The Fray Stay On The Straight And Narrow

noah | February 2, 2009 10:00 am

Our look at the closing lines of the week’s biggest new-music reviews continues with a roundup of reactions to the self-titled album from the ABC-endorsed, Conversations With God-alluding Colorado outfit The Fray:

• “If nothing else, this sounds more like a band than ever, and despite some bumps in the road of recording, the songwriting is still solid, the melodies still memorable. Isaac Slade’s voice has grown only more sure and strong, particularly on ‘Say When.’ ” [Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News]

• “Summoning earth-moving art on demand was surely a tall order, and while you can’t fault the Fray for trying to strike a hot iron, you can excuse the rest of us if we try to stifle a yawn.” [Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press]

• “Recommendation if the Fray want to save more lives: Put the spleen back in.” [Christian Hoard, Rolling Stone]

• “One track is called ‘Say When.’ How about now?” [Mikael Wood, EW]

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