Reviews (page 6 of 9)
Kind of bland, but surprised I had heard a few of these tracks before.
This is David Gray's fourth album and was a huge success. The album spent three years in the UK top 100 and is the best selling album ever in Ireland. Wow! Not bad for a singer-songwriter who recorded this in his apartment. I can see why it's included in this 1001 list, I guess. It's easy enough listening for me. Nothing making me want to jump immediately on Amazon to order the vinyl but nothing stopping me from appeciating this singer-song writer and well-crafted songs either. These songs are about some aspect of love, a relationship or a breakup. The music is more in the folk-pop style led by a piano and/or acoustic guitar. The drumming is slow and sometimes electronic. Gray said this album paved the way for folk-pop idols like Ed Sheeran and James Blunt. OK. Something tells me they might have been successful nonetheless. I do hear a vocal and music style similar in Amen Dunes which is something since he has some fantastic songs. There were five singles released from this album. "Babylon" and "Please Forgive Me" received very heavy air play in the US and are the two songs I thought of immediately when I saw this album pop up this morning. The album ends with the last three single- released songs "This Years' Love," "Sail Away," and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye." Of particular note, "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" is a nine minute cover of The Soft Cell song and maybe my favorite on the album. There is not really a drop off in the other songs as everything here is well crafted as previously mentioned. Overall, this was an enjoyable-enough listen if not lighting my pants on fire. What was lit on fire were the album sales charts which makes this album at the very least historical.
Kind of chill indie folk I guess. Nice, but nothing too special imo.
It's fine! I really liked Babylon. The rest of it is kinda... stripped synthpop folk, which isn't my thing, but I think i can see why other people love it.
ugggg.... maybe? 3?
Decent but didn't really capture my attention.
tecno folk no es mi estilo, pero es pasable.
David Gray is what Ryan Adams wants to be. I'm not really a fan of either, but it's remarkable how more talent there is on this album than on any of Adams' work. 3.5 stars
I really like David Gray, I know his voice is a bit Marmite but I actually would say I lean on the love side rather than the hate. I have some nostalgia with Babylon as I had a NOW album with that song on it haha! I also love This Year's Love too I think that's a bit of an epic and maybe slightly underrated love song and that's the climax of the album for me then it should have stopped there. Sail Away really falls flat after that high. But the rest of the album I've never listened to. I am fond of it but I don't have much attachment. I love the minor keys and the general sound of the album. I just wish I had more connection to it but I can't be arsed to push for that. Soz David.
Well I enjoyed relistening to some of the more well known ones from back in the day, have to say the rest of it wasn't that memorable and a bit beige. I don't care what anyone says though I do like Babalon. I had an acoustic version on my iPod that a boy sent me once on a skiing holiday, so I like it for that reason too
Like James Blunt without the bants. Guess it wasn't bad
Interesting, can see the influence it had.
Grew on me, but still felt like it should stay in the 90s.
Some nice, cool stuff. Loved the vibe of it all; I just wish it got more daring or exciting at times instead of playing it safe.
Not bad. Wasn't familiar with much of it. Quite liked his voice.
Not really a fan of this type of music but was pleasant enough. 2.6
An enjoyable listen. Nothing really jumps out and the songs are fine, but his vocals are rich and strong and overall a solid record.
Good album for a rainy day
Soft and easy listening. There wasn’t a song I absolutely LOVED so I’m going with a 3.5, rounding down to 3.
A joint effort between US and UK governments to wean people off of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car.’ 3.3.
This was good album to get in the post-spring break shitty period. Wistful romantic stuff and pretty decent
Pleasant.
A real soulful peace of work. Melancholic and cheery at once. Some great lyrics and hooks. Favourite Track - Please forgive me
Good enough
It's kind of boring for my taste
interesting
It's good, it's soft. It feels like something I wanna cook eggs and chill out on rainy day too. It's just simple. And i like that about it.
3, pleasant enough
Algumas músicas boas. This year's love a melhor, mas as duas começo assim, como a em sequência da principal são boas;
Nice album. Easy listening, mellow music. Enjoyable sound, nice vocals.
Really nice soothing sound. Thoroughly enjoyed even though nothing in here jumped out as exciting or innovative. Nothing much to say about it, but I did like the sound.
Enjoyable listening, but all of the tracks sounded the same
Very pop, though I confess to liking "Babylon". Inoffensive, but also doesn't really speak to me.
I wouldn’t call this anything special, but I will concede it makes for a pleasant afternoon’s soundtrack.
Very good.
I forgot about the song Babylon until being assigned this album. That's a great song. I also like the title track. I vibed with the rest, but didn't find it as memorable.
A haiku: Never heard of Gray, But knew a few of these songs, Was nice listening. 6/10
Not bad blue eyed soul
What an interesting album. Almost too easy listening in parts. Quite a voice though. Now, next track - synth or acoustic?
Not too bad, kinda sad soft rock vibes.
Not grand, not bad. Solid listen
I’m depressed
Top heavy
I didn't realize I actually knew the song Babylon already. Never knew who sang it, but have heard it millions of times on 90's radio. This was a pleasant Monday morning album to listen to while I caught up on my work. It kinda gave me Damien Rice vibes. But it's not one I'm going to return to, it's just not me.
gooey
I like David Grays sound but it is not something that I am searching out generally.
3.1 - great voice and layered with some catchy beats and hooks, but becomes a little respective, and weirdly saccharine despite the rather muted/down mood for the album as a whole.
This is better than I remember!
