David Gray - Life In Slow Motion
By: Patrick Vu | Category: Album Reviews | 09/13/05 | 09:25 PM
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 Grade: B+ |
Genre: Folk/Soul/Rock
Summary: Life In Slow Motion , though not the head turner that White Ladder was, totally stands on its own and is an album to be proud of. It lingers and waits for the right moment to imprint itself in your senses...if you're willing to give it the time.
When David Gray came out from nowhere with his sleeper hit, "Babylon," in early Spring of 2000, no one stateside could tell you whom the raspy voice piloting the folk soul fusion belonged to. Originally touted as a Dave Matthews discovery (luckily we didn't hold it against him), Gray's little tune caught on and went from sleeper to our generation's anthem of love and rejuvenation. With that, came immense popularity for his fifth record, White Ladder, that has inevitably become more of a burden than a blessing. To this day, "Babylon" still shadows him everywhere he goes and has become a scale by which all subsequent works are measured, including 2002's disappointing, A New Day At Midnight. |
David Gray finally returns with Life in Slow Motion, a "real" studio album that enlists, for the first time, outside producer, Marius De Vries, to help redefine an artist who has never quite been able to define himself. Slow Motion stays true to the honesty that Gray's voice deserves, while updating a familiar sound that Gray fans inhale like life support.
"Alibi" sets up the album with a quiet intro that builds and builds until Gray rushes to the mic with aching precision. You'll never hear someone describe his voice as silky smooth, but why would you want to? He is able to use his God-given pipes like darts at your heart to make you feel every lyric of every verse. Like James Taylor, Van Morrison or even Otis Redding, Gray's voice is what transcends the music and the man.
"Lately" is subtle and light...reminiscent of a handful of tunes off Gray's beautiful collection of Lost Songs 95-98. It floats on a breeze and is trademark David Gray sensibilities with wonderfully sour lyrics like, "Drag a salted kiss \ From this cup of bliss." Just like the overall theme of the album, it's a track that doesn't instantly grab you, but if you give it a chance, you'll fall for it hard.
"Ain't no love" guiding track seven, apparently, but whatever it is, Gray seems to be finding his way. His tunes may always sound like lullabies of heartache and misery, but if you listen close enough, there's always an underlying sense of redemption and fulfillment.
David Gray has always been a proponent for introspection and the exposition of inward emotion. When you listen to his music, you'll inevitably find a song that defines you as a human being. At times, he seems to know you better than you know yourself and is able to lay it down on record so that you can sing it to yourself over and over again. Life In Slow Motion, though not the head turner that White Ladder was, totally stands on its own and is an album to be proud of. It lingers and waits for the right moment to imprint itself in your senses...if you're willing to give it the time.
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