- I Miss Those Days
- Roses in a Dead Man's Hands
- If I Had Wings…
- The Broadway Bartender
- The Priest and the Iron Rain
- Baby, Don't Worry
- The Letter
After The Normals disbanded in 2002, frontman Andrew Osenga released an independent solo album (2003's
These are not joyful expressions of faith, but rather melancholic struggles with doubt and fear. The winsome nostalgia of "I Miss Those Days" finds Osenga longing for the past, yet hopeful of the new life he has with his wife. Uncertain of where his artistic career is heading, however, he expresses financial stress in light of his marital commitments in "Baby, Don't Worry," and questions whether he was once too naïve or if he's since lost his passion in "The Letter." Less autobiographical are "The Broadway Bartender" and "The Priest and the Iron Rain." Both are sad story songs—the latter inspired by Ernest Hemingway's
Osenga doesn't give easy answers here. "Roses in a Dead Man's Hand" is an evocative portrait of dried-up faith, and, in tandem with that, "If I Had Wings…" features the line, "I've forgotten what I need the most: the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost." Musically sparse and lyrically somber, this isn't as enjoyable as Osenga's work with The Normals or his solo album, which came close to cracking our Best Albums of 2003 list. However,