When David Gray released his ‘White Ladder’ album in 2000, he had nothing to lose. After three critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful albums, he found himself adrift, without a record label and an unsure future. Freed of the “write a hit” shackles, he enlisted the help of a couple of trusted friends and essentially recorded ‘White Ladder’ at home in his bedroom. The rest is history, the album including hits like “Babylon”, “This Year’s Love”, “Please Forgive Me” and “Sail Away” was a massive success around the globe and bought him the freedom to be true to himself as an artist and having a career on his own terms. On this episode David talks about that album and the (pandemic delayed) 20th Anniversary tour as well as the music that has influenced and inspired him. With nods to early loves The Boomtown Rats, Madness, The Smiths and Prefab Sprout, the Sinatra/Jobim song “Corcovado”, and recent discoveries from Khruangbin and Molly Herron & Science Ficta. Listen in as David gives us a deep insight into his career and the music that makes him happy.
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