“Saying goodbye to Clune was a massive decision and not one I took lightly, as I’m sure you can imagine,” Gray proffers. “We’ve worked together closely for nearly 14 years, both on the road and in the studio and his input into the live shows and the records, particularly White Ladder, has been immense. His loyalty during the bleak years when the chips were down was worth more than gold.
“Clune is a star to me and always will be, but I think that over the past few years, perhaps as a result of the intensity of the workload, the spark that once drove our creative relationship has diminished a good deal. It’s merely the natural way of things.”
On a more upbeat note, Gray enthuses that, “My head is alive with new music. To say I’m excited about it would be an understatement. I’m virtually bouncing off the walls! We’ve very much gone back to basics in terms of working up songs and then trying to catch them ‘live’ with the band as takes, with no clicktracks, no layering and no safety net. I have felt carefree and buoyant in front of the mics and the band has felt rock solid. The result is music that sounds open hearted and joyous, and utterly unselfconscious. To my ears it’s as good as anything I’ve recorded so far.”
You’ll be able to judge how good it is for yourself early in the new year.
Meanwhile, Mr Gray is reported to be duetting with Damien Rice at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Catch the live coverage on RTE2 from 12.30pm onwards.