I remember this being on a lot my first year working in a record shop. I expected to hate it (I hated EVERYTHING back then) and while there's a lot of filler in there, the opening two tracks are both great, and the close is maudlin and lovely (and has given me a reason to hear Soft Cell, though admittedly as a cover this time). The music is pitched between Bob Dylan, and that sort of MOR chill out of the late 90s and early 00s, but not so offensively as to put me off it. It's not a mind blowing five star album, but was quite a nice nostalgic trip into a couple decades ago.
This album got monotonous for me in the middle and I had to take a break. So I don't know if it's that or if it's just a coincidence, but my favorite songs on this album are the first two and the last two: Please Forgive Me, Babylon, Sail Away, Say Hello Wave Goodbye.
Easy to listen to. Enjoyable. 3/5
Næs og kósí plata.
This one's pretty good, bit surprised not to have encountered it before tbh.
Really surprised to see that Babylon is not the most listened to track on this one. Very pleasant overall and 90's to the core. Not one I'd clamour to put on specifically but wouldn't switch off.
Really easy listening but honestly if anyone can tell where one song ends and another begins, you're doing better than me!
It was alright. Some songs were good but nothing amazing
Helt fin!
Pleasant
Trevligt att lyssna på men int mer än så.
A bit too dramatic for me. Some lyrics on the cheesy side such as Sail Away. Didn't hate it but won't put it on again.
Fine, but nothing special. I guess you had to be there.
I guess it's really very OK. It sounds very decent and it's easy to see how it may have inspired some current days popular musicians. But I just really can't get into it that much. Just nice background music for me and nothing more.
Yeah - listened to this a bit when it came out and was all over the UK radio. Sounds like a good pub singer who had the right sounds for the right time. good for a road trip.
7/10
Wasn’t bad, wasn’t amazing.
pretty good classic country album
Couple of really good songs on this album. Like the lyrics. Reminiscent of Dylan in a way.
I seem to remember hearing Babylon a few times. The album feels like one of those 90s singer / songwriter guys, like Jason Mraz or John Mayer. Listenable, but not memorable. Having said that, the last song on this album was WAY too long. I was expecting it to be like Phil Collins "We Said Hello Goodbye," and it went on for EIGHT MINUTES. OH MY GOD say GOODBYE already!
Recognized Bablyon, and it's still a pretty good song. The rest of the album was pretty good, but not typically my taste.
ok
Una buena voz para una colección de temas de corte sencillo. Minimalista. Íntimo. No suena mal, aunque no destaca especialmente
I dig it
It was alright many of the songs where cool and soft and the lyrics were romantic.
More of a unique success story than a musical masterpiece, White Ladder is known for being David Gray's self-financed album that managed to stay in the UK top 100 for almost three years straight. Big seller in Ireland too, hitting 20x platinum in it's first week. How does it hold up? It's nice singer/songwriter stuff from the 90's. Soft, sweet, and an easy listen. Some interesting production choices including electronic-geared drums. Good voice, good songs, good album.
Pretty bland post folk
‘White Ladder’ is basically a collection of accessible, well produced songs about love and loss with some electronic elements thrown into the mix. I particularly like the ‘tronic parts of this folktronica proposition, especially the heavy bass drums. I can see why people jumped on this when it came out.
3/5 eventually no.
chill indie rock that keeps you from completely chilling
White Ladder is a fine electronic music album. Too bad it did not age that well and sounds a bit dated. Combined with several songs of mediocre quality and no classics, I cannot consider this a must listen album for anyone.
Unashamedly bland, the clarion call of the middle class. The soundtrack to a million dinner parties. And while this is true it's better than you'd expect.
Decent, some nice tracks
Empecé pensando que qué aburrido y que era otro de esos discos que se habían colado a la lista por gusto personal de algún editor, pero en la segunda vuelta sí encontré varios detalles que me alcanzaron a gustar para llegar a la tercera (y casi cuarta) estrella. Además de la historia de como este disco que es casi casi casi para el olvido de pronto es uno de los más vendidos de la década del 2000 y como David Gray es casi el burro que tocó la flauta, la verdad es que su voz sí me agradó y por la fecha en la que hizo esto es definitivamente pionero en mezclar loops hechos en casa con guitarra y voz folk.
Quite good. Makes me feel peaceful
Plenty of heralded wit, I didn’t mind this. Reminded me of Gomez a bit
For the first few tracks, I thought this was pretty boring. And by the end of it, I still didn't think there was that much to it. But in fairness to the album, it kind of sucked me in - I went with the vibe of it, and the vibe is pretty strong. Cool combination of acoustic instrumentation and electronic production and mixing too - but basically, if you let this album take you along for the ride for 50 minutes, I think you'll have a good time
7,0/10 Legal
Loved a few songs for nostalgia reasons but I think they go downhill after the first 2.
Some (let's say 4) very good and celebrated songs. A famed Soft Cell cover version. I think the somewhat effected vocal style grates in the second half. The downbeat gentleness needs a boost. Not as good as people made out at the time.3 out of 5
Slow soft rock, easy listening and a decent album, List worthiness comes from influence
Good background folk with some electronic twinges. Doesn't feel super special or groundbreaking.
I've definitely never listened to this whole album. I know Babylon and remember when it was a big hit and maybe I've heard another song or two from this album in passing at some point. It's not bad, I probably wouldn't go too far out of my way to put it on again or explore more of Gray's music but it wouldn't make me change the station on the radio or anything if it came on. It's fine.
