Description

The Way Love Is is the eighth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, and session bassist Rick Cua, released on Reunion Records in 1992, distributed by both Word Distribution and BMG Distribution. The album was produced by John Leslie Hug, Robert White Johnson, and Bill Cuomo. Arranged by John Leslie Hug.

It’s been hard to get excited about a Rick Cua album for a while now. Not that he isn’t capable: The former member of southern rock group The Outlaws was one of the first “secular” artists to come to the Christian maket and still reflect the same level of production values. But after great songs like «No Way Out» and «Don’t Say Suicide», well, maybe Cua just gave himself too tough an act to follow.

‘The Way Love Is’ may be the one to bring jaded fans back. Gone are the rock anthems and teen crisis pamphlets as Cua turns his attention to relationships – man to man, man to woman, man to God – wrapped in a slightly toned down package of whitebread power pop/rock, like post-Peter Cetera Chicago or a souped-up Toto.

Most of the songs revolve around romantic love: «Can’t Make Me Stop», «Better Than I Ever» and «I Would’ve Waited Forever» for example, are simple love songs, as the artist shows relationships are to be cherished as gifts from God. Bravely, Cua also confesses that, even in his 22 year marriage, there have been some rough spots, as in «When Love Comes Home»: “I can yell and I can scream/ And when I try to take ’em back/ It’s a little too late/ To every heart a ray of hope must fall/ But sometimes babe we don’t see it at all.”

The biggest disappointment of the album comes in «No Other Love», which seems to be from the ‘Jesus is my girlfriend’ school of writing, where the author doesn’t have the nerve to focus in one direction or another. Granted, our relationships with people and with God are interrelated, and a song can really be about both (see Rick Elias’ «Leave One Light On»), but the uncertainty about «No Other Love» makes us question the other songs of the album, as well.

And that’s too bad, when ‘The Way Love Is’ closes with three winners: «I Believe», while not as strong a statement as it could have been, expresses Cua’s faith; «Make Time For Love» wisely asserts that a relationship can’t develop unless you cultivate it; and «Loving You has Made Me Right» is just a gorgeous show-stopper Cua dedicates to his wife.

Given that the ups and downs of real life is so rife with possibilities, it’s a shame the album isn’t meatier. It’s also a shame the album didn’t make a stronger faith statement (even Amy Grant’s notorious ‘Heart in Motion‘ closed with “if anything good happens in life it’s from Jesus”). Some, in fact, may suspect Cua is being groomed by Geffen as the next big crossover.

It’s to Cua’s credit, though, that he’s willing to share with us his mortality, his faillings and the “for better and for worse” of his marriage. And, ultimately, ‘The Way Love Is’ is the work of a maturing artist – and a maturing man. [Chris Well, CCM, October 1992]

CD tracklist:

01. What If – 3:59
02. Can’t Make Me Stop – 4:22
03. Better Than I Ever – 3:58
04. When Love Comes Home – 4:40
05. Walk On Through The Fire – 4:06
06. No Other Love – 3:45
07. I Would’ve Waited Forever – 4:02
08. I Believe – 3:31
09. Make Time For Love – 4:26
10. Loving You Has Made It Right – 4:32

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Reunion Records.