“The transformation is complete” sings David Gray on Draw The Line, his latest of eight studio albums. In many ways this one line captures the whole essence behind his approach to the album. The title itself provides further clues as he musically draws a line under some of what has gone before.

That presumably includes the huge, and somewhat unexpected, success of 2001’s White Ladder an album that literally catapulted him head first towards worldwide recognition. However, It proved to be a place that he felt somewhat uncomfortable being in and following his last album, the impressive Life In Slow Motion, it seemed the ideal time for him to Draw The Line and start again.

With that in mind he parted company with his old band, found himself without a label and began to shake the whole thing up once again. This deliberate act of reinvention sees him achieve something of a “Transformation”, the title of one the strongest in a set of eleven impressive tracks.

David Gray can, of course, only sound like David Gray. He has an instantly recognisable voice, a presence that shines from the record, and a songwriting style that hits straight from a heart. It is a heart that is very often worn on the sleeve. His quirky streetwise edginess is an essential part of his music and with Draw The Line he has successfully re-energised his spiky world view to excellent effect.

Quite why he felt the need to re-invent himself as a performer and songwriter after three number one albums in six years reveals much of the man himself. Perhaps the feeling of being in something of a comfort zone was one that he wanted to stamp out hence the reinvention and risk taking exercise that heralds the album’s arrival.

Comfort and the edgily wired star who pushed through the crowd with chemicals rushing through his bloodstream just don’t sit that easily together. The result is an album that is full of electricity, with many highlights and a freshness of purpose and yet is still very much a David Gray record.

This fresh urgency is revealed in the vibrant opening track, the single “Fugitive” and other songs such as “Stella The Artist”. On these he seems to be deliberately pushing himself further.

It is as though he has recognized that he could easily have delivered much more of the type of songs that propelled him to the top and yet has decided to push harder at the creative door. The result is a heady and highly satisfying combination of both strengths.

Article Author: Jeff Perkins

Jeff is a writer who lives in France. He writes CD/DVD box sets, music reviews and has had a book published about David Byron of Uriah Heep. He is 'busy' exploring the music of Europe with his wife Debbie and dog Dylan. It's Dylan that does the writing of course. …

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