I can see how this album paved the way for acclaimed artists nowadays. Favourite track: this year's love
Meh. Wikipedia describes this as Folktronica, I guess I can see that. It's honestly pretty boring, but necessarily bad though.
I like the smooth chillness of the music, but the singer has this Bob Dylan-ish 'eaaaaagh' sound that doesn't work for me. Middle of the pack.
Pretty standard singer/songwriter stuff with some nice drum machine flourishes here and there. The songs are well written, if a little forgettable. Gray clearly has some Bob Dylan influences. Not bad, more of a 3.25/3.5. Favorite tracks: "White Ladder", "We're Not Right", "Nightblindness"
3.5 - Simple, soulful songs that feel emotionally genuine.
Melodic and gentle.
If i heard it in a coffee shop would i mind? No Would i care if i never got to listen to it again? No Was it ok? Yeah. A bit boring.
Nice but not memorable.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Nightblindness, this year’s love, sail away
// Favs: This Year's Love / Sail Away Score: Decent to Strong 3
Not bad better than most of the stuff I’ve heard so far
Nothing special
L'écoute remonte à si longtemps que je vais plutôt baser ma critique sur une photo de David. Coupe à la Vegeta, ça fonctionne assez bien, une plutôt belle gueule dans l'ensemble. Ce sera un trois en ce qui me concerne.
Pretty good. Folk-ish.
I liked Babylon, We're Not Right, Silver Lining, Sail Away, and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye Decent album, though not pushing any boundaries and pretty safe and inoffensive
Folksy reminds me of Bob Dylan. Nice poetry.
Slow, chill, can see why it's liked but not exactly my style.
Ye, some nice pop
This Year's Love é a melhor, tanto que é a mais famosa. Mas é um álbum bem gostosinho de ouvir, ouviria mais vezes.
sans intêret comme le derneir album de chrisdusseld, 3/5 sans conviction
It's alright. All the appeal of folk music with a hint of electronic sound.
1001 is showing off it's dirty diaper British teeth with this one. David actually sounds pretty fresh in 2021 with this electro-folk thing. Not a million miles away from Folklore, and in a few rare spots, In Rainbows. Still squarely nostalgic and 90s at the same time. Takes me back to listening to 103.7 The Mountain in my dad's aquamarine Saturn coupe with a spoiler. If only to have known in those moments that one day I would inherit that sexy car and that all adult contemporary radio stations would cease to exist. This album was consistently enjoyable from start to finish like a grande Starbucks drip coffee with plenty of cream and the NYT Monday crossword on my lap. B
I can definitely imagine low rise girls and pooka she’ll boys really digging this album. I imagine this was legend when it came out. By my count there are 4 great songs on this album. The rest are pretty meh. The digital/synth and acoustic singer songwriter combo is interesting, though I’m not sure if he pulls it off. A lot of the backing tracks sound like very generic 2000 pop and really dated. I almost wonder if he simply went voice/guitar and voice/piano this would be better unaccompanied. But you can’t deny those 4 songs. B, 3
Had a good time listening to this while driving Costco Run around Issaquah with a kayak on my roof. I'm increasingly recognizing that any individualism of my self is purely delusion and my movements through life have already been laid out before me. I am walking the path of "Guy who enjoys listening to White Ladder while driving his midsize pickup truck with a kayak strapped to the top that he bought his wife for her birthday. When he gets home he will change his baby's diapers." What's scarier is I'm coming to accept and embrace what this all means. I just had two hardboiled eggs and half a cup of black coffee for breakfast. Went to the doctor for an annual wellness exam and some bloodwork. I had a minor heart palpitation, so we will be monitoring that. I'm looking forward to the salad I will have for lunch this afternoon. If the weather holds and no clients schedule calls with me, maybe I'll go on a bike ride this afternoon. I will play with my daughter this evening, have a sensible dinner, maybe one glass of wine, and be in bed by 9:30. This is my path; this is my Babylon.
Very soothing. Surprised at how many tracks I recognised. Listened to it twice and enjoyed it. ***
Klinkt wel goed, maar kwartje is nog niet helemaal gevallen.
Toffe plaat. Fijne sfeer. Niks meer, niks minder.
It’s a solid album - there were more than a couple tracks that I enjoyed a lot. I was hoping for a little more energy in it somewhere though
slow to average
Nigdzie poza brytania muzyki sie nie tworzy wedlug listy, wiec kolejny wyspiarski dodatek do kolekcji, tym razem calkowita nowosc, bo nie kojarza pana Graya, rok prawie 2k, bo 1998 a tutaj takie folkowe gransko, po pierwszym rzucie oka na okladne mialem dziwne uczucie, ze gdzies juz to widzialem, okazalo sie ze the who i ich tommy stylistycznie troche przypomina okladke laddera, a co do muzyki to z tego okresu chyba nie slyszalem rownie rownego albumiku folkowego, nie jest to klasyczny folk, bo pojawiaja sie elementy nowoczesnej muyzki, jak chocby mocne wykorzystanie overduba, bo pan Gray samemu ogrywa gitarke, klawisze, pianino jednoczesnie przy czym jeszcze wokaluje, dodatkowe instrumenty, to oczywiscie basior, jakies smyczki, ale czuc, ze jest to albumik robiony przez jednosobowa armie, da sie tego sluchac, ale kontent liryczny potrafi troche znudzic, bo jednak wiekszosc kawalkow to milosne balladowania, na plejke wrzucam babylona i tytulowy white ladder
Sounded nice, but kinda boring idk
Not bad, pretty chill overall but the guy has a big of a Neil Young Voice and the songs are a little long.
