THE WAITING, speak candidly about the pain and challenges leading up to their new album. Tony Cummings reports.

The Waiting

As any rock buff will tell you, REM hail from Atlanta, Georgia, as do at least a dozen excellent Christian rock bands. Amongst the very best are The Waiting, whose music has gradually moved from strong REM influences ("alterna -jangle - rock" was how one critic described their first recording) to a more generic pop rock sound made for Christian radio play. The latest album recorded by The Waiting - Brad Olsen (vocals); brother Todd Olsen (guitar); Clark Leake (bass) and Brandon Thompson (drums) - is 'Wonderfully Made' in more senses than one.

"We decided at the beginning that we wanted to make a record from a position of strength in Christ," says Brad Olsen. "We wanted to scream from the rooftops that we are full of joy; that we are happy and we are strong. I think we have done that. This record screams hope. It screams joy. It screams strength and power and fun. And it doesn't just say it through the glimmer of hope during difficult circumstances that many of our previous records have done."

'Wonderfully Made' is an engaging 10-song collection of original songs that celebrate life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Produced by Bryan Lenox (Michael W Smith, dc Talk, Sonicflood) along with guitarist Todd Olsen, 'Wonderfully Made' is The Waiting's first new album in three years, since their groundbreaking, Dove-nominated 'Unfazed', and their first on the Inpop label.

'"Unfazed' wasn't the type of record we all wanted to make," admits Brad. "We got thrown into the process of needing to meet a lot of deadlines and we did some co-writing with people outside of the band.... Since we all didn't go in agreeing with what we wanted 'Unfazed' to be, it made the recording process all the more difficult."

"The disagreements about the record were only part of the problem," interjects Todd. "We also had to maintain as much balance as we could recording in three different studios, temporarily living in Nashville during the week for the sessions, flying off on the weekends to play concerts and going home to our families in Atlanta whenever we could."

"Those were hard times, with everyone personally going through transitions," recalls Brad's wife, Shannon, who joined the band on the road in hopes of maintaining some sort of marital normalcy. But even her presence on the three-month tour didn't solve the problem of missed time with other friends and family members. "When the tour would have a day off, the bus would stop in Nashville so we had to hop in the car and drive all the way to Atlanta," she recalls. "We can only talk so much about the frustrations we experienced because so much more came out of that period in our career," says Leake. "It's easy to have sour grapes when things don't go your way, but when you talk to people who tell you that a song has truly changed their lives for the better, you start to forget that there are certain musical elements of that song you could do without.

"While working with them on 'Wonderfully Made', I had them dig very deep musically to make sure all the sounds were right for this record. In doing that, I've seen first hand that, spiritually, they're not kids anymore. These are men of God who have wrestled with things but have come out stronger."

"The title track really captures the theme of the record, that we all need to be happy with how God has made us and where he's put us," explains Brad, who co-wrote the song with Third Day's Mac Powell. "Maybe things don't work out all the time for you, but God made you correctly, and your destiny is wonderful."

"It's been a roller coaster ride, but the guys have come to know who they are in Christ before their spot in the band," adds Shannon. "In Brad's case, I've seen personally that knowing who he is in Christ and knowing where he stands in God's Word has made the roller coaster ride a lot smoother and helped this album become stronger."

"I remember what it was like to be that cool band for just a second," recalls Brad. "I've always been tempted to think we'll be the next biggest thing, but I've learned that selling millions of records isn't the true objective. For us, the assignment is to put out records, hit the road and encourage those we meet along the way. It's not about believing the hype people may say or about falling into the temptations that come with success. It's about truly serving God and allowing him to use us beyond our wildest dreams."