Almost everyone is born possessing a special gift.  Most of us never find that gift and spend our lives in a constant search for that which makes us unique.  Some of us find the gift, only to realize that it's something useless - like being really good at board games or ironing pants.  One in a million finds that their gift is so wonderful, so completely amazing, that they become Lance Armstrong, Matt Damon, or David Gray.

There have been many gifted vocalists in the history of pop music, but it's hard to think of one that sings with such a casual lack of effort as Gray does on his new release, Life in Slow Motion.  To be perfectly honest, I never expected to like this record.  After all, it wasn't getting any buzz from my alternative media sources.  Add the fact that the album is charting at number 1 in Great Britain, and you have an album that I'd go out of my way to avoid.  But an amazing thing happened: Gray won me over with his simple, melodic delivery of songs that are packed with lyrical imagery and tight, effective musicianship.

Fueled by guitars, pianos, percussion, and a full string ensemble, Life in Slow Motion has a musical base molded from middle-period Bruce Springsteen.  Gray isn't a rock singer, so the music is appropriately toned-down into a quiet form of adult pop - call it a more honest version of Coldplay.

The album begins with three slow to mid-tempo tracks, "Alibi," "The One I Love," and "Lately," which combine Gray's clever wordplay, his rootsy, slightly-rhaspy voice, and subtle musical backgrounds.  But it's the track "Nos D Cariad," with its stunning melody and rockier tempo that is the album's centerpiece.  Gray's vocals are powerful without being bombastic, and the producers allow the guitars to drive the rhythm along at a fast clip.  The album returns to the "quiet beauty" mode with the title track ("Slow Motion") and the simple yet effective "From Here You Can Almost See the Sea," which features Gray's stunning piano work.

For the reader who is struggling with romance, maybe the track "Ain't No Love" could provide some relief.  A quiet piano is layered with strings as Gray sings a cleverly syncopated verse, "Maybe that it would do mw good / If I believed there were a God / Out in the starry firmament / But as it is that's just a lie / And I'm here eating up the boredom."  Trust me, the girls will did this track.

Gray and the band pick up the tempo with the upbeat track "Hospital Food," which will have you singing along with the chorus.  The album closes with the sparse and simple "Now and Always" and "Disappearing World," which begins with Gray's voice and a solo piano combined in a quietly haunting melody.  At just the right moment, the guitars and percussion kick in as a chorus of "Na Na Na Na Na" is enjoyed by both the singer and listener.