Justus - Someone's Waiting

Title: Justus - Someone's Waiting
Year/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 1986, Christian Rock, AOR, New Wave, British Columbia, Canada 9/26
Matrix #: 7-102-06986-3
Condition: VG (LM) | Members: Donny Hackett, Kevin Pahl, Rod Pahl | Producer: Roy Salmond, Dave Slagter, Justus
Cultural Facts:

1. Just Us Three: Justus had gone through so many changing band members that the remaining core eventually settled into a trio of Donny Hackett and brothers Rod and Kevin Pahl. A contemporary Cash Box feature explained the name as a joke on the fact that, after all the turnover, it was finally "just us."

2. Brothers in the Band: Rod and Kevin Pahl weren't simply guitarist and drummer. Both sang, played keyboards and wrote material, while Donny Hackett handled lead vocals, bass and keyboards. Nearly every song on Someone's Waiting was written from inside that three-man unit rather than handed to them by outside writers.

3. Canadian Band Goes Stateside: Their earlier album Don't Turn Away had appeared on the much smaller Tunesmith label, but Someone's Waiting moved Justus to Star Song, one of the major names in American contemporary Christian music. The leap gave this obscure Canadian trio a U.S. release alongside a label roster that would become closely associated with acts like Petra, White Heart and the Newsboys.