Every note on
David Gray's debut album,
A Century Ends, is sung with raw heartfelt emotion.
Gray's lyrics depict a man broken by love and wanting to escape the boredom and monotony of his current station in life. On the title track,
Gray challenges himself to make changes in his life before the next millennium.
Gray's coffeehouse acoustic guitar and gritty Welsh-accented voice provide the backdrop for a majority of the tracks. The two exceptions are "A Century Ends" and "Wisdom," an upbeat ode to regret, complete with the only catchy chorus on the album. However, this album is not about hooks and feel-good melodies --
Gray grabs the listener with his poetic lyrics and takes off on an introspective ten-song ride through desperation, regret, lost love, and a longing for change. If
A Century Ends is an indicator of things to come, then
Gray has the potential to become a prolific singer/songwriter. ~ Erik Crawford