Pining for a life beyond, Douglas Mann blends sacred imagery with organic Folk and Americana inflections to echo our timeless human obsession with ethereal release in his original song, "Waiting on Angels." A laid-back tempo and subtle acoustic instrumental tones anchor the experience in earthy textures, warmly supporting the emotionally raw and soulfully engaging tones of Mann's voice.
The overall tone and feel of "Waiting on Angels" is poignant - making ample use of silence and simplicity to deliver a message that doesn't need much adornment. Mann's vocal approach is brilliant for the style, bringing a certain authenticity and grit to the experience in full service of the intended effect. Using alternative percussion and sparingly applied slide guitar amplify the spiritual atmosphere of the song nicely as well.
The most impressive facet of "Waiting on Angels" is the lyrical content - blending with the song's down-tempo pace and spacious sound to fully illustrate a sense of longing, endlessly waiting for release from this plane of existence. The very first line sets an incredible theme, "Angels can't fly with broken wings, but my, oh my, hear them sing." And the following bar creates just a hint of ambiguity as well - "Through lies and alibies, a sweet, sweet chorus of lullabies..." prompting listeners to lean in and dwell on the question: who's lying, the angels or the one waiting for them?
Fans of homegrown Folk and Americana will fall instantly in love with the sound that Douglas Mann is producing here, and the lyrical content and overall experience contained in "Waiting on Angels" promises to resonate deeply with listeners from a broad range of backgrounds.
Something about Mann's unapologetically earthy vocals both elevate and anchor the ethereal lyrics of "Waiting on Angels", and that paradoxical tone stands to appeal directly to the ongoing human experience of anyone who happens to listen in.
- Jon Wright, RadioAirplay.com