''Mutineers'' is the tenth studio album by English singer-songwriter David Gray, released on 17 June 2014 on IHT Records, with "Back in the World" as its first single. It was Gray's fifth consecutive US Top 20 album. A decade after its release, Gray said that he is "super proud" of what was "a purposeful first step into the current creative zone, both sonically and thematically".

Background

In the years leading up to the recording of the album, Gray had become exhausted and disillusioned. "Coming out of the

noughties File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty on the left during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; the euro enters into European currenc ...

, I just felt beat up, physically and mentally", he told critic Tony Clayton-Lea. "And bored". Gray recounted that he "needed someone else in the studio to help me find the keys to the city; someone who would take me to a place that I hadn't heard before. And that person was Andy Barlow", a producer and musician. He described the collaboration as "a beautiful agony". The pair established a "stringent recording schedule", which unlocked a "creative spontaneity" that Gray found "priceless", and which ultimately "rehumanised" him.

Release

On 1 April 2014, the video for "Gulls" premiered on both the Myles O'Reilly website and Gray's official YouTube channel, with O'Reilly being the director. On 10 April, "Back in the World" was uploaded onto Gray's official YouTube channel. A day later, the song was played by radio presenter Chris Evans on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

for ''

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' (currently referred to on-air due to sponsorship reasons as ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Virgin Money'') is the name given to two versions of a radio programme hosted by broadcaster Chris Evans in the ...

''.

Critical reception

Tony Clayton-Lea found that the album saw Gray "reconnect with a fervour" that had been absent since the artist had found massive commercial success with ''

White Ladder ''White Ladder'' is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter David Gray. It was first released in November 1998 through Gray's own record label, IHT Records, but failed to chart. On 24 April 2000, the album was re-released by Dave ...

''. Writing in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'', the critic said that it was "yet another departure point" for the artist. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' noted "a timeworn quality that's charismatic", in an album where " ptimismis the overriding theme". It was "the sound of a man gently recuperating from a decade of being defined by his multimillion-selling 1998 album, ''White Ladder''". ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' saw it as an overdue sequel, "the kind of follow-up to 1998's smash ''White Ladder'' for which longtime fans have been waiting some 16 years", and "the most comfortable Gray has sounded in years".

Track listing

Personnel

* David Gray – vocals, pianos, guitars, keyboards, harp, harmonica, Juno synthesizer * Rob Malone – bass, acoustic, electric and nylon string guitars, e-bow, high strung guitar * Keith Prior – drums, percussion *

Caroline Dale Caroline Dale (born 1965) is a widely recorded British cellist who currently plays principal cello for the English Chamber Orchestra and London Metropolitan Orchestra. She has also performed music for numerous films and played with a wide range of ...

– cello * Andy Barlow – programming

Charts

References

{{Authority control David Gray (musician) albums Polydor Records albums 2014 albums