Life in Slow Motion (CD) by David Gray

In 1993, singer/songwriter David Gray was playing to a handful of people in the Cafe Sine, on New York's lower east side. Ten years and a few record deals later, Gray was playing in the same city, but the venue, the famed Madison Square Garden, was considerably larger. Gray, a master of melody, built his fan base the old fashioned way, by working hard and staying true to his art.

Life In Slow Motion, the follow up to Grays multi-million selling New Day At Midnight, is a well-rounded disc. "The One I Love" is pop perfection. Gray sounds a bit like U2 frontman Bono, as he slips into the body of a dying man. The song has a lot of subtle things going on production wise, yet the melody is so addictive you hardly even notice. "Lately" is a sparsely produced, and somewhat hypnotic, track. Gray stretches his voice like a warm piece of taffy. "Slow Motion" is a bittersweet number reminiscent of the late Nick Drake. Gray channels the singer/songwriter's ghost throughout the gloomy track.

Nashville guitarist/producer/songwriter Will Kimbrough (formerly of Will & The Bushmen and now Rodney Crowell's sidekick) comes to mind on the acoustic "From Here You Can Almost See The Sea." Gray floats his vocals overtop lightly picked guitars and faint Star Trek-like keyboard effects. "Ain't No Love" is equal parts Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. Gray takes the best parts of the two (Dylan's lyrical genius, Morrisons vocal prowess) and fuses them together. "Alibi" starts off with a lengthy intro consisting of strings and light piano. Gray's voice quickly breaks the sedate mood like a sledgehammer falling on cold steel.

"Nos De Caraid," Welsh for "Good Night Sweetheart," is a musically dark cut that draws the listener in despite its melancholic characteristics. Gray pushes his voice to the outer limits on the track. Gray, sounding as depressed as ever, sings to an absent lover or a lost friend, on "Now And Always." The song, clocking in at just under seven minutes, gets bogged down in places, but Gray manages to captivate with his ethereal vocals and quirky lyrics. "Disappearing World" ends the disc on a somber note. The plodding track incorporates Beatle-like harmonies and Pink Floyd-ish bombast that rises and falls like Gray's moods.

Life In Slow Motion isn't an uplifting album by any stretch, but it will certainly please Gray's growing base of fans around the world.

By Todd Sterling