Customer Reviews

The Fray

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bought this CD when it first was released of course I had heard on the radio "You Found Me" which it worked I loved it enough to run out and purchase the CD without hearing another song... but "How to Save a Life" was done so well that I had no hesitation with doing so.

I LOVE this CD it has at least 4 to 5 other good songs I immediately connected with "Enough for Now" there are some times when a song is heard and it sweeps you in and make your eyes water... well "Enough for Now" was that song for me on this CD. I have read some other reviews on here that compare this one to "HTSAL" but on it's own this is a beautiful CD with lyrics that are so real... so heart wrenching but in a subtle way.

"Ungodly Hour" was deep, sad and meaningful as he says "Her bags are now much heavier... I wish that I could carry her" a dramatic song.There are others I could list but I believe everyone has their own ear for music... what speaks to them so I just wanted to come in and share my experience with this CD. I listen to it gardening, driving, while reading, cooking. Due to the nice array of uptempo to easy listening it compliments most of my days =]

Respectfully Reviewed
Psboston7

I just drove 1400 miles solo and every day I played the FRAY album in the morning over and over. It's contagious! All the songs have a mood. I am no spring chicken and still, I love this young band so much, I recommended it to all my friends, actually anyone who would listen. I hope they continue to write and play until they are grey like me. Buy this one. You won't be disappointed.

This album captures what the fray are truly about. I was hooked on You Found Me but I must say that I even more hooked on Never Say Never. This album is perfect for those who want to listen to songs with some substance. There music is something that you can really get behind. The whole album is full of great songs that really pull at your heart.

...I would have probably rated this 5 stars. 'Save A Life' spoiled me, and now I'm finding myself somewhat disappointed...probably for no good reason. It just seems like something's missing on The Fray's follow-up album to their instantly-likeable debut. And I think it's because I can't help but compare it to that gem...there's no wonder it was nominated for a Grammy.

I've been enamored by the piano-rock stylings of this group since the very first time I heard "Over My Head (Cable Car)"...and every other song from that album gave me the same reaction...exciting melodies, perfect chord progressions...fresh but familiar. Don't get me wrong, this album is good. It starts out VERY good. The first track, "Syndicate", has a ton of energy with a catchy piano riff, powerful guitars and a great melody. I was smiling the first time I heard it. And my smile grew even wider while listening to the next song, "Absolute". Starting off with guitars, this tune picks up steam and never looks back...it's very dynamic, with the twists and turns that made 'Save A Life's' tunes so appealing. And with its soaring chorus, this song is easily my favorite of this collection, and I'd put it in the same category with the best the debut had to offer.

But it's after "You Found Me", perhaps this album's closest thing to a "How To Save A Life"-type song (with its perfect blend of intimacy and uplifting vigor), that this record starts to turn south. The fourth song, "Say When", starts a little slow but gets better as it goes along...still, there's a noticeable drop-off when compared to the first three songs. "Never Say Never" is a respectable ballad with a very nice string arrangement, but nothing really jumps out and grabs me. Isaac Slades's vocals are good throughout this album, but it sounds to me at times that his delivery may not have quite the vitality of his consistently strong effort from the first record.

"Where The Story Ends" picks up the pace again but is based around a rather simplistic, one-note-at-a-time piano 'hook' section that I don't find too exciting. Then, finally we get around to one more top-notch song, "Enough For Now". A great chorus line sung with much better passion, excellent lyrical content, and a build in intensity add up to a moving, powerful tune. (Actually, I can't knock any of the lyrics on this record...they seem interesting and genuine...I just haven't felt compelled to dig into them yet). "Ungodly Hour" is far from ungodly awful...the line that builds up to the nice falsetto phrasing of the words 'ungodly hour' is actually quite beautiful from both a melodic and lyrical perspective, but the rest of the song doesn't really go anywhere...at least I can see a chance for this one getting better with time. Starting out with a buzzy synth line, "We Build Than We Break" is easily the worst song for me (there weren't any 'worst' songs at all on How To Save A Life). The closer, "Happiness", opens with a nice acoustic guitar accompaniment, and while it builds to a fairly strong peak that includes an impressive choir backing, it fades quietly away (as so does the album), and I'm not exactly feeling too 'happy' about this record.

Like I said, this is not a bad album. There are at minimum four very good songs, and perhaps some of the others will grow on me a bit. But when compared to songs like "Look After You", which didn't even NEED guitars to sound powerful and impressive, to the hauntingly beautiful "Vienna", most of the songs here pale in comparison. By no means should my rating be taken to mean this isn't worthy of purchase. I still recommend this for all fans of The Fray...what I DON'T recommend is doing what I did...stacking this up against 'Save A Life', for then you may be somewhat disappointed, too.

The Fray's first cd, "How to Save a Life" is probably one of my favorite cd's so I looked forward to their 2nd with both anticipation and reserve because I didn't want to be disappointed with this band. The 2nd cd "The Fray" is a good effort and they didn't stray from the original style, which I count as a positive. The only unfortunate aspect I find is that I tend to skip 2 songs on this cd, where as I never felt the desire to skip any song on the 1st cd.

