Michael Bray, "Born into Slavery," Mp3 Review

I was scouring the millions of bands on Myspace when I was exposed to a well-hidden California gem. At the time of this review, Michael Bray had 310 plays of his song, “Born into Slavery,” off his album Lonely at the Stop.  After you hear this song, you’ll wonder why he doesn’t have 310,000 plays. “Born into Slavery” combines a perfect blend of phenomenal old country story-telling with a slightly indy-rock feel. Why it hasn’t been picked up for a major Hollywood movie, I just don’t know. This is a great song.

As the title suggests, “Born into Slavery” is a story about the grueling life of a child growing up as a slave back in the 1800’s. Bray’s impressive imagery-heavy lyrics illustrate a painfully vivid and realistic scenario about the hardships endured by the child and his enslaved family. Bray sings, “As for the work, I did my share, I gave my all. Master would drink then beat my back ‘til it was raw. Took it on the back. Oh, took it on the back.” Later in the song, Bray sings, “Made up my mind I’d join the Yanks fight to be free. Heard the rifles crack. Oh, heard the rifles crack.” I love how Bray forgoes the expected catchy chorus and simply and dramatically uses rhyming words like “back” and “crack” as his hooks. It works extremely well.

The instrumentalists, recording engineers, and others responsible for the production of this song are also to be commended (please see the credits on Bray’s Myspace page). The band’s delivery is pure and edgy, and the quality of this tune is truly professional. I highly encourage you to check out Michael Bray’s song “Born into Slavery” from his Lonely at the Stop CD. It truly is California gold.

Artist Website: www.myspace.com/michaelfaraday

Reviewed By: ListenersGeneration.com