David Gray: Foundling

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In the music world it so common to hear the phrase: “you got to listen to the CD a number of times before it sinks in.”  Sure, kind of like hearing “practice makes perfect. “ We can keep doing it over and over, but to what extent? David Gray’s recent double album Foundling is like that, 18 songs that are sink or swim.

Lucky for David Gray he’s established himself as a career artist or he wouldn’t have been able to get away with this evocative double album cycle of songs known as Foundling.  Gray will always be able to fill a theater, and he’s earned a devoted following to whom creative adventures are encouraged to at this point.   Where 2009’s Draw the Line was formed as a conscious effort for Gray to gel with his new band, Foundling was built on sparseness – just Gray and his guitar or piano and perhaps allowing a bit of The Swell Season to soak in his voice.

During this period of recording, Gray references that words, language and writing came back to him in full force, allowing him to construct songs lyrically first. This pattern is shown on  the opener “Only The Wine” a vintage sounding number followed by the valiant title song.  Gray’s voice is the strongest instrument on Foundling, as the minimalism is consistent throughout except on a few standouts.  “This Old Chair,” kicks off solo, soon to be followed by lush orchestration, while “In God’s Name” gallops along a country-western beat.  But leave it to the sappy saxophone in “We Could Fall In Love Again Tonight” to ask how this oddity slipped in.  But perhaps that’s the theme of Founding, a bunch of oddities that give off a scene of low-key gracefulness.  Unless you are a die-hard David Gray fan, this isn’t the type of recording you’ll foster the patience to master, so Foundling will then somehow remain amongst 2010’s hidden gems.

 

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