Gravity – Julia McDonald (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

There was a time, not too long ago that you had to make a choice between being a pop artist or a serious musician. One was the stuff of slick commerciality, high production values and easy accessibility, the other depth, integrity and longevity. Thankfully the world has moved on and now the lines between the two camps have become entwined in a wonderful middle ground that delivers the best of both worlds.

This is the world that Julia McDonald inhabits, one of pop sheens and commercial potential but also one which teases the edges of the song with dreamy vibes and sonorous atmospherics. One world adds credibility to the other and in return benefits from the potential of the wider market it operates in. For that reason, based on this luscious single, Julia McDonald should be able to do that rare thing of walk the fine line between mainstream pop and some more discerning and harder to please tastes. Not an easy thing to be able to do.