Macy Gray Shows Us The “Beauty In The World”

We haven’t heard Macy Gray’s distinctive baby-girl rasp in awhile—her last album, Big, dropped in 2007, and unfortunately, failed to live up to its name. But we were recently treated to a new track from the singer, the cheery “Beauty in The World.” Was the song worth the wait? Listen to it below.

[wpaudio url=”//idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/macy-gray-beauty-in-the-world.mp3″ text=”Macy Gray – Beauty in The World” dl=”0″]

This is pretty much the exact opposite of Macy’s ode to casual violence, the electro-tinged “Slap a Bitch,” one of the last tracks we’ve heard from Macy all the way back in 2008 (which continues to be prominently pimped out on her MySpace page). She’s obviously turning in a new direction, as “Beauty” is a joyful, life-affirming pop tune, complete with folky hand claps. And it certainly does not provoke listeners to slap any bitches nearby.

It reminds us of a song that would play during a Coca-Cola commercial, not entirely unlike the all-star revue “Open Happiness”—maybe it’s the simple, feel-good message and the catchy refrain “beauty in the world”? In any case, the song isn’t that trailblazing or remarkable, but it could (and inevitably will) be a great jingle. That might come across as a backwards compliment, but you tell that to CSS, Feist and all the other acts who owe their careers partly to the commercials in which their songs appeared.

Macy’s May release, The Sellout, is produced by the likes of Rodney Jerkins and Caz James, and features several different artists, including Bobby Brown (whom makes more appearances in reality television shows than on albums these days). Gray recently discussed how she was able to find herself while recording her new tunes:

“I had got to a place in my career where I tried everything that was asked of me and in doing so I lost sight of who Macy Gray really is. I spent over a year making this album without any pressure or opinions and being able to choose the co-writers, producers and artists that felt good to me. As a result, it really reflects my true identity. I feel like I have finally made the album I was capable of and that my fans wanted. These are some of my favorite songs that I’ve written.”

Hopefully The Sellout will finally update Macy’s status from one-hit wonder to Hot 100 darling. If not, hey, she can always make another cameo as herself in the rebooted Spider-Man series.