Please Forgive Me

Album review

Please Forgive Me collects the title track, taken from the sublime White Ladder, along with a small hodgepodge of extras that are cause for little excitement and reason to cheer for only David Gray's most die-hard fans. First off is a pointless radio edit of "Please Forgive Me," a somewhat unnecessary creation, since the song is far more powerful in the full-length album version, where Gray's subtle arrangement stops and starts and delays its emotional wallop with dramatic flair. Most single releases will add a radio edit along with an album version, not simply replace the original, superior version with a shortened washout. Next off is a Paul Hartnoll remix of the song. Hartnoll is one-half of the electronic duo Orbital, and his work here is sloppy at best. It's a tired, aimless, punchy-bass sleep-inducer that extracts all of the song's life and leaves it limp. Fans of Orbital will not be surprised, since the band's later work has shown little of the inspired innovation for which the band was once known. The third and final track is a live version of "Babylon" that adds little to the version on White Ladder. It's passable, but certainly in no way essential or enlightening. Finally, the enhanced CD includes a tame but somewhat charming video for "Please Forgive Me," where Gray bobs his head in an alley and his goofy drummer, who seems to have made a career out of being off the wall, pretends to play his drums. All in all, one expects much more out of the White Ladder singles than what's presented here.

© Tim DiGravina /TiVo