Rave

Like any great musical purchase should be, David Gray's new album, "Life in Slow Motion," truly is a treat.

He's back with a bigger sound and higher language (I actually had to pull out my dictionary a couple times for good measure). Gray commands the slow build: You'll be listening to a perfectly delightful song and before you know it, you've reached a crescendo strong enough to stir your soul. Coincidentally, a lot of British-Isles acts seem to excel at this (think U2, Coldplay or Travis).

This review can explain it more eloquently than I, though I would have been a bit more generous with my grade. My favorites (so far) are "The One I Love," "Slow Motion," "Ain't No Love" and "Disappearing World." No, this CD is not an "upper," but with the haunting choruses and beautiful music, it is by no means a "downer."

The bottom line is David Gray doesn't get nearly the attention he deserves. He's a masterful musician and lyricist. He consistently achieves that more and more elusive goal of conveying a specific emotion or thought without spelling it out. Even if you don't comprehend the meaning of each word or phrase, you "get it." That's what good poets do.