2001 - SOLO AGAIN - FIGURE IN A LANDSCAPE ...

…appears as a worldwide release on August 21, 2001. Gold Circle is a small independent record label, where John has signed a contract for 3 albums and where he feels comfortable. „It isn't easy to catch on when you have failed and when you are moreover considered to be difficult. People set a stamp on you. Gold Circle has put much trust in me and I am very much grateful for that.“

„...it´s the first album ever that I´ve made without a concept“, John elucidates. „The boss of Gold Circle Records asked me to do a record after he listened to a bunch of songs. I´ve chosen 11 of 15 and went into the studio. This happened within 3 weeks. It´s more a singer/songwriter thing with the melodic influences of my past. Ed Thacker did a great producer´s job. I was really surprised.“

„This album was made so quickly, and I was not sure if anybody knew what I did“, John explains further on. „It was the first album where I didn´t take out the microscope. I thought it won´t get that far, so have fun, throw it out and don´t worry about it. Some of it is so perfect that I wondered myself, and some of it isn´t quite what I wanted it to be. It´s rather a sketchbook. A sketchbook with about 4 or 5 really finished pieces but, a sketchbook anyway.“

„Keys To Your Heart“, the beautifully alive sounding opener, is pretty successful in Great Britain. In Germany, several notable music magazines take notice that the highly gifted Brit guy succeeds to attack our ears melodiously and
„Figure In a Landscape“ is reviewed positive mostly but nevertheless, John Waite seems to be one of the best hidden secrets still.

„NYC Girl“ - John wrote that charming ballad together with Glen Burtnik (Ex-Styx). „It´s a declaration of love to New York.“ John spent a big part of his life in New York. By listening to it one might know that this is one of the perfect pieces.

„Masterpiece of Loneliness“ is doubtless another one of those. „This song is about reflection and recollection“, John says - and he explains how he wants to have this song being understood: „In such a moment you are nothing“, he simply says. „I think the older you get the more you are able to understand this. I must skip ‚Masterpiece of Loneliness’ when I hear it. It´s too... me. It makes me wonder why I disclosed so much of myself. I delivered myself really. When I heard it after it was done I was thinking, 'God, you couldn´t have said it better than, well... masterpiece of loneliness. It´s a wonderful song which I couldn't have made at any other time.“

Defacto this song was designated to be on the 1997 album „When You Were Mine“ but... „I couldn´t make the keyboard player doing it my way. This time he did, and it was the same keyboard player!“

„Figure In A Landscape“ represents a wonderful collection of material that John has written during the past few years with top musicians such as Anthony Krizan, Shayne Fontayne, Chuck Kentis, Glen Burtnik and Will Jennings. This album contains many moods.
„The songs were written at various times over the last four years. It captures a lot of different moments and emotions in my life. Maybe more than any other album I've made. It's a very colorful album and explains a lot about what has happened to me. I'm very proud of it. It showed me where I want to go in the future. I´m happier now than I´ve ever been. The music is everything to me. I enjoy more than anything experiencing life and capturing the moments in music. And I love to play live. Who knows, maybe the next album is going to take a more rocky direction again.“

Photo Credit www.markweiss.com