Amazon.co.uk Review
David Gray's
A New Day at Midnight is darker than its mega-hit predecessor, and deeper, 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 simultaneously celebratory and troubled. The album, though, is slow starting. "Caroline", with its rattling percussion and quasi-Celtic pedal steel excursions is a bit messy, while "Long Distance Call", mixing an orchestra with electronic effects, is an interesting collage but not much of a song. Both give the impression that Gray's trying to appear more cutting-edge than he actually is. It's with "Freedom", when that big piano deepens and the pain enters his voice, that he really gets going. This leads to the excellent "Kangaroo" and "Last Boat to America", both yearning and teeming with striking lyrical images. Then it really takes off, with the
Stones-y rock groove of "Real Love" and the gospel feel of "Knowhere", leading to the quite brilliant unrequited love song "Be Mine" and crushing closer "The Other Side".
--Dominic Wills
CD Description
Sixth album from Manchester singer-songwriter David Gray and the follow up to his hugely successful multi-platinum album 'White Ladder' which was released in 2000. Continues alongthe same lines as his previous albums fusing ghostly, bittersweet piano-based ballads alongside playful acoustic led pop tunes.