AuralAssault: David Gray and Sarah McLachlan

David Gray
Life in Slow Motion


It seems that David Gray's life has changed for the worse. At least that's what it seems from his music. Life In Slow Motion is an utter heartache.

From the forlorn opener Alibi to the current single The One I Love, Gray displays a kind of helplessness that builds around love. The album the culminates to a high in the middle with the title track Slow Motion,From Here You Can Almost See The Sea and Ain't No Love, the trilogy of songs that express the unexpressed of a draggy life, of unrequited love and of being unloved. The songs are often heavy-hearted, interspersed with one or two more uplifting tracks in between before closing with yet another pair of poignant tracks, the beautiful Now and Always and the aching Disappearing World. (B+)

Sarah McLachlan

Bloom [Remix Album]

It's difficult to associate Sarah McLachlan with electronic, club or dance music. After all, she's a singer-songwriter with the knack for deeply evocative pop rock songs. But in the span of four years, her record company has released two remix compilations of her songs.

2001's Remixed featured McLachlan's hits from her past albums remixed into hard, stompy and club-orientated dance tracks, courtesy of such famed producers like BT, Hybrid and Rollo.

On Bloom, the remix is a little more diverse and elcletic - remixes span from ambient (Dirty Little Secret by Thievery Corp, Answer by Talvin Singh) to reggae (Train Wreck by Sly & Robbie) to funk (Just Like Me by will.i.am) and dance (World on Fire by Junkie XL , Stupid by Hyper, Fallen by Gabriel & Dresden).

Standout tracks include Sly and Robbie's funky remake of Train Wreck, Talvin Singh's Indian-inspired Answer, Thievery Corporation's chilling Dirty Little Secret (better than the original), Tom Middleton's stylish redo of the 90's Vox and Junior Boy's Own's electrolysed Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. The only sore thumb - the horrible The Way I Am where Sarah seemed like an odd misfit with DMC's rapping and will.i.an's erratic production.

Overall, this is a special treat for fans though there's so many remixes from theAfterglow project that's simply missing and never will see the light of the day. (B)

Current mood: Empty

Fairy Tale

Cinderella Man

Directed by Ron Howard

Cinderella Man reunites Ron Howard with longtime collaborator Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, a star-studded Oscar-winning ensemble that will undoubtedly create a buzz come award time next year. The story of famed 1930's boxer Jim Braddock follows his trials and tribulations from superstar boxer to downtrodden desperado during the Great Depression years. Ousted from boxing prfoessionally and left with a broken hand, Braddock and his family were forced to their unkind fate. The rest of story as you will know is rather predictable.

A fairy tale twist ends their fate. With dexterity and furious drive, Braddock returned to form to beat his deadliest opponent and regained the glory he had lost for so long. Russell Crowe, having put on weight for this role, was characteristically uncompromising and convincing as the boxer, Braadock. However, it's the recently single-again Renee Zellweger who lighted the screen as the unwavering and silent suffering wife who stood by him. Often delicate and conflicted, Zellweger displayed a range of emotions that demonstrated her increasingly skillful versatility.

Ron Howard's direction is starkingly real albeit gory. Boxing scenes are well-crafted and captured on screen to be able to make the audience gasp in aniexty with every blow delivered by Crowe and his opponents.

This is good old Hollywood story retelling. It's the right dose of everything that makes Cinderella Man too much of a winner and a tad bit boring. (B-)