White Ladder - David Gray > Reviews > THIS ALBUM CLIMBED ITS WAY TO SUCCESS

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Great music that is relaxing
Disadvantages:	Nothing !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Get the title!? Climbed its way to success, climbed the ladder!? WHITE LADDER!? Don't worry, this op is gonna be one of those ones, silly pathetic jokes that no one laughs at! (SORRY!)

I haven't written a music opinion for a while now so I thought I'd see if I could still write in words my loves and hates towards certain music. This CD that I'm writing on now features the artist, David Gray who certainly follows the same love of music as me. I now have his latest album, White Ladder which I got a few weeks back off my favourite Aunty! Since I have had the CD, I've been listening to it non-stop! This album is quite old now but still very well known and heard of. For all the R&B lovers and garage and grunge fans who fancy something a little different for a change, I recommend this!

The album is named 'White Ladder' Don't ask me why it is called this but it certainly climbed the ladder to success didn't it!? (Sorry about being cheesy there!) The album is amazing and I'm not the only person who thinks that either, many people including well known singers such as Gabrielle have spoken in interviews about how the album is such an amazing and thought-provoking one, the media and press have also commented on the brilliant complexion of it.

On the front of the album cover, there is a sticker with 3 main comments on it, one from 'The Times' There comment was...

'It's a record that makes your life feel better by its mere existence'

'Melody Maker' commented saying that the album was 'Glorious'

Lastly the 'Daily Telegraph' said, 'A remarkable piece of work...literate, heartfelt, bittersweet...

Before I start talking about the elements of the album itself (The songs! ~ Sorry for my such bad choice in words!) I will explain the CD case as some may be interested (There are some nutters on this planet!) The case is mainly blue and white with a tree on the right and some object on the left.

Now thats over and done with I can talk about the album itself though consists of 10 songs which I think is a relatively small album, all of which are brilliant, David Gray released many of them as singles, all of which were very sucesful, I believe he is going to release one last one too very soon, 'This Years Love' (Correct me if he already has released it, I don't think he has though!) Onto the CD itself though...

Track 1
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Please Forgive Me 5:35

This is a great first track to the album, it makes a good impression and the song is outstanding. Quite old now but still a popular hit from David Gray. I like the beginning of this song, very upbeat and catchy, the song itself is quite slow though. It is all about being forgiven and generally feeling sorry. If you listen to the lyrics carefully you will realise they are of great quality. You may of also noticed this track is quite long, at one stage you think the song is going to finish and it carries on! This track I give 8/10.

Track 2
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Babylon 4:25

This is the song that made David Gray I'm led to believe a star! This is the song that got himself most noticed and did very well in the charts, most people know David Gray for 'Babylon' This track although has a weird name is great, its catchy and up-beat. I love turning the volume up BIG time for this one! If you don't recognise the name, as soon as you listen to this you will know it, you will have at least heard it once before! Again the lyrics are outstanding, this has to be one of the best tracks on the CD, I give this one 9/10.

Track 3
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My Oh My 4:37

This song is good too (Although I think all the songs are great!) It's not as catchy as the 1st two on the album, it kind of calms down a little here. The lyrics are good but not that exciting, I like the chorus though, thats the best bit of this track! I'm not really sure what this song is about, I've never really listened to it that carefully. I give this 7/10.

Track 4
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We're Not Right 3:03

This track is quite good, it reminds me of another song but am not sure what one at all! I think this song is quite catchy but still not that up beat like the first couple. I like the chorus, but this song isn't really that interesting. It is also quite short and doesen't last that long, this track isn't that much of an input to the album though. I give this another 7/10.

Track 5
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Nightblindness 4:23

This track is quite a long one, but not that long, it is quite a depressing song going on about 'money running out' although I like the title of the track and think the song itself is quite good even though it is rather slow and dull. It is interesting but I only give this track 6/10.

Track 6
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Silver Lining 5:59

This is an extremely long track, it is quite good, very relaxing but then so are all the other tracks! I like this track for its unique style, its quite catchy and lasts long. I love the sound of it totally, this is definitely a really good song for me, it is one of my favourites! I give this 8/10.

Track 7
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White Ladder 4:14

This is the song title that titles the album itself, I can see why too, the song is really good and explains in great depth and detail, with a catchy tune and rythem you are mad if you don't like this little number! I give this 8/10.

Track 8
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This years Love 4:05

This is the tune that I think David Gray is soon to release, I think it will do really well in the charts, personally this is my favourite track off the album itself, it is so loving, smooth and calm. The lyrics and music are beautiful and very relaxing to listen to. I think this song sounds best really loud so the lyrics are heard loud and clear! This song has helped me through a lot, but the album has helped me through rough times too! I give this track a magnificent 10/10!

Track 9
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Sail Away 5:15

I too, adore this track, its really catchy and I learnt the words to it straight away and found them really easy and simple, all about Sailing Away this track gives me the impression of leaving everything behind and helps me to clear my mind often. This is my second favourite track on the album, I like it being number 9 because all the other songs build up to the best ones! I give this one 9/10.

Track 10
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Say Hello Wave Goodbye 8:58

The last track on the CD, this is an extra long song, going on for nearly nine minutes this song gets a little annoying at times but the song goes really quickly, it doesen't seem nearly 9 minutes at all! Maybe this is because I like it quite a lot! I give this track 8/10.

I mentioned at the beginning of my op that there are only 10 tracks on this album and that wasn't very much, It may look a small album with not many songs but really the album lasts quite a while, ok maybe not as long as some others but many of the tracks are over 4 minutes, some even 5 or up to 8 minutes! Even though I rated some of the tracks 5/6/7 out of 10 these are still good tracks, I rate this album highly because its so good to listen too, none of the tracks are boring and I NEVER skip any of them! This album isn't anything groovy, dancy or big party style, but it is a very relaxing album in which I love to listen to. Overall I highly recommend this relaxing album which makes your life feel 10x better to anyone who seems interested in it, cheers for reading guys as usual! ~M~ :0)