One of those rare albums which  feels wholly crafted to be an album, carrying the listener along on terrain  carefully mapped and emotionally guided. The road runs from outright faith and  awe of God to admissions of failure and despair; pleas for strength, recognition  of selfishness, and a return to ultimate, undying, and hard-won faith. Probably  a landmark Christian rock album; only the lyrics slightly suffer, and probably  wouldn't if we hadn't known the heady days of Blue Belly Sky. The textures on  Unfazed are so sonically rich, Brad Olsen's guitar so powerful and inventive -  he belongs in a category with Lindsay Buckingham and Dave Navarro, while  sounding not like either of them. The music punches, rocks, and grooves so  beautifully one cannot imagine better versions or takes. Todd Olsen's voice  shows no strain now and greater inventiveness, reminding me of when Michael  Stipe really started to hit his stride. The rhythm section is muscular and  spot-on; kudos all around. All the songs are great, with "I Am, " "The Company  You Keep, " "Make It Disappear, " "Speak, " and "Too Many Miles" deserving  special mention; the latter anthem ("break my leg if You must, to keep me close  to You") should be any good Christian's prayer. ~ Doug Dwyer

The Waiting's third album  (1997) offered slightly darker imagery while retaining awe. Nobody writes about  the love of God like Todd Olsen (lead vocals, some guitar); on The Waiting, that  love is alternately grounds for wonder and fear. This tension culminates in the  astonishing "Hands in the Air, " which is likely to become Christian rock's  "Stairway to Heaven" or "Three Days": an incredible epic bearing the listener  along on an unforgettably powerful journey. Sonically, a little more daring than  its predecessor, Blue Belly Sky, and lyrically less dense, pointing the way  toward 1998's Unfazed. ~ Doug Dwyer