"The Fray" - The Fray Album Review

            The Fray’s second studio album, The Fray, was released on February 3, 2009 and quickly made its way up the charts. Despite the varied ratings and reviews, it has since been certified gold in three countries: Australia, Canada, and the United States. Some critics believed that the album was too similar to The Fray’s first album, How to Save a Life, while others thought there was nothing wrong with their album.

            From The Fray came four singles, including a cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless”. The first single, “You Found Me” appears to be a song depicting the life of the lead singer, Isaac Slade and received positive reviews. It is a song about feeling down in one’s life and doubting God when in a time of need and let-downs: “Where were you when everything was falling apart?” The other two singles, “Syndicate” and “Never Say Never”, also performed fairly well on the charts.

            On the album, there appears to be a more personal song for Isaac Slade. “Enough For Now” seems to be a song about his mother’s childhood and relationship with her father. It is slow-paced and dramatic. Slade sings, “The century before you never could turn twenty-one. Years and years he waited, just watching for a son. For someone to go ahead and take the name he said. Years and years he waited and daughter came instead.” It seems that his grandfather wanted a son and held a grudge against his daughter because of it. He talks about his grandfather as not being able to love his daughter or even his own wife.

            Songs such as “Absolute” and “Say When” are somewhat repetitive and similar in sound. Adversely, “Ungodly Hour” and “We Build Then We Break” are very different than most songs on the album. “Ungodly Hour” is slow and contains soothing vocals. “We Build Then We Break” is haunting and the fast chorus contrasts against its slow verses. “Happiness” literally talks about happiness and the good and bad things that come with it: “Happiness feels a lot like sorrow. Let it be, you can’t make it come or go.”

            As a whole, The Fray is an enjoyable, relaxing album. There is variety in the types of songs and the lyrics. The vibe is typical of The Fray and similar to that of their first album. Slade’s vocals are honest, soothing, and provide a pleasant listening experience. I would highly recommend the album for anyone wanting to listen to softer take on contemporary rock music.