Singer/songwriter
David Gray may have finally achieved mainstream respect with his fourth album
White Ladder, but he's not one to forget the tumultuous time spent prior to such praise. He was a confused artist during the recording of that album, adding emotion to countless tracks that never made it on to
White Ladder. Lost Songs 95-98 recognizes that songwriting period of personal dysfunction. It's also a definitive selection of moods, atmospheric definitions, and self-awareness, for
Gray composed some of his most beautiful ballads yet. Clearly it isn't a follow-up. It's merely an additive for a fan's collection. It combines classic acoustics and simplistic lyrical stories while his Welsh brogue captures the most heartfelt moments on the record. It's not massively produced, and that's what's classic about
Gray as an artist. He allows the complexities of a song -- "Wurlitzer," "Red Moon," and "Tidal Wave" -- to shape its fundamentals in a nature all its own.
Lost Songs showcases what was supposed to be for
David Gray, without the bitterness, of course. [
Lost Songs was re-released on CD in 2015.] ~ MacKenzie Wilson