John Waite Albums (10)
'Downtown: Journey of a Heart'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 12
Label Rounder
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What The Critics Say
If anyone who cracked the charts in the 1980s got a bum rap and was left hanging, it was John Waite. The British singer and songwriter fronted the intensely melodic Babys, who wrote well-crafted, hooky, straight-up rock tunes and power ballads. Then, with "Missing You," the monster single from his breakthrough record No Brakes, Waite was saddled as one of the dukes of power pop balladry. Nobody ever let him live it down. Waite fronted the supergroup Bad English with bandmates Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain from Journey, scored big once again with the overdone "When I See You Smile," and then went right back to being a solo artist. He has been accused of writing and singing directly for the charts and has been looked at impassively since the early '90s. It's too bad that the ballad and the power ballad have been looked at with such cynical disdain. Everyone looks at Sting as a "sophisticated" pop songwriter simply because he forgot how to rock and has to resort to gimmick-like lute music to get himself across. Waite has been stubborn; he's no changeling. His songs have always stuck closely to big-time rock & roll as a chosen method of expression whether it's an up-tempo shaker or a tear-jerking ballad. It's true that he's not always been wise in his choice of producers, but that said, he's always made exactly the record he wanted to make. Downtown: Journey of a Heart was issued in England and Canada last year, it hits the racks in 2007 on Rounder in the U.S. The title is the story. Waite has consistently written about the human heart seeking rest. The heart is his most consistent image in the same way that redemption has been Bruce Springsteen's. The album contains two new cuts, a cover of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," and a handful-and-a-half of tunes from his catalog. This isn't the first time he's tried to get his songs across on multiple albums, and there's good reason for that: nobody's really heard them apart from hardcore fans -- and God bless them for keeping him in the game, albeit on the margins. Be honest. Who ever heard the fine, sometimes brilliant Figure in a Landscape from 2001? Or the fine Hard Way from 2004? This time out, he's very smart. He's got a tight band that includes ex-Springsteen guitarist Shane Fontayne and keyboard boss Reese Wynans and a slew of others; Waite's name is listed first in the producer's chair. The music here is edgy, sharp and expertly executed. For the first time in a long, long while Waite might get a chance here in the States. Yes, he re-does "Missing You," but with a twist: Alison Krauss duets with him on it, and she proves she can sing any damned thing she pleases -- especially rock & roll. If there's justice, he might crack it again with this track, but it's far from the best thing here. His "Hard Way" is a narrative rocker with punch, grit and steam. His beautiful re-do of "New York City Girl" is one of the finest broken love ballads to fall out of an album in this decade. The Dylan cover is well meant and reveals Waite's agility as a singer: he proves yet again that he has the ability to sing the rock-blues, but it wasn't necessary here. "St. Patrick's Day," one of the new songs, is a fine story ballad and proves the man can still write mean and lean narratives worthy of greatness. Waite spins a yarn worthy of the rock generations that preceded him -- Van Morrison, Springsteen, Willy DeVille, Mellencamp, Richard Thompson -- yeah, it's a diverse group, but Waite's a Brit who gets this place better than most Americans. He tells a story that follows his protagonist through shifting scenes and crowds to zero in on a pair of lovers in an impossible world who somehow succeed. It's deep, moving and full of extra touches that make it irresistible. "Head First" is wilder than its original version, and it's one of those crazy hedonistic straight-up rockers that's been missing from the scene for at least a decade. Then there's "Downtown," from his 1995 album Temple Bar, a piano-painted ballad that looks deep into the Big Apple, its vast emptiness in the middle of everything, where energy and movement are everything but connection itself. Here is the heart seeking heat anywhere it can find it, from memory, the shifting landscape of downtown, and the rootlessness that only freedom can bring. The set closes with a stripped down version of Bad English's big one. "When I See You Smile" is full of strummed 12-strings, and Wynans' gorgeous B-3, with a neat slide part adding just enough tension to make the tune hungry and real. The bottom line in all this is that Waite has not only still got it, but his songs endure when played in a modern context. There isn't a tired moment here, all of it is vital, bursting with red blood, passion and taste. Waite's back (though he was never away as a songwriter) in color in a black-and-white era of generic, dour rock anthems and empty pop songs. On Downtown: Journey of a Heart, he's on his craft; let's take notice. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
John Waite has reinvented himself several times throughout his lengthy career. First starting off as leader of the melodic rock outfit the Babys, Waite then went the 'adult pop' route of his solo career (the massive hit "Missing You"), before joining up with a few Journey alumni for the best-forgotten supergroup, Bad English. Afterwards, Waite continued on his merry way as a solo artist -- revisiting the same direction that made him well-known to the MTV masses back in the '80s, especially on his 2004 release, The Hard Way. Exactly what you'd expect from Waite in this stage of the game, Hard Way sees Waite continuing with what he's done well all along -- songs that focus largely on relationships (the album opening title track, the ballad "Always Be Your Man," etc.) -- while his voice remains in fine form. If you dug such past Waite favorites as 1982's Ignition and 1984's No Brakes, you're sure to enjoy The Hard Way. In fact, stylistically, it would have fit in perfectly as the follow-up release to the two aforementioned titles. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Figure in a Landscape'
Release Date 8/21/2001
Tracks 11
Label Gold Circle
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Like most singers, John Waite is only as good as the songs he sings (i.e., he still packs prime pipes), but Waite's quest for chart action often leaves him churning out demographically inspired, clinical machinations. Why doesn't anyone ever return to power pop roots? At any rate, Figure in a Landscape goes for a mature, adult contemporary atmosphere, but comes across as competent, countrified ennui. Opener "Keys to Your Heart" gets things going in a decent direction. "NYC Girl" oozes cool urban imagery, and "Thinking About You" isn't bad. "Special One" kicks up a little dust, but never gets dirty. Lone rocker "Godhead" smokes ten years after Chris Cornell embodied the term. Classy torch-closer "Masterpiece of Loneliness" holds some heartfelt sentiment, but the other songs (including a Vince Gill tune) are yawners. Waite's sole smash, "Missing You," is a stigma that will forever haunt the singer, and that's apparent from the excessive amount of mellow numbers here. Like most stars from the '70s, Waite possesses a larger-than-life persona, and his particular style of verbosely turning bulky phrases (à la Meatloaf) remains an engaging trait. But the ever-present professional gloss doesn't make Figure on the Landscape any more distinctive, and, barring a miracle, this album won't make Waite any more of a star. Still, it's always a pleasure to hear that voice. ~ Doug Stone, All Music Guide
'The King Biscuit Flower Hour'
Release Date 5/18/1999
Tracks 11
Label King Biscuit
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What The Critics Say
With When You Were Mine, John Waite toned down his hard rock influences in an attempt to regain the adult contemporary radio audience he once had. Although the results aren't entirely successful -- too often, the songs lack a strong melody or hook -- there's enough well-crafted mainstream pop here to satisfy longtime fans, even if there aren't any singles strong enough to win back his crossover popularity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
John Waite's second solo album, No Brakes, reached the Top Ten, almost entirely on the strength of "Missing You," a truly perfect single. The song deservedly became not just a number one hit, but one of those records that everybody knows, capturing a time yet transcending it to become part of the very fabric of pop culture. Put it this way -- Tina Turner covered it, and nobody noticed. It goes without saying that there isn't a song here as good as "Missing You," but that's not a fair comparison since it was more than enough that the moment of brilliance occurred at all. So, no, Mask of Smiles doesn't have a great should-have-been-a-contender single, yet it's a surprisingly strong, tight little record. After No Brakes, it is the strongest album Waite ever recorded (which may be the reason this concludes with a song called "No Brakes"), and it even had a single -- the insistent "Every Step of the Way" -- that stood out among the rest. No, it wasn't as brilliant as "Missing You," but few singles are. Instead, it was a great piece of mainstream pop craft, and that's really what the whole album is -- professionally crafted mainstream rock that's engaging because of its sense of craft. This is an album that plays with the past -- with the midsection devoted to a "Lust for Life" that isn't a cover but an "Ain't That Peculiar" that is -- yet thoroughly is in the present, with a lot of processed guitars, synchronized rhythms, and synthesizers. This, of course, means that it's thoroughly a product of its time, but there's a real energy to Waite's performances; plus, it's well-made and well-sequenced, so it plays like a hit album that never was. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Two years later after his solo debut, Ignition, John Waite returned with No Brakes, an album that had success in its sights. Cleverly, the record not only had an explicit commercial pop bent, featuring mid-tempo pop tunes and ballads, but it also rocked like a bastard, particularly on the opening cut, "Saturday Night." Most importantly, it had a hit single in the song "Missing You." And this wasn't just a hit, either -- it was one of those thrilling pop moments where perfection appeared in the last place you expected to hear it. Waite's voice had always been perfect for FM radio, and it fit the Babys perfectly, but it never had a vehicle as ideal as "Missing You." Perched perfectly between anthemic mainstream rock and sleek post-new wave pop, it was a minor miracle -- a flawlessly written, classicist pop song, delivered with a stylish, MTV-ready flair. It deservedly became not just a number one hit, but one of those records that everybody knows, capturing a time yet transcending it to become part of the very fabric of pop culture. "Missing You" was surely the reason No Brakes scaled the top of the charts, but the album wasn't just a single surrounded with filler. The rest of the record was as expertly crafted, constructed, and performed as the best of Ignition. In retrospect, it might sound a little bit too much like 1984, thanks to the big drums and clean production, but that's its charm: It's a prime example of fine mainstream rock circa the mid-'80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
John Waite had known stardom as a member of the Babys, a British quartet that had a brief run on the American charts in the late '70s and early '80s. During the heyday of punk rock, they were unapologetic stadium rockers with their feet planted firmly in the mainstream, and it worked -- they just missed the Top Ten with "Every Time I Think of You" and "Isn't It Time." That was nothing compared to what would follow when Waite's solo career finally took off, yet it took a little effort for that career to gain momentum. He released his first solo album, Ignition, in the summer of 1982. Musically, the record certainly took its cues from the Babys, but it was also a product of its times, exhibiting a considerable new wave production sheen. That much was evident from the surging opener "White Heat," with its glistening, processed guitars and tight rhythms. It's the sound of stylized, commercial mainstream rock in the early '80s, and the rest of Ignition follows this pattern to an appealing end. True, the record has a couple of moments that seem like filler, but not in a bad way; that's because the production sounds good, and Waite's performances are always inspired. The problem is that no matter how well-crafted Ignition is, none of its songs are total knockouts -- the kind of single that would break down the doors to mainstream radio, regardless of whether it was given a push. And so, even though it was a very good solo debut, Ignition withered on the vine. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
