Broken Through is the opening track, one that helps to ease the listener into the next forty-three minutes with a gentle, flowing sound that is solidly within Gregory's repertoire. Broken Through is a song that has likely been in him for a while now, looking at a tough exterior of a personality, one that is both tough and out to prove something, but one that has the dual purpose of examining the softer parts of one's soul. This dual meaning most likely extends to Gregory, an openly gay singer, and this seems like it would be a song that could easily apply to anyone conflicted with themselves, and the pressures that they must face with the choices that they bring about in their own lives.
Several other songs follow with this theme - Devotion, Madeline and Lifeline, for example, all using similar language that achieves much of the same thematic imagery - acceptance, identity, etc. This is the strength of the album - the personal nature that brings forth a personal story that has much to tell us.
The best song of this album is Ordinary Man, a touching, soft and sorrowful love song that pairs Douglass with fellow Vermont singer Grace Potter, of the Nocturnals. The tone and feel of this song is an appropriate one to end this album on. After the troubles, sorrows and conflicts that this album deals with in the prior songs, we have vindication and affirmation that everything will be okay. There is no dramatic revelation anywhere here, but it comes slowly, that after the troubles, one comes out of the battle all the better for it. As some of the final lyrics state, everything will change. But this final song is also about what this entire album is about: love, in all of its forms.
Musically, this album comes three years after his prior work, Up and Away, which I greatly enjoyed. While this album sounds good, a comparison between the two will reveal that there have been major improvements throughout Gregory's sound and lyrics. Where Up and Away sounds smooth, Battler positively glides. The piano, vocals, drumwork and overall tone and structure is stronger, more refined and more confident, where Battler feels grown up, ready to tackle something far larger, while Up and Away gave it a sure footing to start with. This is an album that builds upon the prior, and fires everything it has, making it an incredibly hard album to top.
Battler is a complex and intriguing album, one that feels full of personal feeling and experience from Mr. Douglass. It, as the title suggests, is about the conflict that one finds throughout life, and how, going through the trials of life, one will be far more complete and at peace with their lives. Undoubtedly, Douglass's sexual orientation and associated experiences has provided him with plenty of insight into this, but this album, while it can be applied to any given community, transcends that. It is not for anyone, it is a general commentary that can be applied to everyone's lives, no matter who they are, no matter who they identify with, and that is why this album succeeds so fantastically. It takes a set of observations and applies them in ways that everyone can relate. For this reason, it is one to be listened to, because it can not only reveal, but it can teach, and that is possibly the most important thing of all.
Douglass played a fantastic show in Vermont last night at South Burlington's Higher Ground showroom, along with Meika Pauley, and backed by a five-member band. This show was a great welcome back to Douglass, and featured the other two Vermonters who had collaborated with him on the album, Grace Potter and Anais Mitchell, who sang their respective duets from Battler. Douglass, backed by a full band is a formidable force on stage, and his songs take on an even greater presence with a lot of power behind them. Lisa Piccirillo provided backing vocals, and she seems to be an artist to check up on. A number of the really good songs from Battler and some of his prior albums were given this treatment, and it was a fantastic experience. Grace Potter in particular was a fantastic addition to the night. If you are able to, check out Douglass at some of his upcoming shows:
Feb 27 2009 8:00P Lasell College - Campus Center Auburndale, Massachusetts
Feb 28 2009 8:00P Ossipee Mt. Grange Hall - BATTLER Album Release Tour Ossipee, New Hampshire
Mar 1 2009 7:00P North Star Music Cafe - BATTLER Album Release Tour Portland, Maine
Mar 2 2009 9:00P The Living Room - BATTLER Album Release Tour New York City, New York
Mar 3 2009 8:00P Collective House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Jersey City, New Jersey
Mar 4 2009 7:00P Jammin Java - BATTLER Album Release Tour Vienna, Virginia
Mar 5 2009 8:30P Puck - BATTLER Album Release Tour Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Mar 6 2009 7:00P Chestnuthill Cafe - BATTLER Album Release Tour Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mar 7 2009 8:00P House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Phoenix, Maryland
Mar 10 2009 8:00P Collective House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Concord, North Carolina
Mar 11 2009 7:00P Eddie’s Attic - BATTLER Album Release Tour Decatur, Georgia
Mar 12 2009 8:00P Berry Patch House Concerts - BATTLER Album Release Tour North Augusta, South Carolina
Mar 13 2009 7:00P Wild Iris - BATTLER Album Release Tour Gainesville, Florida
Mar 14 2009 9:30P Metro Coffee House - BATTLER Album Release Tour Savannah, Georgia
Mar 15 2009 8:00P Private House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Mar 16 2009 8:00P Luna Star Cafe - BATTLER Album Release Tour North Miami, Florida
Mar 18 2009 8:00P SEEKING HOUSE CONCERT - BATTLER Album Release Tour New Orleans Area, Louisiana
Mar 18 2009 8:00P SEEKING HOUSE CONCERT - SEEKING HOUSE CONCERT New Orleans Area, Louisiana
Mar 19 2009 8:00P House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Houston, Texas
Mar 20 2009 8:00P House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Houston, Texas
Mar 21 2009 12:00 Soho Lounge - SXSW MPressFest Showcase Austin, Texas
Mar 26 2009 8:00P Opening Bell Coffee Mosaic Location - BATTLER Album Release Tour Dallas, Texas
Mar 28 2009 8:00P Collective House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Santa Fe, New Mexico
Mar 29 2009 3:00P House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Taos, New Mexico
Apr 2 2009 8:00P Mama Java’s Coffeehouse - BATTLER Album Release Tour Phoenix, Arizona
Apr 3 2009 6:00P Montgomery’s Grill - BATTLER Album Release Tour Tucson, Arizona
Apr 5 2009 8:00P Lestat’s - BATTLER Album Release Tour San Diego, California
Apr 6 2009 8:00P Hotel Cafe - BATTLER Album Release Tour Los Angeles, California
Apr 8 2009 8:00P Zoey’s - BATTLER Album Release Tour Ventura, California
Apr 10 2009 8:00P Dolores Park Cafe - BATTLER Album Release Tour San Francisco, California
Apr 14 2009 9:30P Drury University - BATTLER Album Release Tour Springfield, Missouri
Apr 15 2009 8:00P Central Methodist College - BATTLER Album Release Tour Fayette, Missouri
Apr 18 2009 8:00P Collective House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Portland, Oregon
Apr 22 2009 8:00P SEEKING HOUSE CONCERT - BATTLER Album Release Tour Salt Lake City Area, Utah
Apr 24 2009 8:00P Collective House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Denver, Colorado
Apr 26 2009 8:00P House Concert - BATTLER Album Release Tour Omaha, Nebraska
Apr 30 2009 8:00P Evocative Sounds House Concerts Cedar Rapids, Iowa
May 1 2009 8:00P Ritual Cafe - BATTLER Album Release Tour Des Moines, Iowa
May 2 2009 9:00P Ginkgo Coffeehouse - BATTLER Album Release Tour St. Paul, Minnesota
May 6 2009 8:00P Paradigm - BATTLER Album Release Tour Sheboygan, Wisconsin
May 8 2009 10:00 Uncommon Ground - Edgewater - BATTLER Album Release Tour Chicago, Illinois
May 13 2009 8:00P SEEKING HOUSE CONCERT - BATTLER Album Release Tour Indianapolis Area, Indiana
May 17 2009 7:00P Felicia’s Atomic Lounge - BATTLER Album Release Tour Ithaca, New York
Broken Through - Gregory Douglass
Hang Around - Gregory Douglass
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