A New Day At Midnight is David Gray's follow up album to his 7 times platinum selling White Ladder and was released in 2002 and has continued to sell at a steady pace since it's release.
For those of you who are not familiar with White Ladder or David Gray, Where have you been? That particular ... Read review
all the better for that. Emotionally fuelled by the death of Gray's father and the birth of his son, it possesses much the same tone asWhite Ladder, being simulta...
and all the better for that. Emotionally fuelled by the death of Gray's father and the birth of his son, it possesses much the same tone as White Ladder, being simu...
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A review by herby30 on A New Day At Midnight - David Gray September 27th, 2003
Author's product rating:
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money
Advantages:
Help you unwind !
Disadvantages:
Can be depressing !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
A New Day At Midnight is David Gray's follow up album to his 7 times platinum selling White Ladder and was released in 2002 and has continued to sell at a steady pace since it's release.
For those of you who are not familiar with White Ladder or David Gray, Where have you been? That particular album sold more than 2.2 million copies and spent over 100 weeks in the top 40.
He has an easy listening folk sound that has been compared with Bob Dylan by some; but I feel on occasion he can let down his stunning lyrics. He is, I believe, a great singer/songwriter, part of a new breed that will be around for a long time to come yet. He is not frightened off by live performances either; in fact he's been seen at some of the biggest festivals this year so far.
You may recognise him because of his `wobbly head' during a performance, he tends to remind you of Bill and Ben The Flower Pot Men, lol, saying that though they have stood the test of time.
The album running time in total is 50.37 minutes which I attempt to describe track by track as follows:
Track 01 - Dead In The Water Good way to start an album, get the listeners attention straight away, solid drum beat intro leading to pleasant chords strummed on the guitar. Stunning lyrics throughout. This is beautifully written and in my opinion one of the best tracks on the album.
“A premonition of the killer’s angel eyes, An Armageddon sky, tell it like it is, It’s like the old man says, We’re dead in the water now”
8/10
Tack 02 - Caroline Intro has a 80's feel going on with the electric organ and drum machine although the second verse changes with the introduction of an acoustic guitar. Very country feel to it, not as good, I felt it is one of the weaker tracks on this whole CD.
“Caroline, those crazy eyes that shine, The days blowing through my mind, Like falling leaves, it ain’t no good, I tried hard as I could, But you just won’t let my poor heart be”
5/10
Track 03 – Long Distance Call Pleasant bongo drum and acoustic guitar intro with lyrics coming in early on, quite a moody feeling song but lightens a bit on the chorus. Nice poem, shame the music goes on a bit towards the end of the track but it’s worth a listen.
“Early morning sun shine it and I’m gone, To plane out on the lake, Hey hey yeah yeah, To glide out on the wing, Turn around and sing, The fear now taking hold, I’ll bring you love but it’s all been sold”
6/10
Track 04 – Freedom Simple track with lyrics doing all the work, disappointing intro though, got the feel of the local marching band lol, but the final chorus does not disappoint as it builds into a stunning crescendo.
“Time out on the running boards, We’re running, through a world that lost it’s meaning, Trying to find a way to love, This running, ain’t no kind of freedom”
7/10
Track 05 – Kangaroo Simple guitar and drum introduction, don’t like the music on this track, definitely one of the poorest tracks on this album.
3/10
Track 06 – Last Boat To America Simple and slow start to this track which carries through to the pleasant effect of the chorus, this track improves as the song continues. Nice lyrics.
“Make me a boat, Away I’ll float into the stillness of a pure blue sky, There’s nothing here to hold me now and I got no more tears to cry”
6/10
Track 07 – Real Love Nice acoustic introduction giving way to a solid drum beat. Love the piano feel to this track, it’s a much stronger tune musically (possibly due to the piano), reminds me of previous CD White Ladder, luv it.
8/10
Track 08 – Knowhere Simple soft guitar and drum introduction, touching lyrics. Drum machine is very overpowering on this track which ruins it for me. I enjoyed the chorus because the electric drummer stops, yeay! Forget the tune and listen to the words.
