Customer Reviews

Awaiting Redemption

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've always loved Hal Ketchum, but this album is a quantum leap beyond anything he's released before. It's intimate, heartbreaking, beautiful and raw. Not at all typical country, it incorporates blues and rock in a way that even my husband, who hates country music, pricked up his ears and remarked, "Who is this? This is really interesting!" I'm sorry Hal had to go through the hell he apparently endured in the past few years, but this is an honest breakthrough album similar in feeling (if not in sound) to Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time" and John Hiatt's "Bring the Family." I hope the Powers That Be in Nashville allow Hal to continue releasing great albums like this that push the boundaries of the genre.

Awaiting Redemption is everything I love about Hal Ketchum. It's edgy, melancholy and poignant, with songs about real life and lost love. Ketchum truly speaks from the heart on each of these songs, with each track written and performed to perfection. While the entire disc is tremendous, Lonely Old Me and Days of Wonder are two songs that are Hal's best, evoking raw emotion in both the lyrics and music.

Anyone who has seen Hal in concert knows that this album is a close to concert performance, and is without a doubt the best and most underrated work in country music today.

This is the one to own, ladies and gentlemens. Gone are the glitzy over-produced sound of a typical studio cd, leaving you with the raw sound of Hal and his band live in the studio. "Awaiting Redemption" puts you in the front row. If you only buy one cd this year, buy this one. I guarantee satisfaction! Hot tracks..."Days of Wonder", "Too Many Memories", "Turn of the Wheel", "Dear Anna Lee", and the rockin title cut. Don't miss it!!

This CD is awesome from beginning to end. It has to be Hal's best CD release to date, partially due to the fact that the songs were recorded live in the studio. The songwriting is superb; listen to the tenderness of the opening song "Days of Wonder." There are five songs previously recorded on the I SAW THE LIGHT CD that are given a new treatment here. The live recordings give the songs a new life, removing the polished studio sound that was evident in prior releases. "Dear Anna Lee" was written in the hull of a ferryboat in which Ketchum stowed away. It is delivered as a letter from a man who is lost at sea in a storm to his girl back home and describes the feelings of hopelessness and despair experienced. "When Blue Was Just A Color" is a great song about sadness. My favorite song on this CD is the bluesy title cut, "Awaiting Redemption," which features a hot electric guitar solo by producer Stephen Bruton. I can't say anything negative about any of the cuts on this CD, and that's a rare thing for me to say.

With this album, Hal has accomplished what Garth Brooks tried to do by creating his alter-ego Chris Gaines. He has shown us the variety and depth of his musical talent, without betraying his country roots, nor trying to hide behind a false persona. Hal plays some rock, some blues, some country, and its all music form the heart. I can't get over what an incredible album this is. Anyone with a desire for passionate music should pick this one up. You'll never put it down.

I saw Hal Ketchum sing in 1996. He had just written "Days of Wonder" and "Turn of the Wheel", which he performed. They are still as soul baring and truthful as they were 3 years ago. Hal allows his soul to shine through in his writing and in his voice as always. This is an excellent album, with a wide range of emotions, all done in Hal style.

This is the album Hal Ketchum fans have been waiting for. While it's sure not to find favor among the Nashville country machine, it should introduce Hal in a big way to fans of "Americana." Songs like "Too Many Memories", "Tell Me", and "Turn of the Wheel" are honest and heartfelt and deserve to cross format lines. Bravo-- is this the album that got shelved several years ago??

This is Hal's best for the moment. I say that because he is just getting started. Close your eyes, the music embraces your spirit bringing Hal to your heart with a spell-bounding force, He is the Pied Piper of the Heart. Though different from his past CDs this one clearly states Hal follows his own heart.This CD should never been shelved for two years.

Ketchum's last cd exemplified some of the worst traits of contemporary Nashville: pandering to radio trends of the week, glossy overproduction, a reluctance to take chances that borders on obsession...Ketchum himself admitted that his heart was just not in the last cd. I first listened to "Past the Point of Rescue" (originally sung by Mary Black--check it out; it's gorgeous) because Ketchum brought something new to the country formula: radio-ready yes, but folky and interesting songs beautifully sung. "I Saw the Light" seemed like pandering to radio. "Awaiting Redemption" has soul, grit and heart. If Ketchum continues in this vein, he won't have to wait for redemption. He has already redeemed himself.

This is Hal's best for the moment. I say that because he is just getting started. Close your eyes, the music embraces your spirit bringing Hal to your heart with a spell-bounding force, He is the Pied Piper of the Heart. Though different from his past CDs this one clearly states Hal follows his own heart.This CD should never been shelved for two years.