Photo Credit: Melissa Miller
David Gray has consistently challenged his fan base to follow his musical wanderings since his 1999 breakthrough release, White Ladder. At his Riverside appearance last weekend, he spent the first 45 minutes playing music from his new 2019 release, Gold in a Brass Age. Best known for his electronic-influenced folk music, he’s updated his “folktronica” leanings with spare arrangements repeating key melodic phrases over and over amid computer generated blips and bleeps.
The opening number, “Mallory,” took a quiet, plaintive ballad and electrified it live, culminating in a monumental crescendo of sound that engulfed the near-capacity audience. It was a good omen of the two hours of masterful musicianship to come.
Gray and his four accompanying musicians played close together on stage, and the synergy was apparent; the new songs sparkled with laser-like precision and bright harmonies amid a backdrop of simply drawn illustrations taken from nature. “The Sapling,” “Hall of Mirrors” and the title track asked the audience to follow along as Gray took a new path, mindful of his folkish roots but also reaching out to grasp the latest technology. In “If 8 Were 9,” Gray demonstrated what a true poet he is, a hopeless romantic that aspires to true love, styled for 21st century listening.
Ever the gentleman, Gray thanked the audience for patiently listening to the new music and then launched into his most popular songs: “My Oh My,” “The One I Love” and the audience singalong, “Babylon.” The familiar tunes were made new with pulsating synthesizer beats and rollicking rearrangements. Even the show’s final encore, “Please Forgive Me,” got jazzed up, giving the song’s lyrics a positive sheen. Gray, ever the eternal optimist, proved once again why his music stays so fresh and engaging while remaining enduring.
Opening act Gaby Moreno grabbed the audience’s attention from the start of her 30-minute set with her fiery acoustic guitar playing which mixed R&B and soul, amid jazz infections with some bossa nova thrown in. The Guatemalan-born singer and songwriter moved easily between English and Spanish and showcased new music like “Till Morning Light” with powerhouse vocals that shined through. But it was the anthemic “Across the Borderline” (written by Ry Cooder and John Hiatt for the 1982 film The Border) about immigrants and denied dreams that showcased her independent spirit and timely message—still resonating 37 years later.
|
|