“Slow voices speaking through a hurricane, Said that I wanted but I lied, You’re looking good, Hey man I can’t complain, Ghost on the road at night”
6/10
Track 09 – December
This track starts with David Gray singing a few lines accompanied by an electric organ. I get the impression he was a bit depressed whilst writing this, leaving me thinking where’s the vallium???
“Words don’t bother me no more, Black money falling to the floor, Flags out on the balconies, Black money washing to the seas, Oh my mind, what happened to the time, December!”
2/10
Track 10 – Be Mine
Soft jazzy drum intro, bit more uplifting than the previous effort, it must be Spring now lol! Seriously this is much better, I enjoy the chorus but I think it’s because the piano plays a big part in this track. I bought this CD after I heard this song when it was released as a single. Brilliant.
“From the very first moment I see you, That’s when I knew, All the dreams I held in my heart, Had suddenly come true, Knock me over stone cold sober, Not a thing I could say or do, Cause Baby when I’m walking with you now, My eyes are so wide, Like you reached right into my head And turned on the light inside”
9/10
Track 11 – Easy Was To Cry
No intro, we go straight into track with lyrics accompanied by an acoustic guitar, clean sound. Another key change for the chorus which seems to lift the spirit of this track. I like this track although I feel it seems to be lacking something, possibly a guitar solo in the middle.
“Smoke curls through my hands, These one nights stands, Are making me crazy I know, morning I’ll go, Crowds in the rain all passing by”
7/10
Track 12 – The Other Side
Soft piano introduction giving you an eerie feel, stunning lyrics and this time he gets it right musically too, apart from the dreaded drum machine again, but it should be better live!
“Maybe I oughta mention, Was never my intention, To harm you or your kin, Are you so scared to look within, The ghosts are crawling on our skin, We may race and we may run, We’ll not undo what has been done, Or change the moment when it’s gone”
8/10
If you are like me and you love listening to and analysing the words of a song, then this is for you, but let’s be honest it won’t win any prizes musically. I got the feeling that at times he was trying to hard to emulate the success of White Ladder and it falls flat on it’s face. A great CD to help you unwind, but don’t listen to when feeling depressed or else you may be tempted to do something silly!
The CD comes in a traditional jewel case and on the front cover is a enchanting scene of the sky at dusk, the words David Gray is printed in yellow text and a New Day At Midnight is printed in white text. Inside you will find full lyrics of all the songs. He also goes on to thank people and musicians that performed on this album.
I purchased this last year (2002) in HMV, I think it cost around £13.99, but I am sure you could purchase cheaper elsewhere now, try the usual outlets, Woolworths, Virgin, play.com, CD wow etc.
Thanks for reading, I look forward to hearing your comments, take care, Heather:)
More Reviews
OK HONEY ALL RIGHT Review ofA New Day At Midnight - David Grayby
tartantribe
Advantages: Courageous, moving follow up to his own tough act Disadvantages: A couple of weak moments.
..."White Ladder", David Gray faced a major challenge. It was generally acknowledged by Gray himself that the popularity of White Ladder was unusual. For Gray, who had struggled for years to make it big, White Ladder marked his entrance into the music major leagues. That album was something a little bit special- it would have to be to have the kind of sales it (still) generates. So to move on to his next effort " A New Day at Midnight" must have been ... ...my breath. It arrived a few days ago and has been on heavy rotation ever since. I know from a little background reading that personal circumstances in David Gray's life had an influence on the style and feel of this album. In particular, the death of his father and the birth of his son gave Gray plenty to ruminate about and his lyrics in general are tinged with a sense of big emotive life and death issues. This makes for a somewhat darker, more introspective ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Great songs Disadvantages: A couple of weaker links
...Album chart, White Ladder was a massive hit reaching number one in the album charts thanks in no small part to the success of singles "Babylon", This years love and Please forgive me. **A New Day at Midnight** A New Day at Midnight was Recorded and Released on the EastWest record label in November 2002 as David Gray's fifth album although sometimes called his second album from people who were not aware of his earlier stuff. Whilst A New Day at Midnight ... ...my review of David Gray's A New Day at Midnight. 1.) Dead in the Water This is a catchy track to open the album with, It opens with some nice drum parts and a gentle piano segment which is joined by the guitar and Gray's vocals. His vocal delivery is flowing and expressive. This is a great song for live performances as it's chorus seems made for crowd participation. 2.) Caroline This is one that does not quite work, it feel a bit too mashed up with ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it compare to ...
