David Gray: White Ladder : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

After years of cult fandom and record-company woes, British singer-songwriter David Gray became a belated superstar last year in Ireland with a fourth, self-recorded album that's snowballing into an international hit. Unlike Beth Orton, who moved from William Orbit-fueled electronica to sleek modern folk, Gray's a traditional acoustic guy who now augments his stark tunes and Dylan-like bray with subtle, dance-inspired arrangements that have found an unlikely home on Dave Matthews' record label, ATO. "Please Forgive Me" floats on a live drummer's approximation of a skittering drum-and-bass beat, while "Babylon" layers frisky percussive samples and rippling synths over mellow guitars. Gray's hooks aren't gimmicky -- they're rooted in brooding melodies and straightforward poetry. The clincher is a nine-minute encore of Soft Cell's "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" that strips away the original's synth-pop cabaret to reveal a skeleton of dark, resigned drama. Here and elsewhere, Gray proves that great songs sometimes require quiet acts of irreverence. (RS 851)

BARRY WALTERS