3 stars
Folk inglés. Entretenido.
Just a little boring. Sounds nice though
Easy listening folky 90s tunes. I remembered Babylon from movies. Most played song on the album has like 162m listens at the time of writing and it's not even that good. 6/10.
Liked it, calm.
Well produced album with great vocals. I liked several of the songs in it, but I just found it to drag on towards the end due to the many slow songs. Could use a few up tempo numbers to change up the dynamics.
Un bon albom qui ressemble a nos chanteurs kodernes. 3.25
Was ok, not my normal listening pleasure
Rock folk muy melódico. Suave.
Someone could remix this album and probably make a good edm tracks
Slow...
Oh I see what he did here. 90s acoustic singer does electronica. Not horrible.
Pretty chill soft rock, instrumentation leaves something to be desired but his voice is kinda soothing.
pretty chill but not a ton of jams
Good rainy day tunes.
Better than I thought it would be... More like 3.5 stars
I didn't really get it, and after awhile, I decided I didn't care enough to keep trying to get it. It's a guy pouring his heart out into some pedestrian, mediocre songs. At least the effort's there. Best track: This Year's Love
Folk/rock with some interesting production Not really my jam
Good, but kinda boring
Safe middle of the road...
Better than I remember.
..
This is #day778 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... another artist/album I've never heard of before. The first song was kind of promising, but then... I mean, the whole thing is fine overall and has its moments? Except... overly safe and mellow? I don't quite get why you'd have to hear this record before you die. "This Year's Loving" rang a bell from hell knows where, though. Still, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day779.
mostly boring
Favorite track(s): did music piracy become so prevalent in the early 2000s that the only people buying music were keeping this album on the charts for 3 years?
Some classic ‘90s singer-songwriting; just alright.
It's not bad, it's just so unremarkable. It's clean, shiny late 90s undistinguished inoffensive, innocuous and lots of songs from it have millions of listens on Spotify. It’s a good summation of the time, sit com drama music for white bread consumption of the no need to chew variety. That this is a massive seller probably many moved to landfill from Bill and Mary’s 10 cd record collection. A generation or 2 earlier he may have had emotion and bite in the same songs, as he is a fair songwriter but here it all passes in a sheen of sparkly background haze. It really isn't bad, just to my ears is so slick it presented as extremely dull, 2.5 stars
9/18/26. Just okay, found it predictable and boring in a lot of spots. I could've paid attention to the lyrics more but they didn't grab me right away.
Indeed it is an album of all time
Can’t forgive this guy for playing way too long as Alison Krause’s opening act!
Det är musik som pågår. Jag känner ingenting, varken positivt eller negativt, för det här.
I still get nightmares from hearing Babylon for what feels like half a decade straight. It's MOR dad rock, maudlin, sappy, just like the rest of the white boys singing confessionals that took influence from this. It's got some fairly good electronic textures which saves it from a 1.
This album WAS all over the radio when it came out but I don't think that warrants it a spot on this list.
The first three songs: Please forgive me Babylon MyohMy are quite good, music and lyrics. The other songs seemed to me too similar, no much variation. I couldn’t hear this album frequently
WHAATTINYAAHUH WHAATTINYAAHEY idk nfm
Ed Sheeran???
Pretty uninteresting. You’ll know Babylon, but everything else is just a less good version of that. Bland downbeat rock that feels pretty typical of the early 2000s.
A perfectly serviceable album of downbeat folktronica, with some fairly decent tracks at the beginning (‘Please Forgive Me’ and the famous ‘Babylon’) and end (‘This Year’s Love’, ‘Sail Away’, and a nice but overlong cover of ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’ incorporating a few Van Morrison lines) bookending some very forgettable, run-of-the-mill stuff in the middle. I doubt I’ll listen to even the better tracks again, though, hence it goes to the upper end of 2 stars. By no means a terrible album, but it’s nothing special either, so I was amazed to read on Wikipedia how commercially successful it was.
It wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t awesome. It was just…there. I enjoyed his voice and it reminded me of someone else, maybe I’ve heard this album or some of its songs before. But in the end nothing really stuck out as super impactful. I listened to it throughout the day and some parts were enjoyable to sit back and listen to and others just felt like he was droning on. It’s by no means a terrible album and the reviews I’ve read are WAY too harsh but there is some truth in what they say. It’s a good night album if you like any background noise. Favorite tracks: White Ladder, My Oh My, This Year’s Love.
lindo pero nada del otro mundo. nose, un 2,5. pero la verdad q me genero un poco de paz en continuo, pro nada me resalto
Nothing special at all. 2/5.
There were a couple good bits and pieces, but I kept looking for the skip button. I made it all the way through, but really didn't care for this at all.
Damn, the song Babylon was all over the radio back in the late 90s when my parents were driving me around. While that song is nostalgic, and I appreciate the electronic elements that David occasionally weaves into the mix, it mostly sounds like alt muzak to supplement a good shop at The Bon Marché. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Inspiration for James Blunt and Ed Sheeran? Yeah figures. Generic sad background music with synthesized instruments
This started out promising and swiftly reneged on that promise.
I'm sort of surprised this came out in '98; I would have guessed much later. Certainly Babylon was a song you couldn't avoid for a while. It's inoffensive enough, I guess?
