About "unhurried" (some will say: boring) music:
I was listening to Neil Young's "Harvest" for the very first time yesterday. Call me a total ignorant (and you'll be right), but somehow I never got to Neil Young up to this date. I saw the album mentioned somewhere, and thought I'd give it a listen. I was unaware of the fact that this is his signature album, and was a billboard no. 1 back then. I just thought: Okay, here's an album that some people seem to like, let's see how it is.
Now, the reason I'm mentioning this: The album is good, I liked it a lot. But in no way is it something that immediately says: hit record! It's totally unassuming, simple melodies, (mostly) sparse arrangements, temperate guitars and singing. Nothing groundbreaking even for 1972, nothing bold or loud or risky or experimental. But still very good! There's not one song on it that I didn't like, and several of them I found touching. In short: "Harvest" is in no way better or more surprising on a first listen than what I've heard of Mark's upcoming album so far. And still it seems to have achieved legendary status over time!
I think this status - and Neil Young's in general - may be well deserved. But my reaction, I think, shows that a great record doesn't always need flashy guitar solos, 15-minute song epics, stadium-compatible sing-along choruses or wild experimentation. There is such a thing as "unhurried grace", and it can be great, too. I'm quite confident that "One Deep River" will deliver exactly that.