LOOK AFTER YOU - THE FRAY
The third single from the Fray’s double-platinum “How to Save a Life” offers a moody power ballad outfitted with a humble hook and tasteful strings. Over spare piano chards, singer/pianist Isaac Slade shares his vows, sounding bruised and broken, his grainy vocals a soulful touch of gray in the bright optimistic world of pop. It’s the kind of smooth, minimalist melancholia David Gray has produced on the sidelines for years, unable — or unwilling — to break into top 40. Here, Slade’s unique phrasing pulls it off, flying through lines like “If ever there was a doubt/My love, she leans into me/This most assuredly counts/She says most assuredly,” bending a lackluster tune into a worthy coda to two blockbuster singles. Billboard