No, you don't need to listen to this before you die. Middle age white dad music. As a (almost) middle aged white (to be) dad I found this a smooth listen. Does what it says on the tin.
kind of forgettable, not really for me
Disliking everything about the first song (Please Forgive Me) except the lyrics. It feels like this might have just been a simple tune for guitar or piano and someone decided to schmaltz it up with soulless drum machine and synth. It sounds horrible. Babylon is supposed to be the big hit and it also sounds like someone forced a crappy old Casio synth keyboard on it. Not enjoying it. Lyrically interesting, musically crap. The third song, My Oh My, starts off with just a guy with a guitar, which sounds good but then continues to add elements. Musically, this one is better, but the lyrics aren't as good as the first two by a fair bit. Yeah, the synth quality on this is horrible. Nightblindness has a nice groove and sound until that crappy synth sound breaks in. This Year's Love is a step above everything else on this album musically and really grabs my attention. Thank goodness they left out the low end synth. This and Sail Away, which is growing on me take this up to teetering between 2 and 3/5 stars. Ah, guitar loops, I didn't realize it before but this is just guitar loops, not a guitar performance! So bad.
This journey has taught me I'm not the fan of Folk that I thought I was(damn you, "Juno", your soundtrack was just too good). It's just so boring, and I was thankful when it ended. It sounds like a soundtrack for one of those 2000s Rom Com movies. Favorite Track: "This Year's Love".
Babylon was the big radio hit from this album. It's an innocuous bit of a pop song. Not much to really get the blood flowing and it wasn't anything that moved me to want to seek out the rest of the album. Let's see if I missed out. Six songs in and my instincts were right. There is no there there on this record. He's got a voice kinda like Michael McDonald, okay in small doses as a background singer that becomes mumbly-assed nails on a chalkboard when it's out front for any length of time. I ain't sitting through that nine minute final track, bye bye.
Blah, a Dylan, Guthrie, Seger etc wanna be; the mourning, sad sack droning did work for me.
Sound engineering is awesome. Album is not bad but neither great.
⭐⭐+ Lyssnade på det här albumet när det hade en liten revival på 00-talet, tycker soundet känns ganska "modernt" för att vara släppt 1998. Nu så här efter några decennier så känns albumet inte så spännande och ganska platt. Tycker Please forgive me och Sail away är bra men förutom de spåren så är det inte så spännande, det får bli en stark 2a. Bäst är Please forgive me och Sail away.
So boring.
i recognize t1, but i can't say im excited to listen to 50 min of this. t2 is familiar as well. I can't say I hate this, but it's not my vibe. It also isn't hitting my ear as something new, it's nostalgic and because of that, my brain writes it off, which is a me a problem. I feel like im listening to a scrubs episode.
Set your head to wobbling, nod along to a couple of okay singles…then drift off as it all gets a bit dull before an unnecessarily long cover of my favourite Soft Cell tune that drags on.
His voice is a bit grating after a while. Couple of decent tunes on this, but it’s defo not one of the greatest albums ever.
Silver Lining
The musical manifestation of a yawn. A bunch of middle class kids in their 20’s owe their life to this record in as much as their dad put it on to get their mum in the mood to get pumped on a ski trip to Morzine back in the day. Nothing against DG, he has had a successful career and seems like a nice fella but this is never an album that anyone has to hear before they die. 2
It's a bit bland to be honest. Never liked it back when it came out and nothing has changed.
#421/1001. Never heard about this artist, or any of the songs. Apparently huge in the U.K and even huger in Ireland. Oh well, I guess this must be an important album for some. For me it is one of those singer-songwriter albums, which brings nothing new to the genre, and it is a bit hit and miss which ones you get attached to at certain point of your life.
I knew I knew the song Babylon, but I was confusing it in my head with a song that I hate (Superman by Five For Fighting). I was pleasantly surprised when it was not that song. I didn't know that I knew another song on this album, This Year's Love, because it is in the movie The Girl Next Door. His voice reminds me of James Blunt, who although I've seen in concert (opener for Ed Sheeran), I very much dislike. It was fine, but kind of boring.
Meh
Dylan impression but only the phoned-in 80s Dylan albums. An earnest cover of a Soft Cell song Soft Cell doesn’t even remember. Wasn’t he a Dave Matthews protégé? So many odd decisions at play without a lot of payoff.
The opening track strikes a nice minor-chord vibe, and he’s playing around with some interesting electronic beats and other sounds. But the big hit “Babylon" would slot nicely into a mixtape for yuppie-favored coffee shops alongside similar adult-contemporary fare like K.D. Lang and Sting. The rest is pleasant enough but anodyne, and I grew bored.
It's nice and feels so very 1990s
Dull. Why is this on the list? And why did he cover an obscure Soft Cell song as the last track? Still didn't sway me positively.
Just ok, not one of 1001.
I still like the song Sail Away, but the album as a whole doesn’t hold up for me.
I need to stop skimming the reviews before I get to an album, because they have a bad habit of shaping my listening. This guy sounds like a whiny Bob Dylan. That is a bad indicator for the rest of the album. The drums are cool on track 1... there's like a weird DNB thing going on... but my earlier skim on the toilet revealed to me that that will not be the rest of my experience. At least this song is cool! The folky weird electronic instrumentals are cool but man this music is just kind of lame. Not bad, but it’s like early 200’s alt rock radio. Silver Lining is ok. My Oh My as well The drum break on White Ladder is interesting… not big on the vocals. Probably the coolest one so far, but I wish more synth stuff was going on. Oh there it is, the hook is cool. This Year’s Love boooo boring It’s all kind of bland. Lyrics are bleh and the vocals are whiny. Sounds like Christian music sometimes. 2 stars because the instrumentals are cool sometimes Favorite: White Ladder Least: This Year’s Love Shoutout: Silver Lining
The only way I can describe this is bland, this is like eating boiled chicken breast with rice and broccoli, devoid of anything that sparks enjoyment
Man it was fine I guess, this years love was my favorite?
