RSSGregory Douglass Throws Down Battler
Mar 03
Music Album Reviews Comments Off
Gregory Douglass is an unknown to me. According to his bio, Battler is his seventh studio release. He’s got a Wikipedia entry, which, you know, is always a sign of popularity.
Battler is an exceptional album. It’s a slow-burner, melodic and hypnotic without being boring. It’s a nice mix of folk melodies with just enough pop sensibility to show off some thoughtful production. The lead track, Broken Through, is a slumbering piano ballad that lulls you in a deceptive calm before the album launches into the urgent, atmospheric track Cathedrals that cries out “why can’t I free the chains that are inside of me?”
The rest of the album stays the course, like the track Stay with a simple arrangement, and evocative plea “won’t you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.” Douglass has a nice range and uses background harmonies as effectively as other instruments on the set. The best of the album is stacked towards the end, the throbbing hymn Harlequin and the final track, the gorgeous Ordinary Man, which features guest vocals from Grace Potter.
Douglass has tour dates on tap through mid-May to promote the new set.
