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However, Shades of Grey has room to mature as a band. The vocal delivery is often strong, very distinctive, yet sometimes sounds out of tune or stretched. The sound library used to create the songs isn't very broad and the song structures are similar enough that they sound a lot alike at times. I've since heard some newer material here and there of Shades of Grey, including songs made specifically for compilations and a special preview of another new song they have coming, and I think they're actually coming along nicely. None of that is to say that I think The Longest Day is a bad album, of course, I actually think it's pretty good, even if it does have some room here and there for improvement. For instance, it starts with "Emotional," a mostly dance song that shows some of the work the SoG is best at. It's a cheerful, energetic song, with nice vocals that fit the tone very well. "The Red Hill" is structured almost the same way as a song, although it's actually a bit more energetic and quick-tempoed. The vocals are a bit out of tune at times, but oddly enough, it sounds as if they were meant to sound that way, which is odd. "Now and Then" also features vocals that are occasionally a bit off, although the tone is very different: it's a mostly slow song, with a tender theme. Again, it almost sounds as if the vocals aren't meant to be on tune, as they are sung in a really gliding way that features lots of sliding up and down, passing through the correct note occasionally, but then moving on to complete the slide on it's way to the next note. They are also "manipulated:" not mechanically, but obviously they aren't sung in a straight-forward manner; he's trying to get different vocal effects by varying the way he sings. I don't think it always works, often it merely sounds as if he's either slightly off-tune, or trying to enunciate too clearly, almost to the point where the vowels are pronounced as if they were a completely different letter. This vocal delivery is very odd, and while distinctive, I think it could use some evaluation. The vocalist (can't remember if it's Tim or Tom) obviously has talent, because occasionally he sounds brilliant -- I think it's more the interpretation that doesn't work rather than his voice itself. Anyway, I guess I've said enough about that issue. The level to which it is noticable varies from song to song, occasionally fading to nothing, occasionally grating on me to the point where the song almost bugs me. Maybe it has something to do with my own musical training, of course. I used to play the trombone, which has an infinite variation of tone because you can move the slide different lengths to make the sound go either flat or sharp. Play that for a few years and you naturally pick up a talent for hitting a note right on, and variations that are even slightly out of tune start to sound wrong. Certainly I haven't heard anyone else mention this about Shades of Grey, so maybe it's something that bugs me and nobody else. "Everything" is a song that is very similar to "Emotional" or "The Red Hill" in that it's a cheerful up-tempo song featuring some nice vocals and basic yet solid synthwork. "The Longest Hour" is a slower song, although the only real difference is a slowing down of the tempo really. The vocal delivery is different here, obviously tailored to match the song, more breathy and dreamy. Like I said, the vocalist definately has talent, when it shows through at least. The next song, "Crucified," has a more distinct sound, with the slower tempo, dreamy vocals and some piano, along with the church-bell sound for atmosphere. Then we come to "Come With Me (The Way" which I think is one of the better songs in many respects, with a rough "alternative" sound through it, a faster (albeit not really danceable) tempo. The background vocals and the melody itself are probably among the best on the CD, although the chorus slides in and out of tune moreso than most other songs here. "Nothing More to Say" is one of the best slow song on the CD, with the best programming and synthwork and guitarwork (or guitar sounds, at least), I think, as well as a better than normal vocal delivery. "Goodbye" goes back to the same feel as "Emotional" with a nice cheerful, energetic sound, with some rough guitarwork over slick programming, with a nice melody and good vocal delivery, although it doesn't sound a thing like the demo version later on the CD. Then, the song that probably is the one of the most unique on the CD is "Soaring" with poignant lyrics and vocal delivery and a lack of percussion and an orchestral sound to the backing sounds. But the really unique and interesting song is definately "Glory." It starts off with the sounds of a firing squad, then builds into a group of sounds that are reminiscent of the American Civil War with marching and melancholy "heroic" sounds. Although it's not a traditional pop song format really, I think it might be the best song here, with the best presentation as well. There are two more songs, that as far as I'm concerned can be considered "extra" songs, including "Disappointed (The Emotional Edit)" which is really just a "dub" remix of "Emotional" and "Goodbye (Demo Version.)" The "Goodbye" here is acoustic, with just acoustic guitars and vocals, and the tone is slow and dreamy -- very different than the album version.
Overall, the album has some real brilliant moments, but the quality isn't consistently high, as some of the other songs are mediocre, or feature interpretations that don't appeal to me much. I think Shades of Grey has a lot of talent, however, and with some experience, I expect they'll iron out their rougher points (I already think the more recent "Perfect Wine" from the United Synthpop of America compilation is probably their best song to date.)
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