I don’t really know why this is on the list but it’s not a bad album by any means. Just a little bit of the same over and over again, granted that little bit is very enjoyable
released by dave matthews’ label? [pretends to be shocked] (derogatory)
The first song makes the album sound like a promising blend of folktronica and singer-songwriter, but as it progresses, it becomes clear that the guy only knows how to sing in the same melodramatic and slow way, the acoustic guitar also sounds almost exactly the same in every song, and the electronic elements that initially made the first songs kind of interesting are slowly disappearing and almost nowhere to be found in the latest pieces. So yes, quite unfortunate I ended up disliking the album, because I really liked the intro track, "Please Forgive Me", but that's what there is when the artist decides to make the album more monotone as it goes. Besides, I don't want to end the review without mentioning the terrible cover. The background picture looks nice, but the black image in the center and the name of the album and artist being white Arial font are absolutely horrendous (that's in the standard version, as in the CD one the words are in another awful font).
nope
Really just fine
Milquetoast dross for middle-class white people.
It's hard for me to get over the production. It's corny. Like the missing link between Peter Gabriel and Coldplay.
I really enjoyed the first song. I wish I had more positive things to say. Well that’s a bit of an exaggeration because I know how to explain why I didn’t connect with this album as a whole. It starts great, super instrumentally interesting song with fast drum machine beats combined with a haunting piano, creates a really original sound (for the time). And I was engaged from that point on, and I didn’t hate Babylon, it was just the start of the problem that never went away. Which is it becomes like so painfully radio friendly that it loses all identity and atmosphere cause it just feels so safe and boring like a real studio lead production. There’s nothing critically wrong with this album, it just doesn’t have that special sauce/seasoning to make it a real bold stand out. I just felt after the first song I got more and more bored as the album went on. For what it’s worth if there’s a single of that opening track I’m gunna find it to add it to my collection.
I remember “Babylon”... and I also remember how much it annoyed me, because it was everywhere! Anyway, these songs have always struck me as nothing more than huge, whiny tunes—the way they stay on the air for so long and how far they spread! I could definitely die without ever hearing this crap again; I’m just fine without it, thanks. I feel like I’m losing my enjoyment of this project; the album generator isn’t managing to surprise me like it used to: have we run out of albums that are really worth listening to before we leave this life?
This sounds like the soundtrack for a romcom from late 90s - early 00s, particularly something like Bridget Jones. This was just boring, the first couple tracks had me thinking this would be a fun listen once it picked up, only for it to not pick up and stay mellow and placid throughout. I am not a fan of his voice, and my biggest pet peeve is when the acoustic guitar is overused, and it is on the verge of abuse here. It's just so dull, clearly this is Ed Sheerans favourite album. Fav Track: Babylon
Definition of mediocre
Pedestrian easy listening. Why is it even on the list?
boring
Booringgggggggg
Babylon came on and I laughed this album was nada
better than i expected but not his best
You take the keys out of the ignition and grab the cellophane wrapped CD from the passenger seat. You turn it over. David Gray, White Ladder. You tap it nervously against your fingers. You know she likes "Babylon", who doesn't, it is all over the radio and the album was released by Dave Matthew's record label, so it ought to be good . Will it set the mood? You get out of the car, and walk up the unfamiliar path to the front door. The key sticks a little as you unlock the front door, and you walk into the foyer, still full of boxes. You put the key back into the pocket of your jean shorts, and kick off your new balances. "Honey? I am home." "In here, unpacking the den." You had already unpacked the stereo, in preparation, and walk over, putting the disc in. You find your wife in the den, going through boxes of books. You do a little shuffle dance over, and she eyes you suspiciously. "The end of summer always makes you goofy," she snorts. "Hey, its just now the beginning of September." "What is this album?" She says going back to the books. "David Gray, the guy who does that Babylon song." "Oh, nice!" "Apparently it just reach no.1 in August. So I thought I'd pick it up." "It's nice" You go over and kiss her ear. "You know, we don't need to unpack ALL the way before we try again." She giggles "oh jeez, this gets you in the mood huh" she snorts. "Just like how you would always put on Crash in the dorms whenever you were getting ready to make a move." "Hey! A guy can try! Besides, its our decade! We just got this house, and in 10 years I am sure it would double. It's early September a year after the elections, and things aren't as bad as they say they were gonna be! I just got that raise and promotion at Enron. It's all coming up!" "Okay. okay" she smiles, "I'll meet you upstairs. Untuck that polo though and ditch the braided belt first." --- An album that marked contemporary adult music for a decade to come. Not my bag of tea.
zzzzzzz
Kinda repetitive.
I struggled to reach the end. So inoffensively pleasant it’s actually offensive. Whoever thought this is one of the 1000 best albums ever is literally insane.
Inoffensive and inconsequential.
I enjoyed aspects - the slightly trip hop vibe - but couldn't get on board with his voice - also random but went to a party last night and pulled out a cd from the shelf and by chance it was this one! What are the odds!
Coworker music
This is riding that line of easy to listen to so much that you almost ignore it. There's some interesting choices. He has a good voice. It knows what it's doing. Not that great.
This is an odd ball. First listen to the song Babylon, I was driving by farmers working in the early morning sun and the song really hit. On a second listen not as much. This music is easy to ignore.
