Reviews

I have always heard of Waking Ashland but unfortunately never had the chance to give them an honest listen.  There are so many bands that come and go that it is too difficult to predict which will be in and out in a couple weeks and which lucky few will get the chance to grace our ears for a bit longer.  I am very glad I was finally able to give them a chance with The Well.  
 
The first half of this album is, for lack of better words, phenomenal.  I had no idea what to expect when giving this disc its first spin and this definitely gave me a pleasant surprise.  The first thing that caught my ear is how clean these songs are; the slight crunch on the guitars, the acoustic quality of the drums and bass, and the remarkable vocals are unmatched by any artist that I can think of off the top of my head.  Add to this equation the beautiful lyrical quality and you’ve got a recipe for success. 
 
“Salt Lake Jam,” was an excellent choice to begin the album.  It takes a few seconds to start with a balladic piano sequence but quickly picks up the pace with the percussion entrance.  I cannot put my finger on it but this song has a certain funk to it that just makes me want to, well, dance.  The repetition of the choral lyrics is added tastefully.  This is easily my favorite track on the album.
 
There are sounds in the instruments that I cannot even describe.  Everything is so crisp and clear that you can hear every little synth, each gentle tap on every individual cymbal, even the double-tracked guitars seem to have a life of their own.  The lyrics embellish every inkling of sound that hits your eardrums.  The only thing I can use to describe them is inspirational without even understanding why.  Call it cliché, but these songs just make me happy. 
 
I wish the last half of the album kept up with the quality of the first half!  Once you get to “Sinking Is Swimming,” the energy in the album is killed with a strange piano tone.  The next song in sequence, “Mark Like Mine,” also begins with a piano.  When I was listening to the album through, it caught me a little off-guard.  It would have made more sense to space these songs out a little bit.  The rest of the songs are not bad by any means but they lack a certain luster that had me in a trance for the first 20 minutes.  “Mark Like Mine” is the better of the two.  I could see myself serenading a special someone with this song; Jones’ vocal performance is as stellar as ever. 
 
This album will be a favorite by die hard fans of Waking Ashland but for the standard listener, it will fall a bit short.  I do suggest that fans of Waking Ashland pick up this record, it is definitely something to have in your collection but it will not be the gold in your jewelry box.