Chris Gray has been a familiar name on the Manx music scene for a number of years now, both with his earlier work with indie band Vex Mama and now with his current acoustic musings as a solo artist.
Having supported the likes of Status Quo, The Coral and The Automatic with the Vex Mama line up, as a solo artist, Chris has gone on to support Feeder, Peter Green, Roger Daltrey, Simon Townshend and Scouting For Girls amongst others.
In the autumn of 2013 Chris inked a deal with UK based label, Sunn Creative.
The first release on the label came in the shape of the Don’t Lose Your Way EP, which was released in October of the same year.
The EP release, subsequent radio plays including recent appearances on Dermot O’Leary’s BBC Radio 2 show and Robert Elms’ Show on BBC London, his solo shows and various high profile support slots have done well in promoting Chris and his work to a wider audience, which brings us to the present day and to the release of Chris’s debut album, Diamonds In Your Tree.
Released on Monday of this week via the Sunn Creative label, Diamonds In Your Tree is a collection of 11 tracks that sum up the last few years of work that Chris has put into his art.
So, what does it sound like? Well, those who are familiar with Chris’s work from his live shows will be familiar with the likes of album opener We Fall Down, along with crowd favourites, All We’ve Done, Over You and Suzy Won’t See Me, which takes a slightly different route from it’s original Coral-esq, Merseybeat influenced original form.
Also included is lead single She Loves The Morning, which has also been a staple of the live set for the last couple of years and has now taken on an almost Celtic feel.
We also have new pieces including the title track alongside Big Guns, Can You Teach Me, I’m Losing You and Nothing On Me which are all very laid back affairs with minimal fuss and get straight to the musical point.
Lush acoustic guitars interweave with Chris’s double tracked vocal lines. Special mention must go to Lifting Me Up, which does just that.
It features some beautiful vocal harmonies and is just that bit more upbeat than the previous tracks. All in all it’s a very strong debut. For me, an album for late nights on the sofa with a glass or two of something!
If that has piqued your interest and you want to know more, Chris and his band have an upcoming album launch show which takes place at Amber in Douglas on Saturday night.
The doors open at 8pm and it’s free entry. Chris and the band will take to the stage at around 9pm and the album will also be on sale at the show.
For further information on the album launch, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1563077167278766
For more information on Chris and where to order a copy of the album, visit www.facebook.com/sunn.creative or www.sunncreative.com
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Steve Leach brings the latest rumblings, murmurings, news and views on forthcoming events in and around the island’s music scene. Help support the scene by emailing leachsteve@hotmail.com