There’s actually some pretty good songwriting on here (especially smash hit “Babylon”) but the production is so weirdly muddy and bad. I’d much rather just put on some Coldplay.
Album #101: White Ladder - David Gray Genre (W): Folktronica Singles: This Year’s Love, Babylon, Please Forgive Me, Sail Away, Say Hello Wave Goodbye I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: It sounds nice, the production is sleek. But overall, this is a very boring album, it all just sounds too safe and bland to be anything noteworthy. A very dull album. Favorite songs: Babylon, This Year’s Love
Haven't heard of this guy in my entire life, genuinely surprised to see the number of streams on the songs here. Discovering this album didn't improve my life in any way though. David's voice is pretty annoying and so is the music at times. 90s nothingburger 2/5
Very sure of its concept - that concept is being vapid guitar driven wine music. Aside from the nostalgia reasons, I don’t think I’d ever be like “oh man, could you chuck on a bit of David Gray? That just gets me going!”
Never listened to this though it was ubiquitous in my youth! Think I assumed it'd be boring. First 20 seconds, thought I was going to really enjoy it but then quickly realised DG is the man who Ed Sheeran could've been. Or vice versa. Actually, that's unfair.... Much more interesting than ES. Perfectly fine and, perhaps, even actively "good" if in the right headspace. Sonically, very much of its time. Almost simplistic / DIY sounding.
2 out of 5. Sad music but decent production.
Starbucks ass album
It's alright, but if you've heard one, you've heard them all. It's a good song, but he does it too many times with different lyrics. Nowt spesh.
I guess it’s well done? I found it boring and a little pretentious.
Not awful, not memorable.
Here I thought this was the guy from Simply Red (Mick H.) gone solo. For crying out loud, indeed. I gave a good effort to listen through this record, but some kind of aesthetic allergy set in and irritated me over the top. Of course, the mostly acoustic instruments and arrangements were nice, but the signer's self-assured, inane, garish sunshine was insufferably off-putting, for some reason. In any case, cheers to everyone else who is into this unholy alliance with Dave Matthews and his ilk.
I didn’t know what I was getting into here. The album was fine. Some songs I did enjoy. I don’t know if I like his voice. I noticed Apple Music gave him song credit for Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
Loved this at the time. It’s just a load of nothing now. Singles are still good though
fav songs: please forgive me whiny, repetitive, forgettable 30/100
It’s been a while since I’ve heard this. It brought back some memories, not my favorite, but definitely some songs I remember from years ago like Babylon etc…
No standouts
Babylon was as bit hit when it came out and is a nice enough song. The opening track showed some potential but it all ended up too safe and boring.
easy listening, aber eher schon zu schmalzig.
Honestly, I think this album would be more effective as instrumental music. I did not love the singer's voice. I enjoyed the track My Oh My and most of them on the 1st half of the album. Nothing specifically caught my attention and not something I would seek out again. Overall, its not bad, but not good either. Tbh, would be fire to study to though!
Forgot I listened to this about 10 minutes after finishing it
All the songs sound generally the same. Same tempo, same background percussion track, etc. Nothing offensive about this album, nothing of note, easy guitar included listening lull you into a torpor and bury you in the mundane.
Booooring
Rode the line between decent songwriter stuff and meh songwriter stuff. 2.5 but I’ll round down.
I thought his voice sounded familiar, then it got to “Babylon” and my time working in a grocery store caught up to me. I quickly realized how many hits this guy had, too. Friendly folk rock for the public, all, if I may. There’s something quintessentially 90s singer-songwriter that’s bottled here. I personally think it’s pretty dated and wasn’t impressed, but maybe this sounded fresh and breezy at the time. It’s not that it grated on me. It just moved me not at all.
The classic album to put on as background music during dinner. Inoffensive, unobtrusive and bland
Very guy with a guitar at the party, but this time he’s got a synth and drum machine. First two songs were promising but the rest proved to be forgettable at best, grating at worst.
Not bad, but kinda bland. Babylon was a good song, but nothing else here was that memorable.
Kinda boring
this album makes me feel like I should be crying in the rain in some rom-com. Idk how to feel about that.
Poor man's Dave Matthews?
I read this guys bio on Spotify and it says Adele and Ed Sheerhan credit him as an influence. So it makes sense that I didn’t like this. I don’t hate it, it’s just not anything special to me. It sounds like drug store music. It’s dull and overproduced.
Δυστηχώς αυτό το άλμπουμ μου φάνηκε ελαρφώς αργό για τα γούστα μου. Δεν είναι ότι δεν μου άρεσαν τα κομμάτια, αλλά το να το ακούς όλο συνεχόμενα (1 ώρα) είναι λίγο δύσκολο. Επίσης σε κάποια σημεία μου θύμισε ελαφρώς Pearl Jam. Please Forgive Me
Bland and safe sound, nothing offensive.
Gray indeed. Meh.
right so not for me. i have to agree with all the other reviews saying its sad girl staring out of window in a rom com music. not fun, not great, maybe just boring idk
I'm sure this album goes nuts for Ed Sheeran fans/coworkers
Completely fine but very dull
The sound of your mum and dad cleaning the house on a Saturday morning - a day wrecked before it even begins. That said, not unpleasant.
Not a big fan of this in-the-feels white-boy singer-songwriter type of music, but I can see why everybodys mum will fuck with something like this. Really is background music for looking out the train-window on a rainy day.
