Foundling (2CD)

"Foundling" is the stunning new effort by internationally acclaimed singer-songwriterDavid Gray. "Foundling" (defined as "an infant found after its unknown parents have abandoned it) is an extraordinary song cycle of rare and timeless power. As Gray puts it with a warm laugh, "'Foundling' sort of arrived at my door without my asking it to, so it felt very appropriate for this album."

In a sense, "Foundling" also marks another notable arrival -- the second coming of David Gray's own second coming. By 2005, Gray had already enjoyed what has been a rather distinguished career as a singer-songwriter and recording artist, having sold more than 12 million albums, including his global left-field smash, 1998's "White Ladder", which remains the single best selling album in Irish history. Gray had by this point already won two Ivor Novello Awards, a Q award, two Brit nominations and a GRAMMY nomination. But not a man or artist content to ever rest on his laurels, Gray decided that the time had come to shake things up in a significant way. So in 2006, David Gray decided to disband his longtime backing group, and to attempt to reconnect with his music before recording his excellent 2009 album "Draw The Line" with a new group of players, an album which has gone on to sell over 143,000 units to date.

Recorded at the same time as "Draw The Line", "Foundling" looks like the most gorgeous and minimalist musical tapestry that David Gray has ever created. Like the recent productions of T-Bone Burnett, this is music that seems to exist almost outside of time, yet feels fantastically modern and stripped of all unnecessary varnish. "Because I've done so much recording lately, I think you eventually get braver," says Gray. "You think 'I can go even further with this - I can do even less.' So there's definitely a sense here of reducing the songs to their absolute bare minimum. It's basically the record I've been wanting to make for a long time and it's as strong a statement as "White Ladder" in its own way. The album is like a stepping off point for what might happen next. It's like I'm really putting my money where my mouth is with this one."