By By Randi Tullio
On Sept. 13, singer-songwriter David Gray released his seventh studio record, Life In Slow Motion.
The album’s first single, “The One I Love,” hit the airwaves in August, and though not as successful as Gray’s best known hits “Babylon” and “Please Forgive Me,” it has still gotten a positive reaction from fans and critics alike. Unlike “The One I Love,” which is an extremely peppy, uplifting tune, the majority of the tracks on Life In Slow Motion have a gloomy, haunting feel to them.
On the opening track “Alibi,” Gray alludes to an unfaithful lover, singing, “Stone blind alibi / I will eat the lie… / How I long to / Bite every hand that feeds you more / Where’d it all go wrong?”
The song climaxes at the end with a beautiful blend of strings, piano, percussion and Gray’s passionate voice echoing “Tonight I’m running wild / I will eat the lie.” “Alibi” is quite possibly the best song on Life In Slow Motion.
Next is “The One I Love,” followed by “Lately,” which is about a fresh, new love that had a sudden ending: “No one ever gave it a chance / I could have said in advance / You saw it all in a glance / And goodbye.” Anyone who has ever been in such a relationship will appreciate this song.
“Nos Da Cariad” refers to the hesitation that sometimes comes before jumping into a relationship, and what happens if you just give in and take a chance. The song is driven by piano, a strong bass line and beautiful female back-up vocals.
The album’s title track comes next and is composed of six different lines which are echoed, somehow becoming more meaningful each time they are repeated.
The sudden instrumental breakdown in the middle of the album keeps it interesting, and carries the listener through the emotional ride that is Life In Slow Motion.
“From Here You Can Almost See The Sea” and “Ain’t No Love” seem like the perfect songs to listen to in this autumn weather, and they both feature a rather hopeful vibe to them lyrically. Melody-wise, “Ain’t No Love” is dreary and depressing when compared to the former.
“Hospital Food” is probably the most misunderstood track on Life In Slow Motion. The song’s lyrics seem to literally refer to the emotions a hospital patient feels (“Just a little something for the pain / Hospital food getting you down? / Honey, now I’m not one to complain / But this hangin’ around / Is wearing me out”). Despite the song’s depressing subject matter, it is an upbeat tune.
“Now and Always” is like “The One I Love” in that it is sweet lyrically, but stands out musically only in the looped harmonica lick that begins the track. The harmonica is deceiving-it makes listeners think they are in for a real treat of a song.
Given that the album is titled Life in Slow Motion, it seems that the closing track “Disappearing World” is the lullaby will lull listeners to sleep at the end of the day. “Disappearing World” has an incredibly strong bridge which is much more energetic than the rest of the song. n
The Chronicle gives “Life in Slow Motion,” by David Gray three out of five stars.