| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Music Box |  [3] |
| PopMatters | 6/10[4] |
| Slant Magazine | [5] |
Life in Slow Motion is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter David Gray, released on 12 September 2005 in Europe and September 13 in the United States. Following a muted response to his previous album, A New Day at Midnight, the album was seen by some as a return to the form that brought Gray international acclaim with White Ladder; it was also the last album recorded with longtime collaborator Craig McClune.
Gray cited Sigur Rós, Sparklehorse, Lucinda Williams, Björk and Mercury Rev as inspirations for the album. The album was also Gray's first to use a cello player.[6] The original choice to produce the album was Daniel Lanois, but he was booked, so Gray ended up using Marius de Vries, who'd produced Gray's hit single "Sail Away."[7]
The three singles from the album were "The One I Love," "Hospital Food," and "Alibi." The album was also released on DualDisc format, which included a documentary of the making of the album, a photo gallery, and complete lyrics on the DVD side of the disc.[8]
The non-DualDisc CD of the album was one of many titles released with the infamous MediaMax CD-3 copyright protection system.
Chart and sales figures
Life in Slow Motion debuted at No. 1 on the Irish Albums Chart, staying for three weeks at the top before dropping to No. 4. In the United Kingdom a week after release in Ireland, it debuted also at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, spending two weeks at No. 1 before dropping to #3; it spent seven weeks in the top 10 and 25 weeks in the top 75. The album debuted and subsequently peaked at No. 16 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alibi" | Gray | 4:33 |
| 2. | "The One I Love" | Gray, McClune | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Lately" | Gray, McClune, Malone, Bradshaw, Nolte | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Nos Da Cariad" | Gray, McClune, Malone, Bradshaw, Nolte | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Slow Motion" | Gray, McClune | 5:00 |
| 6. | "From Here You Can Almost See the Sea" | Gray | 3:39 |
| 7. | "Ain't No Love" | Gray | 3:21 |
| 8. | "Hospital Food" | Gray, Malone | 4:43 |
| 9. | "Now and Always" | Gray | 6:45 |
| 10. | "Disappearing World" | Gray | 5:05 |
Credits
Musicians
- David Gray – vocals, piano, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonium, Wurlitzer, melodica
- Craig McClune – drums, percussion, dulcimer, glockenspiel, whistles, backing vocals
- Rob Malone – electric and double bass, acoustic and electric guitar, percussion
- Tim Bradshaw – piano, keyboards, electric and lap steel guitar, cello
- David Nolte – electric guitar, cello, melodica, autoharp, samples, backing vocals
- Marius de Vries – percussion, autoharp, recorder, glockenspiel, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Natalie Mendoza – backing vocals
- Caroline Dale – cello
- Strings on tracks 1, 2, and 7: contracted by Isobel Griffiths
- Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader
- Brass on tracks 1 and 5: performed by The Kick Horns
- Trumpet by Roddy Lorimer and Paul Spong
- Trombone by Neil Sidwell and Annie Whitehead
- Bass trombone by Dave Stewart
- French horn by Nigel Black, Dave Lee, and Michael Thompson
- Orchestral percussion by Frank Ricotta
- Track 5: baritone saxophone and assistant arrangement by Simon Clarke; French horn by Tim Jones
Production
- Produced by Marius de Vries with David Gray, Iestyn Polson, Craig McClune and Rob Malone.
- Recorded and programmed by Iestyn Polson.
- Mixed by Andy Bradfield.
- Additional mix engineer/additional programming by Jason Boshoff.
- Additional programming by Alexis Smith.
- Track 1: orchestra arranged by Chris Elliott.
- Track 2: orchestra arranged by David Nolte and Marius de Vries.
- Track 5: horns arranged by Marius de Vries.
- Track 7: strings arranged by Marius de Vries and Tim Bradshaw.
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig.
- Design and direction by Farrow Design.
- Cover image concept by Red Design.
- Cover photography by Joanna Thornhill.
- Booklet photography by Phil Knott.
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Ireland (IRMA)[11] | 4× Platinum | 60,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[12] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | 4× Platinum | 759,861[13] |
| United States | — | 414,000[15] |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Reviews for Life In Slow Motion by David Gray". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Thomas, Stephen (13 September 2005). "Allmusic review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ John Metzger. "Music Box review". Musicbox-online.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Schiller, Mike. "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ "Slant Magazine review". Slantmagazine.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ "Varsity.co.nz – THE INTERVIEW: David Gray". Varsity.co.nz. 28 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Jane Stevenson. "CANOE – JAM! Music – Artists – Gray, David : Exclusive interview with David Gray". Jam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Life in Slow Motion: David Gray: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Life in Slow Motion – David Gray". Billboard.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – David Gray – A New Day at Midnight". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Jones, Alan (15 March 2019). "Charts analysis: Dave emerges victorious in close albums battle". Music Week. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "British album certifications – David Gray – A New Day at Midnight". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type A New Day at Midnight in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ Sexton, Paul (5 September 2009). "All Change". Billboard. p. 44. Retrieved 7 May 2019.