I am by no means a music critic so this is completely a personal opinion but the song 'Happiness' is mainly an acoustic song that seems similiar to what you'd expect from an unplugged version but then toward the ending it is filled with a choir joining in. I am not a fan of choirs in my music so this song is lost to me and that doesn't make me happy. I also have a tendency to skip 'UnGodly Hour', though I haven't figured out why yet and I hope it grows on me. The song 'We Build Then We Break' I thought sounded all too much like a Howie Day song,which throws me off a little but it is still a listen worthy song.

The huge positives on the cd are 'Absolute', 'You Found Me', 'Say When', 'Enough For Now', and 'Never Say Never', all could seamlessly flow into the 1st cd "How to Save a Life" and that is what I was hoping for. It's a very praiseworthy 2nd cd.

After their gigantic debut, The Fray returns three years later with a self-titled sophomore effort, one that fringes on being another big hit. On this album the band looks to hold their spot in listener's hearts with the soothing, popular pop/rock they have come to perfect.

The catchy piano driven tempos start off with "Syndicate" and then keep things moving with "Absolute". From the sound of the first two songs you would think these tracks would be the first radio singles to hit the air waves, but it's the track "You Found Me", that jumps off the album as the hot hit single. The song "Enough For Now" captures a strong ballad about past mistakes and repair. For fans of the band's colossal hit "How to Save a Life" this track is as close as you can get. Slowing the pace with "Ungodly Hour", vocalist Isaac Slade pours on emotion by the bucket full. Then on the track "We Build Then We Break" creates a similar flair of melody and sound that is reminiscent of legendary rockers U2. The Fray's original style is secured on this album and even more refined and crisp.

One thing missing is the spiritual quality in their music. On the first single "You Found Me" it seems the lyrics are asking why God was too late in answering our prayers and why He is absent in our lives. This was the one turn off for me about this album. Other than that, Christian themes are hard to recognize and even harder to decipher. I suspect it's difficult when a popular band like The Fray straddles the identities between mainstream and Christian listeners.

The Fray has added numerous more hits to the band's already growing collection with this release. Although the album is only ten tracks long, it requests multiple plays and it's easy for the listener to find new favorites after each one. At this pace The Fray will hold steady and give us many more future releases and beloved hits.

Not that "How to Save a Life" wasn't any good, on the contrary it's actually a solid, 3 star album, but it didn't really leave me with the impression that they had much more to offer. In my experience, most bands never top their debuts, and The Fray seemed much to bland to ever do any better.

Needless to say, I was supremely and pleasantly surprised once I took the time to sit down and listen to their self titled sophomore effort. Goodbye bland!

The first thing that hit me was that Isaac Slade no longer sounds like a John Mayer knockoff; he's really found his range this time around, and isn't afraid to put a little soul into his delivery, especially on tracks like "You Found Me" and "Ungodly Hour". He really sounds like he's singing songs that He wrote and he wants You to know that he means it this time.

Being a classical pianist myself, the second thing I noticed was the quality of the keyboards. On their first album, pleasant, breezy melodies were abundant, but nothing you'd break a sweat playing. This time around, though, there's a noticeable improvement in not only the aggressiveness of the piano, but the complexities of the melodies as well. Slade's no Elton John, but if keeps up this level of improvement, he will be soon! (Intricate! That's the adjective I wanted)

Thirdly, and most importantly, this album has A SOUND! I can actually name individual songs, and can even associate the tempo and feel of each song with its place on the album. The only track on here that I'd consider filler is "Where the Story Ends", but I liked it anyway and don't even skip it!

Though not a masterpiece, The Fray's sophomore set is definitely an improvement over their freshman effort, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone, even black people.

It's been a been a few years since The Fray released "How to Save a Life," which was brilliant. But they managed to follow it up with poignant songs like "You Found Me" and "Syndicate." The songs tell a story, which I think is lacking in most music. It's not pop music, in the traditional sense even though they have gained much popularity from their first album. The music itself has a classically beautiful tone combining piano with guitar. A few of the songs are forgettable, but not inherently bad music. If you're a fan of The Fray, this is a no brainer. If you're interested in music with substance this band delivers.

I've seen and heard a lot of reviews banging on this album for being too much like "How to Save a Life". Some of them also regret that "You Found Me" is the only song like "How to Save a Life" which is kind of confusing given that they're looking for some different. I agree that it's a lot like their debut, however, I don't really see anything wrong with that. Based on the quality, I'd say that there was certainly still some mining left to do there and while "You Found Me" may be the only 'hit' song here, I think the "The Fray" is actually slightly better than the debut. Favorites? Okay... You Found Me, Syndicate, and I really like Happiness.

Their second collection is much better than the first. Considering how great their first record was, that is saying something. "You Found Me" was a great first single, but if all you care about is single-worthy material, then you will surely not fully appreciate this new offering. It's so much more than singles, but about the mood of it all.

My favorite tracks are "Syndicate", "You Found Me", "Ungodly Hour", "Never Say Never", "Say When" but the best song on the album, and possibly their best song EVER is...

"Absolute."

Wow, what a gem. I can't stop listening to it.

ALSO, I should mention to other reviewers here that these reviews aren't meant for the sellers, it's for the album. So, please don't post about how you didn't get the product. Tell that to your seller. When you do get it, come here and tell everyone what you think of it.

The end.