Adrienne Camp, née Liesching, returns to the music scene not with a progressive rock disc reminiscent of her past role of being front woman of The Benjamin Gate, but with a more acoustic project. The ironically titled Don’t Wait comes after a four year absence from Adie, and it shows a different side of her than most of her fans have previously heard.
Don’t Wait is beautifully produced and mixed, and Adie’s voice is smooth and clear. Her husband, Jeremy Camp, lends his talent to the strong song writing and production.
The CD starts with a nice guitar intro, and one of the more upbeat selections of the record, Your Way, commences. Adie’s South African accent is slightly obvious, but it is in no way distracting or difficult to understand. Your Way speaks of a difficult time in life, and Adie boldly declares “I'll follow you/Will you guide me/I want to live my life your way.” Beginning with a short piano solo, When It’s Over reveals our desperation to, when our life is over, be with Jesus forever. Sufficient is an ethereal song, combining excellent piano and gorgeous cello. The lyrics affirm the fact that God is sufficient for us, through the seasons of laughter or of pain. The title track encourages Adie, and the listener to break away from spiritual complacency and wastefulness. In an interview during the making of her album, Adie said “I’ve been a Christian for a long time, and it’s easy to get into a comfortable routine.” Overwhelm Me is a standout track, venturing in the folk genre, one that makes you want to snap along. It is in no way trivial, however, offering the thankful prose “I'm all I am/Because of what You gave up/Life for death/How do I start to say that I'm thankful Jesus.”
Time has a nice bass track, which complements the simple piano accompaniment, and restates the idea of not wasting time in life, especially not when we are in God’s presence. In the genre of Overwhelm Me, If I’ll Ever provides another welcome deviation from the CD’s majority of AC/pop tracks. An acoustic gem, What Have I Done?, shines. The instrumentation is stripped down to a single piano, and Adie’s pleasant voice asks “What have I done, Lord Jesus, to deserve this endless love?” After Broken, which features guest vocals from Jeremy Camp, the album concludes with Turn, Turn, Turn. This finale is a cover of a folk song written in the 60’s. Taken directly from Ecclesiastes, the biblically based track essentially sums the whole album up as a whole. Don’t Wait covers many topics, such as making the most of the time we’ve been given, clinging to God during the rough times, and our love of Jesus.
Adie says she feels a new resolve against spiritual complacency and a renewed desire to truly make every day count, and this shines through on Don’t Wait. The only disappointment is that the CD is only 35 minutes long. However, Adie truly makes the most of the time, and Don’t Wait shines. While the CD is musically soothing, lyrically, it is a challenge to us all.
Article by Darren Creech