Pretty generic and boring. Reminds me of James Blunt, Coldplay, etc.
I once read an article about artists whose sales had fallen off a cliff. It included an interview with David Gray, and he came across as very philosophical and honest about White Ladder being his commercial peak. So, while I don’t quite understand why this slightly dull album had people in such a chokehold, I genuinely hope Gray is still raking in the cash from it and generally living his best life.
babylon was inescapable for like a three year period when this was released, despite nobody liking it. i guess that's where the ed sheeran comparisons come in. points docked for a godawful cover of a great soft cell song.
The hits are excellent, of course, but the rest is a bit much of a muchness.
I suppose, technically, some of these songs have stood the test of time, in the sense that you still hear them now and again - Babylon, This Year's Love and Sail Away seem to pop up regularly on coffee shop playlists and at open mic nights. Unfortunately, I suspect this is because they're inoffensive, "lowest common denominator" songs that aren't likely to annoy anyone or make you start moshing inappropriately. The songs are okay, but not exciting. I find his singing style a bit annoying - why sing "beyck agin" when you come from Cheshire?* I'm glad he recognises that Say Hello Wave Goodbye is an absolutely fantastic song, but I wish he'd left it well alone, instead of turning it into a bland acoustic imitation of a Van Morrison song. I'm sorry but a star has been removed for that crime. *oh! He's trying to be Van Morrison. I can't believe it took me until the last song to figure that out.
Dull then. Dull now
It's not as awful to give this album 1/5, but it's boring record and the production annoys me very much. 3/10
Just okay
A nope from me! The vocals are just too whiny-sounding for me. It's pretty much all downhill starting from the only good track "Please Forgive Me." I hate to say it but to me it just sounds like a bunch of Britpop slop to me. Definitely not a fan of this, nor do I think this could be saved by another listen. Highlight Song/s: "Please Forgive Me"
Bleurgh
This album is completely average.
2/5. The word of the day is “unremarkable.” Nothing on this album stands out to me whatsoever. Instrumentally it’s passable but uninteresting indietronica, and the lyrics/vocal performances are not good enough to cover for the boring instrumentation. I could imagine some of the songs from this playing in the background of a montage in some crappy straight-to-streaming film.
Przeleciało, nie zwróciło to mojej uwagi
no fue mi estilo, canciones muy lentas
I liked one song enough to save it to my library and the rest of this album was just noise to me, I’m sorry to say.
It's kind of like an older and whiter Mike Doughty, who I adore. This not so much. It's tolerable.
I can’t believe this album baited me into thinking it was going to be great with Please Forgive Me. Man, it REALLY lost momentum after that and Babylon and petered out by like the fourth or fifth song. His voice and style reminded me a lot of Bob Dylan, if Bob Dylan didn’t do the weird inflections in his voice so often.
It starts out as a delightfully chill listen, but David Gray gradually ditches the cool instrumentals in favour of a very bland acoustic sound. It seems the white ladder just leads to Ed Sheeran. Standouts: Please Forgive Me • Nightblindness
Eh, not really memorable imo but not offensive. Very American (derogative).
Inoffensive but not very exciting. I don’t mind listening to it, but I would never do so by choice.
Okay
Congratulations Babylon for making it on the Guantanamo Greatest Hits! Why does a singer/songwriter need a 9 minute cover song to finish the album?
Some good songs but overall mediocre.
It really isn't good. BUT I have that weird nostalgia thing for it, because my parents had it on repeat when we went on holiday once, so it really sunk in. It's objectively a bad album but I have a weird fondness for it.
It's fairly corny stuff but I do like Babylon. After that, the vocals get a little nasally and whiny for my tastes. The mostly slow, folk-rock kind of tunes aren't offensive but nothing much is forcing me to sit up and take notice. The drums and keyboards make this a bit more interesting; some of the instrumental passages are the best parts. I'm trying to figure out how to describe the vocals, and why I dislike them so much, but it brings to mind the worst kind of soft rock bands. The cover of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is pretty good though. It looks like this album was huge in the UK and Ireland - maybe you had to be there? ** for Babylon and SHWG.
It was nice to listen to while journaling
Not terrible, but very bland. The type of music I would expect in the waiting room of a dentists office.
Boring. 2/5
This is… not great. As bland and generic as the man’s name. It’s astonishing that this was so massive
Top Songs: Please Forgive Me Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
At times, it sounds like a mix between Elton John and Bob Dylan. How’s that possible? The track Babylon is definitely the highlight and doesn’t fit that description somehow. 2.3/5.0
The perfect album for my break up day hehe
how do you rate an album where the second song is one of the best songs ever made and the rest are a load of shite
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
Snårk
I actually enjoyed the radio friendly tracks. The kinda album best enjoyed at low volume while driving. Way too long tho and the deep cuts aren't rewarding. If it were ten mins shorter I'd give it three stars. As for its inclusion on this list, I can tell you as someone who lived through this period of pop music, David Gray, particularly "Babylon," was ubiquitous. It's an accurate snapshot of its era. For better or worse.
it was okay ig
Pretty low-key stuff. I suppose this was the beginning of the 2000's singer-songwriter movement for men but I really need a little more stuff going on in the songs. It's not nostalgic for me and I found it to be pretty boring and forgettable. Rom-com music for sure, it obviously has floated a lot of boats (based on its commercial success) but not mine. If I didn't know that it was influential for the time I don't think I'd ever remember that I had listened to it unfortunately.
If ever an album perfectly encapsulated the turn of the millennia, this is it.
sounds like greys anatomy