I have a confession to make: I used to have an irrational hatred of David Gray. Blame it on the success of Babylon, that smash hit that was so EVERYWHERE for a couple of years and perhaps his wobbly neck in the video as well. However, having been shocked to find that I liked new single The One I Love, will his sixth album change my mind about him, or will it just confirm my original verdict?

The short answer is that I stand corrected. David Gray is not any of those names I have been calling him, and Life In Slow Motion is a great singer-songwriter album by a great singer-songwriter.

The first thing you notice with this album is the development in sound, with Gray admitting: "I don't think you can remain the underdog forever and work in that way. I really wanted to get away from that lo-fi bedroom programming." While he may get criticised for 'selling out' in getting all professional, it is also a risk for him.

After all, his first three albums flopped and it was only when he released Babylon on a shoestring budget that he became a star. So, David Gray dropping the lo-fi production values is like Coldplay recording an album performed entirely on an acoustic guitar. However, it certainly works well.

Opener Alibi is described as 'Babylon Pt 2', which Gray describes as: "catching up with the character a few years down the line when they're a bit worse for wear." It certainly sounds more expansive than Babylon, starting with a ghostly intro before his melancholic voice comes in, asking 'where did it all go wrong?'

The lyrics on this album find him in a very autumnal mood, but the music always finds a way to be uplifting, with Alibi building up to a crescendo by the end, while the Springsteen-esque production on The One I Love almost obscures the fact that it is a song about bleeding to death.

It is hard to pick out any weak tracks from the ten on this album, although From Here You Can Almost See The Sea is a little bit of a non-event. However, by the explosive climax to Disappearing World, you have certainly been taken on a journey by Gray and I had certainly changed my mind about him. What next, starting to like Toploader? Nah...