Wake-Up Call

Petra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029EF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,964 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Midnight Oil

2. Good News

3. Strong Convictions

4. He's Been in My Shoes

5. Praying Man

6. Underneath the Blood

7. Sleeping Giant

8. Believer in Deed

9. Marks of the Cross

10. Just Reach Out

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My interest in this album definitely "woke up"!, November 15, 2001

By 

Dave Hilton (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wake-Up Call (Audio CD)

I never thought I would rate this album as high as four stars. When I first bought it in 1993, I would've given it 3 stars, at the most! However, isn't it a funny thing when a band's newest release is pretty bad, and you end up going back to listen to their earlier works? That happened to me with Van Halen, and that is now what happened to me with Petra after their horrible release called "Double Take"! "Wake-Up Call" had to grow on me for a few years, but since it was released 8 years ago, I have learned to appreciate the genuine creativity and excellent diversification that the band displayed in this album.

There is an excellent mix and arrangement of good, hard rockers and profound, moving ballads. The album starts with "Midnight Oil" , a fast-paced rocker introducing driving electric guitars and intense drumwork. Other good rocking songs are "Good News", "Strong Convictions", and "Underneath The Blood". The latter song is an AWESOME combination of all the band's talents: drums, guitar, vocals, bass, and keyboards. "Praying Man" is an intense creation...the band keeps true to its roots in this song with heavy keyboards and guitar. The song is reminiscent of their earlier works! The best song on this album is "Sleeping Giant". This song rocks with ease, has phenomenal build and energy, and Louie Weaver's drumming is fantastic! Even with all those pluses with the song, there is one flaw: no guitar solo. The song loses a little intensity there, but the vocals and drums make up for that mistake.

The ballads are not as powerful as their earlier works, but they are good, and the lyrics speak volumes. "He's Been In My Shoes" and "Marks Of The Cross" are both remarkable reflections of Jesus' life and sacrifice. "Believer In Deed" starts out slow, but eventually builds as a melodic rock song. What makes this song even better is Bob Hartman's guitar solo. It has a beautiful melody in this song and exquisite flow! Lastly, "Just Reach Out" ends the album, and this is one of John Schlitt's (lead vocals) first songs written for Petra. Actually an acoustic compilation, it is a mellow, but moving ballad that tells someone who to turn to in times of trouble and despair.

My only problem with this album is its production. John and Dino Elefante produced most of Petra's albums, but since Petra wanted to work and stay in Nashville, TN instead of California, they chose Brown Bannister to work on "Wake-Up Call". Prior to this album, he also produced some of Amy Grant's albums. This was a mistake...NEVER get a pop music producer to work on a hard rock band's album. The ending result was an album that lacked the distinctive "arena rock" Petra sound. The production took away some of the edge and intensity from Bob's guitar. Also, Louie's drums were not as hard; they were crisper and lighter, which doesn't blend as well with arena rock keyboards.

Despite the blemishes, get this album as soon as you can, especially if you've heard songs from the "Double Take" album. It demonstrates what Petra used to be and what they still could be!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wake-Up Call a triumphant return for Petra, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wake-Up Call (Audio CD)

Over the last two decades Petra has become an institution in Christian music. After dominating the 1980s, Petra entered the new decade with their finest album, "Beyond Belief." Their follow-up, "Unseen Power" was solid, but not a spectacular follow-up. It seems a change of producers was all it took. Brown Banister, who did wonders for Whiteheart on "Freedom", does a similiarly masterful job on Wake-Up Call. The sound is definitely "90s", and guitarest Bob Hartman shows he still one of the best in the business. The intense "Midnight Oil", catchy "Praying Man" and powerful "Sleeping Giant" makes this one of the top Petra albums of all time. One of the most pleasent surprises is Petra moving away from outdated 1980s keyboard style ballads. Instead, singer John Schlitt writes a fresh masterful acoustic based tune, "Just Reach Out" that closes the album leaving the listener wanted for more. "Wake Up Call" shows that once again this veteran band can change their music to fit the times. The MVP award goes to producer Brown Bannister, who took an established band to a newer, crisper sound, as well as drummer Louie Weaver, who's intense drumming paced the whole album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A Rock Solid Foundation", August 14, 2004

By 

Sean King (Hartford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wake-Up Call (Audio CD)

Petra was one of those nostalgic 80's Christain groups who took their message and their music/ministry very seriously, and rightly so! Much like the Christain group "Stryper" many of Petra's songs are passionate and these songs hunger for a closer (non-superficial) relationship with Jesus Christ.

"Wake Up Call" in my opinion, was one of Petra's best albums.
Songs like "Praying Man", "Sleeping Giant", "Believer In Deed" pack so much Holy Ghost anointing and fervor they will rock you outta your seat! These songs are really intended for the church as a reminder to wake up and stand firm in your calling in Christ, a true "no compromise" message.

My personal favorite: "Just Reach Out" at the end of the album is a beautiful ballad. I believe this song is intended to bring comfort and solace to a hurting and brokenhearted world (through the message of Christ). This song's message and music truly reflect the inner peace that we can experience as a natural result of "reaching out" to Him in our time of need. It's magnificent!

If you enjoy Christain rock, you won't wanna miss this album, the music is rockin' and the message is timeless!