☭ marselip0910 叶俊华™

Label Downtown
Release Date Aug 17, 2010



Recording information: Abbey Road Studio 1; The Church Studios.
Illustrator: Devin Becker.
Photographer: Teddy Telles.

Personnel: David Gray (vocals, guitar, piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer organ); Robbie Malone (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonium, background vocals); Neill MacColl (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Keith Prior (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Simon Changer.

Entertainment Weekly (p.126) - "Carried by his ruff voice, FOUNDLING's all warm arrangements and real emotion." -- Grade: B+


CD1
01 Only The Wine
02 Foundling
03 Forgetting
04 Gossamer Thread
05 The Old Chair
06 In God’s Name (For Bryan - Pt. 1)
07 We Could Fall In Love Again Tonight
08 Holding On
09 When I Was In Your Heart
10 A New Day At Midnight

11 Davey Jones’ Locker

CD2
01 Fixative (For Bryan - Pt. 2)
02 Morning Theme
03 The Dotted Line
04 A Million Years
05 Who’s Singing Now
06 Old Father Time
07 Indeed I Will
08 A Moment Changes Everything


As David Gray began the recording of his 2009 album Draw The Line, it's doubtful that he envisioned that the sessions would yield two distinct projects. But as a solo artist, the singular creative process often proves paramount and while Line proved to be a "band album" on a grander scale, Gray says he found himself writing and recording a parallel solo album "in slices of time in between band recording sessions." Originally intended to be included in a deluxe version of Draw the Line, the songs were ultimately deemed strong enough to stand on their own and Gray conceived of a separate project as a showcase. Foundling (August 17, Downtown) "sort of arrived at my door without my asking it to," says Gray, "so (the name) felt very appropriate for this album."

Originally composed with more intimate stripped piano or guitar, Gray tinkered with the songs, adding "a few overdubs...and few finishing touches so that they sounded more complete." But in the end, he says, the idea was to reduce the songs to "their absolute bare minimum", a process he says was "a wonderfully liberating feeling." In a strange juxtaposition to Line, Gray thought "I can go even further with this - I can do even less" and ended up with "my private record" and one he says "I've been wanting to make for a long time." He compares Foundling to his breakout album, 1998's multi-platinum White Ladder while noting that this is also a "stepping off point" for the future. Originally eleven tracks, Gray has also added eight additional tracks on Foundling's bonus second disc including lead track "A Moment Changes Everything."



★陸續獲得美國偶像影集「戀愛世代」、電影「網住愛情」、「鄰家女優」、「美麗痴狂」、「千鈞一刻」等片青睞，引用其迷人聲頻襯入重要橋段
★編織一篇篇都市新民謠經典樂章，打造韌性細緻、閒適清新的優美線條

出生於英國曼徹斯特、在威爾斯成長的David Gray，於1999年發行的『White Ladder』，終於讓David嚐到走紅的滋味，一路持續發酵熱賣到2001年。翌年出版的『A New Day At Midnight』和2005年的『Life In Slow Motion』兩枚大碟，更全部空降英國金榜冠軍，陸續獲得美國偶像影集「戀愛世代」、電影「網住愛情」、「鄰家女優」、「美麗痴狂」、「千鈞一刻」等片青睞，引用他迷人聲頻襯入重要橋段之中。

繼登記UK第5名+US第12名的『Draw The Line』專輯後，創作力旺盛的David，不到一年光景趁熱問世【Foundling】，依舊以拿手的民謠搖滾為基底，輔以Acoustic和琴韻飛揚包覆“A Moment Changes Everything”，絕對動聽的交出一支耐人尋味的主打歌；“Old Father Time”、“Who’s Singing Now”等曲目則打造韌性細緻、閒適清新撩撥人心的優美線條，深植在每位樂迷心中，編織出一篇篇都市新民謠的經典樂章。



Written during the same sessions that spawned 2009's Draw the Line, Foundling is another pleasant, pastoral effort from David Gray, who seems to have settled into a contemporary folk mold after flirting with electronics during the `90s. "Only the Wine," which kicks off this two-disc set with acoustic guitar and brushed percussion, takes its cues from Van Morrison and Nick Drake, both of whom serve as stylistic touchstones throughout the album. Gray plays to his strengths fairly well, keeping the tempos leisurely and the mood relaxed, and he looks to his arrangements for diversity, either paring a song down to its piano-and-vocals skeleton or dressing it up in light layers of strings, organ, and electric guitar. When he does throw a curve ball into the mix, it's a nice change -- the slow-building title track stretches a Celtic soul groove over five and a half minutes, and "Morning Theme" (one of the eight tracks that make up the bonus disc) sets itself up as a piano lullaby, with fingerplucked guitar arpeggios and gauzy, cooing harmonies rounding out the song. Those moments are few and far between, but David Gray doesn't really purport to be anything other than a contemporary folk-pop singer, and Foundling finds him doing what he does best. ~ Andrew Leahey