A New Day At Midnight
- David Gray
- Band Name: David Gray
- Record Label: RCA
- Release Date: Nov 5, 2002
- Critic Score
- Most active
- Publication
- Most clicked
-
His beautiful detachment makes these nondescript hooks -- so plain they'd be forgettable if sung by anyone else -- into something special.
-
70While not much of a departure from the honed formula of 'White Ladder', much of 'A New Day At Midnight' opts to pare down that winning mix of gentle dance beats and piano even further, leaving Gray's gorgeous gutsy vocal to do more of the talking on his melancholy tales of love and loss.
-
He sticks with simple acoustics and subtle string arrangements; however, A New Day at Midnight doesn't possess the heavy heart of White Ladder.
-
''Midnight'''s only drawback is its rinky-dink production, which, while less distracting than on ''White Ladder,'' is woefully inappropriate for such delicate, heartfelt music.
-
90A work of exceptional songwriting, performance and production.
-
A New Day at Midnight is not White Ladder part 2, but it does bear certain similarities, namely emotional, beautiful music matched with equally beautiful lyrics, and, of course David Gray's unmistakable voice.
-
70If you liked Gray before, you'll still like him now.
-
As uncharismatic as its creator, it's certainly boring, but no more so than anything Richard Ashcroft has come up with.
-
80A dozen vivid and deeply personal songs.... Gray has made a record that anybody who cares about great songwriting should hear. [Dec 2002, p.130]
-
80So is it White Ladder II? In a word, "yes." [Nov 2002, p.94]
-
70Comes off likea rave-era update of Van Morrison's blue-eyed soul. [Feb 2003, p.138]
-
60The album merely washes pleasantly past, tickling the ear and delivering a few hummable refrains. There's nothing here to lift listeners the way White Ladder did. [#12, p.143]
-
80As a whole it lacks the unity of mood the characterised White Ladder... but there is much to love. [Dec 2002, p.106]
-
Gray is smart enough to stick to a winning formula, making these dour but likable songs instantly recognizable as his own.
-
60A poor man's Aimee Mann. [Jan 2003, p.99]
-
40He lets the technology overwhelm the proceedings and all too often it is used in service of forgettable, substandard melodies.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 8 out of 8
-
Mixed: 0 out of 8
-
Negative: 0 out of 8
-
buzz8
-
KarenS10
-
SteveA9Outstanding album and up there with White Ladder. Gray has the knack of getting his atmospheric music and haunting melodies under your skin.