Value for Money
very helpful
03.06.2009
DAWN TILL DUSK Review ofA New Day At Midnight - David Grayby
fantasybeliever
Advantages: Strong acoustic music production Disadvantages: Some people think it's lyrically weak
David Gray is a fairly recent discovery for me, only having really become familiar with his music in the last decade or so. It’s hard to attach a genre to this man, though to me he comes across as a kind of rock/blues/folk combination. He has a wonderfully unique gravelly voice that adds raw emotion and a melodramatic air to his songs of love.
It’s hard to discover much about the artist himself (I don’t think he actively covets publicity) other ... ...Wales, and went on to a University education in Liverpool.
His career got off to a faltering start and he has switched record labels often, before becoming a solo artist to be reckoned with. A New Day at Midnight was given to me as a present and finds it way into the CD player with some regularity.
So, onto the album itself. A New Day at Midnight was released in 2002. It has a real melancholy feel to it and I’ve heard some people say that it’s ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: One to put you in a good mood Disadvantages: Some tracks do sound a bit too similar
DAVID GRAY – A NEW DAY AT MIDNIGHT
Before his album White Ladder, not many people had heard of David Gray, I have to admit to being one of those people. With White Ladder going seven times platinum it was always going to be a hard act to follow. After a successful album some artists just fade away in the background with their following albums, but for David Gray I think that A New Day at Midnight just highlights how good an artist he is, and is ... ...definitely easy listening and from a first glance at the cover this is clear to all. The cover is of a tranquil scene just after sunset and sets the theme nicely for listening to this album. The Inlay has the lyrics to all the tracks, but for most people singing along would only spoil listening to this CD.
The only thing that I can put this album down on is that some of the tracks do sound too similar to each other, but its only when you listen ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it compare to ...
Value for Money
very helpful
07.03.2004
A new day at Midnight. Review ofA New Day At Midnight - David Grayby
queen_rule_the_world
Advantages: Some good tracks, smooth easy listening. Disadvantages: Slightly one dimensional. A few weak links.
A couple of years back, i bought David Gray's 'White Ladder', despite a couple of disappointing tracks, i then bought 'A new day at midnight' upon its release.
On the whole, its is a good album, not exceptional, but good and a wlecome change from all the pop, r 'n' b and rap. Gray has a silky smooth voice, and is backed by some excellent musical structure.
However, in all honesty, i was slightly disappointed with this album. There are a couple ... ...tracks are mediocre. The album both opens and ends with beatifully structured songs, 'Dead in the water' and 'The other side'. The other tracks that impressed me were 'Caroline', 'Kangaroo' and 'Be Mine'. The writing is original and sung beatifully, but some tracks lack invention, and are too similar to previous songs by Gray.
Definitely one for Gray fans. I would certain recommend it, especially if you are into the easy listening style of music. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Melancholy,thought provoking lyrics,beautiful emotionally loaded vocals-just lovely. Disadvantages: Bit mellow and sometimes the songs blend in to each other a bit.
...'Life In Slow Motion' is a justly poetic titled album considering its content. This is English Singer DavidGray's 7th album after his last one (A NewDay At Midnight) was virtually ignored.
As a die hard fan of White Ladder (the album that brough Gray real acclaim), I was concerned whether he could really pull it off again. The album starts of slowly but well with the single 'Alibi': this song has a real live concert feel to it; strings and piano filling out the sound and mounting to a thorough and fat musical climax at the end.
The album continues with a slightly more contempory sounding 'The One I Love'(also a single). In my opinion this song is the stronger of the two so far. It has a very romantic/hippie ballad feel and the subtle guitar in this is lovely. It also has some really nice percussion features teamed with some...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: The return of pianos and reassuring lyrics Disadvantages: None
...the astounding similarities. They're both English, a bit scruffy, sometimes mumble and possess a heavy reliance on piano and beautiful melodies.
Most Keane-like moment: "Silent Sigh".
