October 15, 2007
American Songwriter

STAR RATING = 92 out of 100

The Grey Race’s debut album, Give It Love, is quite a find. Frontman Jon Darling’s lyrics have a rare and empathetic quality that, sung by a lesser voice bereft of the melodic prowess consistently demonstrated here, might come of as a bit preachy. Instead, the result is uniquely encouraging, a wary exhortation to take it all “On The Chin”. Taking cues from The Zombies, Crowded House and Jeff Buckley, drummer Ethan Eubanks and bassist Jeff Hill (who co-produced the disk) wrap Darling’s sometimes dark musings on the nature of survival in swirls of shimmering hope, laying bare the essential elements and elevating delicate structures.