DAVID GRAY CRINGES AT EARLY MATERIAL

David Gray’s latest effort, Life In Slow Motion, has gained the singer/songwriter a Number One album in the U.K. and the most popularity since his break-out album, White Ladder, which was released in 1999.

Gray said that he looks upon his pre-Ladder releases and cringes when he thinks about how he approached the songs and the live shows.

“Understatement is where it’s at, both in terms of the songwriting and in terms of the performing. When I look back to the early records they’re very sort of in-your-face. They’re very raw. I seem to want to put all my energy into one song, no matter what song it was. I had to sort of explode in the middle of it and scream my head off. It makes me cringe sometimes listening to them, but that’s what it’s like. It’s kind of embarassing making records in a sense. Once they’re out there, they’re out there. You can’t destroy them. You’ve got these snapshots of you. Sometimes you’re getting it right, but other times, you just think, ‘Oh god, what was I thinking?'”

Gray starts a tour of the U.K. on Tuesday, and it’ll wind down December 15 in London. Early 2006 will see Gray travel to several European destinations including France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.