Also:
Radiohead: Pablo Honey (1993) especially Stop Whispering
Doves: Last Broadcast (2002)
Tom McRae: Tom McRae (2003)
DavidGray: A NewDay At Midnight (2002)
Gene: Olympian (1995) particularly the epic, building title track
and something that's been nagging away at me for a while. When Tom's voice soars on the chorus of Bend And Break and the electronic beats kick in on On A Day Like Today it can be reminiscent of Vienna, so also try:
Ultravox: The Collection (1985)
I hope part two was of some assistance and would welcome any comments to encourage or prevent me doing a similar thing in future....
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Wide range of music; some truly great tracks; consistently high quality Disadvantages: Very few, perhaps only that it is very slighty shorter than previous albums
...After a somewhat shaky start with his first three albums, DavidGray Finally hit it big with the self financed White Ladder in '98, but many were asking whether he could ever emulate such a performance again. A NewDay at Midnight, David's follow up album certainly made a good attempt, but it is only with the release of Life In Slow Motion that DavidGray has truly cemented his 8 year move from acoustic obscurity to a true musical star.
From the moment Life in Slow Motion begins, you know that the album's going to be a good'un - the opening, faint, tinkling notes of the first track 'Alibi' slowly fade to silence before an explosion of the unique vocal stylings of Gray. This is followed by 'The One I Love', the first single released from the album and by far one of David's best ever songs. Its catchy tune, powerful voice...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Title: A New Day At Midnight, New Day At Midnight, A, New Day At Midnight, A [DVD Audio]
Performer: David Gray
Genre: Rock & Pop
Studio / Live: Studio
Stereo: Stereo
Pieces in Set: 1
Catalogue Number: 5046616582, 5046670975
Release Date: 28/10/2002, 01/03/2004
Format: Performer
Producer: Gray; McClune; Poison
Original Release Year: 2002
Label / Distributor: East West / Cinram Logistics
EAN: 5050466165824, 5050466709752
Recomended Retail Price: 10.99 GBP
Sub Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Additional notes
Album Notes: Personnel includes: David Gray (various instruments); McClune (various instruments); Tim Bradshaw (electric guitar, lap steel, piano, Wurlitzer piano, synthesizer); B.J. Cole (pedal steel); Rob Malone (bass); Tony Shanaghan (background vocals); Wrecking Crew Orchestra, Wrecking Crew Quartet, Wrecking Crew Brass Quintet. Welsh singer-songwriter David Gray's story is the classic one of the overnight success that took years to happen. He started out in the mid-'90s as an acoustic-oriented folk-rock performer whose approach was heavily influenced by Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. Several fine-but-ignored albums passed before he reinvented himself via electronica-flavored production techniques to unprecedented success with 1999's WHITE LADDER. Three years later, the highly anticipated follow-up A NEW DAY AT MIDNIGHT boasts production that pretty much picks up where its famed predecessor left off, but this time around the blend of electronic and organic textures is even more deft. Loops, synths, and electronic effects mix seamlessly with acoustic piano and guitar and of course, Gray's rough-hewn vocal style. But the understated elegance of Gray's tunes and the conviction of his performances is even more handily underscored here than on WHITE LADDER.
Album Reviews: Q (11/02, p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[This album] confirms Gray as the most comforting songwriter of his generation..." Vibe (2/03, p.138) - 4 discs out of 5 - "...Comes off like a rave-era update of Van Morrison's blue-eyed soul..." Mojo (12/02, p.106) - "...There is much to love....Gray can render uncertainty and longing anthemic in a way that often recalls The Blue Nile..." Entertainment Weekly (11/8/02, p.105) - "...There's more passion in Gray's delivery, a vocal soulfulness his muted tunes have previously only hinted at..." - Rating: B+ Uncut (12/02, p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...His craft has grown more assured....A record that anybody who cares about songwriting should here..." CMJ (11/18/01, p.6) - "...David Gray is much more than a one-hit wonder. He's going to be around for a long time..."
Titles on disc 1
12.: Other Side
10.: Be Mine
11.: Easy Way To Cry
3.: Long Distance Call
4.: Freedom
5.: Kangaroo
6.: Last Boat To America
7.: Real Love
9.: December
8.: Knowhere
1.: Dead In The Water
2.: Caroline
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