A New Day at Midnight

David Gray

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• Original Release Date: November 5, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ato Records
• ASIN: B00006L7XN
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,608 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Loss and resilience figure heavily in A New Day at Midnight, David Gray's follow-up to his massively popular breakthrough, White Ladder, in 1999. Gray cloaks his painful subject in the kind of impressive songcraft that has marked his work since 1993's A Century Ends. Still, both Ladder and Midnight add a layer of flash to his dependable formula, as dashes of studio trickery and understated electronics (helped along by songwriting partner Clune) give Gray's wistful lyrics and bittersweet, emotive voice a tough-to-resist freshness. Midnight exploits Gray's singing for maximal effect, as songs like the opener, "Dead in the Water," mask sad words with bright reminders of catharsis and faith. At times, Gray could use a little more faith in simplicity. Some songs--"Freedom," for one--could stand just fine with only Gray's voice and a guitar. More often than not, though, Gray's natural, amiable phrasing and ability to create a mood show off his continued growth while staying firmly in the groove that's made him a star. --Matthew Cooke

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David Gray Outdoes Himself Again, November 15, 2002

By	J. S. Kaczmarek "jskazzy" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

White ladder is one of my favourite albums of the last five years, and I was awaiting this album with as much apprehension as excitement. But I've been stunned to discover that this album is even better than White Ladder. A new day at midnight presents a more cohesive sound without sacrificing itself to excessive polish or over-production. It covers a larger emotional range than White Ladder. Here still are the beautiful sad songs, the introspective pondering songs, and the more upbeat songs like "Babylon" before them. "(Meet me on) the Other Side" is one of the most moving songs about death to be produced in a decade - while Peter Gabriel's recent meditation on the same subject, "I Grieve", is a powerful Baroque effort of eerie and subtle textures and layers of sound, Gray achieves an even more emotive effect as his raspy voice quivers over a ringing piano. It is a truly gorgeous way to end an album.

But there are some songs on this album that really ROCK. "Caroline" and "Real Love", while love songs, are melodic and thoughtful, but they capture the same spirit of Sheryl Crow's "Steve McQueen". "Caroline" is the first effective attempt at electronic country I have ever heard, and it is fantastic, helped along by some incredible pedal steel playing by B.J. Cole. Although Gray stacks the songs in a rather strange order on the album, cramming the more morose songs into the middle and packing the more upbeat songs onto the two ends, this album is more than worth the wait. It is a modern rock masterpiece.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unbelieveable Album, January 17, 2003

By	Jason Johnson (Louisville, Kentucky) - See all my reviews

David Gray's follow-up to White Ladder is unbelievable. The much-anticipated follow-up to his smash album, "White Ladder" is very strong and very soothing to listen to. The first track, "Dead In The Water" I believe is one the best on the album. It has an unbelievable beat and background and David Gray's voice is so strong. Personally, I believe the greatest song on the album is "Caroline". It is a very upbeat and catchy tune. The lyrics are meaningful. It has much more depth and quality than anything you would hear on the radio. All of the songs in-between are also well thought out and very talented. "Be Mine" and "Real Love" are sure to be favorite hits to David's true fans. The album ends with "The Other Side" a song that expresses the death of David's father. Many critics say the success of "White Ladder" can never be reached again by David. "White Ladder" has been David's most successful album to date and is also an unbelievable album. "A New Day At Midnight" is a different album than "White Ladder" as it should be. Why would you want to cut the exact same thing? David Gray is so talented and would never sell-out. He is a true artist who is true to his music and fans. He expresses his own life through his music and shares it with the world. "A New Day At Midnight" is the absolute best follow-up that could have ever been imagined to "White Ladder". Actually, it's better than I could have imagined. Thank you, David Gray!

1. Dead in the Water
2. Caroline
3. Long Distance Call
4. Freedom
5. Real love
6. Kangaroo
7. Last Boat
8. Knowhere
9. December
10. Be Mine
11. Easy Way to Cry
12. The Other Side

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The longer you listen... the brighter the new day becomes., December 24, 2002

By	A. G Kveragas "aardvark115" (Jessup, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I will have to admit, Babylon got me hooked on Mr. Gray. I bought White Ladder, and over a few weeks, grew to love each and every recording on that album. When I heard that ANDAM was going to be released, I was excited yet tenative at the same time. I was worried that the euphoria I experienced while soaking up White Ladder would never be equaled. I bought the album, and reluctantly plopped it in my car stero.
After listening to Dead in the Water about 10 times, I felt that this album will certainly be as good as White Ladder. Caroline, Freedom, and Knowledge, while being eclectic, represent what strong song writing and a restrained touch at the master board can accomplish. However, the entire album sits strongly on Easy Way to Cry. It is well known that Mr. Gray is very adept at taking everyday raw emotion, feelings that rip through everone of us everyday, and simplifing it without losing its power. In Easy Way to Cry, he describes the Zero hour of a relationship, and how both parties involved, although obviously not new to the art of a breakup, have to learn to handle their emotions like a baby has to learn to crawl. You feel his loss, you feel his fear, and you feel his move towards recovery, however painful it may be.
Each song on ANDAM is skillfully arranged and emotionally true. I feel it is a strong step in the right direction for Mr. Gray, and if you liked White Ladder, don't miss out on this one. There are only a few writers in the world that can validate your emotion, any emotion, and not sound corny. David Gray is one of them.