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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Could Be My Favorite, May 7, 2003
I didn't think albums got any more perfect than "A Century Ends." Until I heard "Flesh." This is, without a doubt, one of the best CDs in my entire collection. From the hard rocking opener, "What are You?" to the brilliant finisher, "Flesh," there isn't a bad track in the bunch.Favorite tracks include: The Light- I don't think I'll ever get tired of this song. It's the kind of tune that you pray to hear on a road trip so you can crank as loud as you can and cruise down the highway. Fantastic! Coming Down- What a build! This song starts out pretty mellow, but builds to an amazing height. I think it needs to be heard twice to fully appreciate how good it is. Falling Free- The first time I heard this song, I bawled my eyes out. This is possibly one of the most beautiful ballads ever written ("No need to nail it to the ground/No need to smother it with sense/ Just listen to the rhythm of your heart that pounds/ And trust it all to chance"). This song will have you from the very first note. New Horizons- This song just makes you feel good. Between the music and the lyrics, you hear it and can't stop smiling. Flesh- What a way to end this album! The percussion at the end is as inspiring as the chorus ("Putting flesh on the bones of my dreams"). This song makes me wish that Mr. Gray would experiment a little more with percussion...he has the right idea on this tune. To sum up this album: I hear it and realize how lucky I was to discover David Gray. I can't picture my CD collection without his music.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definition of romance, January 11, 2002
David Gray's second album continues in the same folk-acoustic-ballad-rock vein of his previous masterpiece 'A Century Ends'. There is a definite development here though - it's a much more romantic record, probably because Gray got married around the time of making it. There's more of a relaxed feel, it seems he's got a lot of his anger and frustration out and is now relishing the love in his life - the MOST important thing. The songs - driving folk-rockers 'Made Up My Mind' and 'Love's Old Song' add some nice pace to proceedings. The soaring 'Coming Down', 'Flesh', 'New Horizons' and 'The Light' are perfect uplifting folk ditties/ballads, the latter being especially brilliant. The epitomie of love and romance that are 'Mystery of love' and 'Lullaby' leave you yearning for your own loved one. Gray even conjures a protest song of sorts in 'What Are You' - a Dylan esque diatribe, spat in fury, about how wrong it is to sell your soul to commercialism. (Some fans suggest that's what he did with releasing all those songs from 'White Ladder' but not me - he can do what he damn likes). There were a few of these on 'A Century Ends' and only one here. The best song here is the beautiful piano based 'Falling Free', similar in many respects to his other classic 'This Years Love', this is Gray at his genius best - a simple yet heartbreakingly beautiful confession of love. Get this album for ' Falling Free' and 'The Light' alone'- you will not regret it. One of my favourite albums ever. Brilliant voice, brilliant musician, brilliant album. GET IT NOW.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top form folk rock, December 2, 2004
Thank goodness David Gray acheived renown through White Ladder, otherwise his earlier albums would still remain primarily obscure and uncovered. Flesh, like A Century Ends before it, is a great specimen of new folk rock from Britain's David Gray. The album opens on a dark note with "What Are You." Gray's biting growl lets us know that he means business, and perfectly complements his stark, poetic lyrics. "The Light" is another high point, a live favorite of earlier days. Gray's cohesive arrangements include electric and acoustic guitars, slide guitar, piano and organ (among a few other surprises). "Coming Down" is one is one of Gray's finest songs, bar none. It explodes into a glorious cascade of beauty. The rest of the album dabbles in bluesy folk, with some straight-ahead rockers, with another highlight being "New Horizons," one of Gray's most optimistic and finely-crafted folky tunes. This album, though it has a unique sound, is an effective follow-up to A Century Ends, and is the height of Gray's folk-rock phase. Fans of Van Morrison, Springsteen and Dylan would enjoy these two records, and fans of Gray's newer material might expand their horizons by checking this out--it's the same energy, poeticism and heart, but in a folkier package.
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by David Gray 
