Macy Gray is such an assured, original vocalist that it's hard to believe On How Life Is is her debut album.
She recalls a number of other vocalists, particularly jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, but she is unquestionably from the post-hip-hop generation, which is evident not just from the sound of the record, but the style of her songwriting, which is adventurous and unpredictable.
Thankfully, she's worked with a producer (Andrew Slater, who pulled a similar trick with Fiona Apple's debut, Tidal) that lets her run wild and helps her find sounds that match her ideas.
That's not to say that On How Life Is is a perfect album -- at times, Gray attempts more than she can achieve -- but it's always captivating, even during its stumbles.
And when it works, it soars higher than most contemporary R&B.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why Didn't You Call MeMacy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna | Macy Gray | Play | 03:11 | 0 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | Do SomethingMacy Gray | Macy Gray | Play | 04:59 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | CaligulaMacy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna, Daryle Swann | Macy Gray | Play | 04:38 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | Sex-O-Matic Venus FreakMacy Gray | Macy Gray | Play | 03:57 | 0 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | I Can't Wait to MeetchuMacy Gray, Miles Om Tackett | Macy Gray | Play | 05:17 | 0 MB | 29 MB |
| 6 | StillJeff Blue, Bill Esses, Macy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna | Macy Gray | Play | 04:15 | 0 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | I've Committed MurderMacy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna, Daryle Swann | Macy Gray | Play | 04:59 | 0 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | A Moment to MyselfMacy Gray, Mark Morales, Jeremy Ruzumna, Miles Om Tackett | Macy Gray | Play | 03:59 | 0 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | The LetterMacy Gray, Jamie Houston, Jeremy Ruzumna, Matt Sherrod | Macy Gray | Play | 05:36 | 0 MB | 33 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 256 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Baxter | Horn |
| 2 | Dawn Beckman | Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Kilu Beckwith | Programming |
| 4 | Jeff Blue | Composer |
| 5 | Jon Brion | Chamberlin, Guitar, Marimba, Orchestra Bells, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 6 | David Campbell | String Arrangements |
| 7 | Lenny Castro | Percussion |
| 8 | Matt Chamberlain | Drums, Percussion |
| 9 | Kevin Dean | Assistant Engineer |
| 10 | Bill Esses | Composer |
| 11 | Macy Gray | Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Charlie Green | Horn |
| 13 | Michael Harris | Horn |
| 14 | Jamie Houston | Composer |
| 15 | Rami Jaffee | Synthesizer |
| 16 | Jay Joyce | Guitar |
| 17 | Jinsoo Lim | Composer |
| 18 | Mark Morales | Composer |
| 19 | Gabriel Moses | Guitar |
| 20 | Dave Reed | Assistant Engineer |
| 21 | Greg Richling | Bass |
| 22 | Jeremy Ruzumna | Clavinet, Composer, Farfisa Organ, Fender Rhodes, Moog Synthesizer, Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric), Vocals (Background) |
| 23 | Stéphane Sednaoui | Photography |
| 24 | Matt Sherrod | Composer |
| 25 | Andrew Slater | Producer |
| 26 | Sy Smith | Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Daryle Swann | Composer |
| 28 | Miles Om Tackett | Composer, Guitar |
| 29 | Patrick Warren | Chamberlin, Synthesizer, Vibraphone |
| 30 | Dave Way | Engineer, Mixing |
| 31 | David Wilder | Bass, Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 32 | Benny Williams | Guitar |
| 33 | Howard Willing | Assistant Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |