Description
The Waiting is the debut album by the American arena rock band Fighter, released on Wonderland in 1991, distributed by Word. (Wonderland was a short-lived alternative imprint of Word run by Caesar Kalinowski, who also was the mastermind behind other record labels such as Graceland and Intense.) The album was produced by Caesar Kalinowski.
The nucleus of Fighter, a young Iowa-based band, has been in place for six years and the group has developed a great vocal blend, mostly due to the fine pipes of co-lead singers Amy Wolter and drummer Sean Murphy. It’s unusual to see a drummer handle the lead vocal role. Murphy has a good grasp of rock vocal theatrics and his drumming is steady and imaginative. But given the dearth of women in the front position in Christian rock, Fighter would have done well to center its focus on Mrs. Wolter. The songs which feature her voice, such as «Look Me in the Eye», «Shadows», «Do What You Want Me To», «The Waiting» and «Radio Man» (an airplay natural) are far and away the best tracks. Wolters’ husky pipes will doubtless draw comparisons to Pat Benatar and the Wilson sisters of Heart, and Fighter’s musical approach will remind some of arena rockers such as Journey.
Billy Heller is a tasteful lead guitarist, who skillfully weaves melodic licks and lyrical solos into the songs, and keyboardist Mark Pence and bassist Jim Wolter add deft touches on the instruments. But one expects more imagination and depth out of performers who have been together so long. This is not to suggest that Fighter is “not ready for prime time”, only that a tad more attention to presentation and a touch more seasoning would have made this an exceptional debut. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, June 1991]
Fighter’s press release describes their debut, ‘The Waiting’ as a “youth pastor’s dream.” Uh oh, sounds like another Nashville kids praise ensemble with electric overtones. But wait! After a quick listen, we find a very accessible rock ‘n’ roll adventure that will actually please that youth pastor’s scatter-brained flock. Even though this release is not of a thoroughbred metal derivation, it does offer some aggressive passages featuring guitarist Bill Heller, who has performed with “members of Megadeth.” Now, does that mean that he was in that band . . . or met them once at a seafood grotto that just happened to have an acoustic guitar laying in the corner. . . or. . . well, it doesn’t really matter because Heller is a very talented fill man as he tracks behind the dual vocal duties of Amy Wolter and Sean Murphy. Wolter provides glimpses of being one of this season’s best new female rockers . . . finally! (It was only a matter of time before readers began to send claims of sexism due to my badgering of Ransom and Arsenal.)
Sean Murphy, her vocal companion, delivers timely punctuation through his early 80s classic rock stylings that bring back memories of Don Henley («Radio Man») and Triumph’s Rik Emmett. Overall, Fighter will quench your desire to hear a music salad featuring a little Idle Cure, some Halo and a bit of the new Liaison. For pure ministry and musical appeal, Fighter comes out on top with a debut T.K.O. [Kevin Allison, Harvest Rock Syndicate, Issue 2, 1991 (Volume 6)]
CD tracklist:
01. Look Me In The Eye
02. Wishful Thinking
03. Shadows
04. Face To Face
05. Star One
06. Do What You Want
07. Running The Race
08. Nice Guy
09. The Waiting
10. Radio Man
11. Stop Look Listen
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Wonderland. A remastered version was re-issued on CD by Girder Records in 2019 as a part of the label’s Legends of Rock Series, containing four bonus tracks – the original 4-song demo EP containing “Radio Man” and “Face to Face” (which both were later re-recorded and put on The Waiting), as well as “Leo” and “Irresponsible Evil” (which are only on the EP that were sold only at concerts).
An advertisement for the Wonderland label – featuring The Waiting by Fighter, Heartbreak Town by The Stand and Step On It by Jet Circus – was published in the April 1991 issue of CCM Magazine.
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