Nathan Gray - 'Working Title' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. In My Defense

2. I'm A Lot

3. Working Title

4. What About You

5. Refrain

6. Still Here

7. The Markings

8. Hold

9. Mercy

10. No Way

11. Never Alone

12. The Fall

13. Down

The first song on this album, 'I’m My Defense' (that’s how it’s spelt on the album before anyone pulls me up!) is a blistering opening statement of intent, full of drive and energy but with a plea at the heart of it not to write the singer off. If you listen to this album you definitely won’t.

This is a tremendous album, full of passion, energy, heartfelt lyrics and quality songwriting. It’s a real challenge to anyone planning to release music this year that aims to inhabit the American Rock/Pop genre, can you match this? However, this is a better record than should be stuck in one genre, it is just a tremendous listen.

I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and playing this as a body of work from beginning to end. There are no weak links and a tremendous number of high points.

Nathan has written a series of lyrics which feel emotional and heartfelt, I’m not sure what he went through to get here but it was clearly not easy but the overwhelming feeling I was left with after listening was hope and a desire to keep going no matter what life might throw up.

The thing is when you can write music this good you should never stop and never give up as one of these songs could have the power to help someone when they really need it, that’s a fantastic gift.

Nathan proves on 'Refrain' that he can do quiet as well as he can Rock, dropping the speed and drive of the opening songs to prove he can mix up his styles and writing a lovely piece of music.

The highlight of the album for me has to be 'Still Here', it’s a song that should inspire people to pick themselves up and keep going after its all fallen apart but would also be tremendous in a gig with an audience singing along. However, there are any number of songs you might think is the highlight, it’s an album with a consistent level of quality, given the right circumstances for instance 'Mercy' could be a massive hit, the kind of Rock anthem that people just don’t seem to write anymore, but also the type of song which still gets a huge amount of radio play.

If you want an anthem of defiance though look no further than 'No Way'. If it doesn’t get you determined to stand your ground and hold the line then you have no fight left.

Go on, you know you want to reignite your love of a quality Rock, you won’t be disappointed!