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David Gray - Draw The Line
| Musicomh |
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Singer-songwriter David Gray believes he is in the midst of a transformation. Lest you doubt him, the title of his latest proper release, the surly pose gracing the cover of said album, and the overhauling of his band seem to indicate that the man means business. Gray has commented on the matter. When speaking of the less-introverted subject matter on Draw The Line, and, in particular, the title track, he noted that, while the "previous records were inward most of the time," the new material had shown him to have "kicked the front door down". Now he's "outside." It turns out that, once the dust had settled about that door, Gray found that he was standing face to face with... well, himself. In fact Draw The Line doesn't represent a musical sea change for him. A rebirth, perhaps, given the aforementioned details, the time separating the previous and current record, as well as the declaration, following the release of the down-tempo Life in Slow Motion, of him being intent on pursuing "wholesale changes." But those hoping for a new direction in Gray's music will be quite disappointed....full text |
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| Slantmagazine |
| Though he's backed by a new band, David Gray doesn't change his trademark formula much on Draw the Line. There's a bit more heft to some of his arrangements here, with the driving guitar strum of "First Chance" and the surprisingly deep rhythm track on "Stella the Artist," but his bread and butter remains the introspective, piano-driven troubadour ballad. Fortunately for Gray, he does that style better than many of his contemporaries, and he's simply a better, more nuanced singer than other AAA radio staples like Josh Rouse or John Mayer. With his gritty, calloused tenor, Gray is able to bring a fitting world-weariness to songs like lead single "Fugitive" and the moody title track. Though he's able to turn a surprisingly deft phrase now and then, Line settles into a midtempo groove in its middle run, and, however lovely songs like "Transformation" and "Nemesis" may be, they aren't breaking any new ground for Gray. Even when he's joined by Annie Lennox, who is in predictably stellar voice, for the militaristic stomp of "Full Steam," it's hard to shake the impression that Gray is coasting. Only when he picks up the pace somewhat, as on "Fugitive" and "Jackdaw," which sounds like a long-lost Bruce Hornsby single, does the album really command attention. The knock on Gray has always been that he's a bit boring, and Line, despite some genuinely nice moments and affecting vocal turns, isn't likely to change anyone's mind on that point. It's more likely to make for unobtrusive background music at Starbucks....full text |
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| Guardian |
| Words you never expected David Gray to sing: "Here we are, butt naked". It's the only moment on his first album since 2005 that makes you do a double take. Wonderful as it would be if he followed it by demanding that we wave our hands in the air like we just don't care, he doesn't – "butt naked" (from the melancholy title track) turns out to be a momentary lapse in the tastefulness that envelops the rest of the proceedings. But even if the introspective troubadour has no new tricks up his sleeve, Draw the Line makes rather beguiling listening as the nights begin to draw in. Gray's voice rasps attractively, and he has minor-key wistfulness down to a T with the morose, strummy First Chance, in which he plots his escape from a moribund relationship. The closing Full Steam, a vigorous duet with Annie Lennox, proves he's got a bit of testosterone going on, too....full text |
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