The Fray’s new self-titled album proves that the piano-based group from Denver is more than anyone ever expected it to be. The band’s 10-track sophomore album is full of catchy pop ballads with relatable, emotional lyrics. As a whole, this album surely measures up to the band’s 2006 debut “How To Save A Life”. Front man Isaac Slade definitely attracts the attention of any audience with his effortlessly captivating vocals. The band, Slade on keys and vocals, accompianied by drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarists Joe King and David Welsh has been signed with Epic Records since December, 2004.
The first two songs, “Syndicate” and “Absolute”, start the album off with a bang. They both begin slow, but pick up about a quarter way through each one. Both songs contain lyrics about “the girl that got away” and the author’s motivation to keep her from slipping out of his reach completely. "Syndicate" tells the girl "don’t ever forget, we haven't lost it all yet...all we know for sure is all that we are fighting for". "Absolute" matches the same emotion with "quiet but I’m sure there is something here".
The first single off this album is track 3, “You Found Me” in which the narrator boldly asks God “Where were you when everything was falling apart?” As the song progresses it tells of the narrator’s anger with God for letting him struggle, then finding and helping him when it was too late.
“Say When” is a story in which a guy has an unconditional love for a girl he has only seen from a distance. He encourages her to stand up for what she believes in and to not let people step on her. "You want to cry but there's nothing coming;
they're gonna push until you give in or say when". He sings that he will comfort her and wait for her until she is ready to be his.
Once you take the time to really listen to the lyrics of “Never Say Never”, you will realize that there is a deeper meaning than just what appears on the surface. It seems like one of the typical “please don’t leave me” type of songs the first time you hear it, but in the background it is really about a girl’s struggle with wanting fame and instant gratification. The singer is telling her that he will always be there for her, even when her world crumbles before her eyes. With the line "younger now than we were before" he hints that their way of dealing with the fading relationship has become petty and childish.
“Happiness” is the wonderfully written, very tranquil closer to “The Fray”. In this song, Isaac Slade personifies happiness in many very original ways. The lyrics compare happiness to a firecracker in the sense that it is unpredictable and can hurt you if you do not deal with it carefully…“Happiness, [almost] destroys you, breaks your faith to pieces on the floor”. This song expresses the meaning of true delight and the fact that if you chase it, joy will lose its authenticity. This idea is perfectly captured in the line “Happiness is like the old man told me, look for it and you’ll never find it all.”
If you were to search other reviews for this album, you would find that the media is being very harsh. Many critics believe that “The Fray” is a sloppy follow up to “How To Save A Life”. In contrast, I believe that this is a very demonstrative showcase of the reality of love. The special thing about this album is that the meanings and even some of the lyrics of all the songs are intertwined. I give this album 9 out of 10 stars.
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