baronak
(** These quotes used with permission of Russ Blomstedt)

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John Waite
Figure In A Landscape
Gold Circle, 2001
[Similarities: Glen Burtnick, Don Henley, Patty Smyth]

John has matured from kick ass rocker into melodic crooner (with hints of the blues) on his last few efforts, and this one is no different. What is different though this time out is the songs seem to have more punch and come across more memorable as this figures to be his best work since his Bad English Days. The opening title track is a melodic romp that is not unlike his best work with Glen Burtnick. Other upbeat highlights include "Thinkin' 'Bout You", "Special One" and "Godhead". And of course, one of John's strengths has been ballads and here you get the huge "Always Be Your Man" and the introspective "NYC Girl". The lyrics are some of the best that John and company have laid down and really go far to separate this from much of the AOR also-rans. Much of them feel like stories rather than your standard verse-chorus-verse. Just listening to a song like "Touch" can bring tears to your eyes. Though maybe a little ballad heavy for some, the standouts push this disc way above average. Simply a great effort from one of the true legends of the genre.

Kurt Torster

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