British singer-songwriter David Gray, known for his distinctive voice, has released his thirteenth album, Dear Life, on his own label, featuring thirteen songs and an (unusually long and bold for today) hour of music. His greatest success came with the multi-platinum album White Ladder in 1998, where he blended traditional acoustic foundations of guitar and piano with subtle electronics and samples in the rhythm section. A major tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of White Ladder was interrupted by COVID, giving him more time to write new songs after the excellent Gold in a Brass Age. He released an anniversary reissue of White Ladder and a live version, along with a concert and interview from the Other Voices series, available on Netflix. During this period, he also released Skellig (2021), returning to a more intimate and minimalist acoustic style.
The songs on Dear Life, however, remained works in progress, and five years of refinement with producer Ben de Vries are evident in the final product. The album’s greatest strength, alongside Gray’s typically strong and personal (sometimes deeply intimate) songwriting, is its variety and tasteful arrangements—diverse yet never overproduced. Most tracks are built on subtle samples and clicks in terms of arrangements and rhythm, but there are also more intimate moments, with strings beautifully enhancing the atmosphere (e.g., Sunlight On Water, That Day Must Surely Come). The album also includes a few pop-leaning tracks with earworm melodies that stick in your head, such as I Saw Love or the single Plus & Minus, a duet with singer Talia Rae. This track, in particular, echoes the sound of White Ladder. Together with the almost danceable Singing For The Pharaoh, these form the album’s more melodic side.
At first listen, an hour-long album might seem to risk filler, but with repeated listens, the beauty of tracks initially overlooked begins to shine through. The excellent sound quality helps, revealing intricate details on good audio equipment. The album features songs with a brass section, and just when it seems the tempo might dip toward the end with The Only Ones, the closing The First Stone takes it further. This almost ambient, atmospheric track immerses the listener in a profound silence, serving as a perfect conclusion to one of the most intimate, personal, and yet diverse albums in David Gray’s discography.
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PETER CAGÁŇ