It's being hailed as one of the most un-trendy hits of the year. David Gray's latest album, "White Ladder" (ATO/RCA Records), has built a steadily increasing audience for Gray, whose personal songwriting is in the tradition of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.

Industry observers credit the growing attention for the album to strong word-of-mouth, touring, and radio and video exposure for the album's first single, "Babylon."

"White Ladder" is the first album from ATO (According to Our) Records, the label whose principals are Dave Matthews; Matthews' personal manager, Coran Capshaw; his tour manager, Michael McDonald; and Matthews associate Chris Tetzeli.

Released March 21 in the U.S., "White Ladder" entered Billboard's Heatseekers chart at No. 47 in July. The album is No. 81 on The Billboard 200 this week.

"ATO has done a brilliant job working this record, and we've worked really hard to get to where we are," says Gray.

The singer/songwriter -- who previously recorded for Caroline Records, Virgin Records, and EMI Records -- says that working with ATO has made a significant difference, particularly with his U.S. breakthrough. "I've toured the U.S. more than any other place in the world, and it's an awfully big country. Breaking into America is such a long-term thing; you need a record company who's behind you. You can't have people pulling the plug halfway through your tour. That's soul-destroying. ATO has a steely glint in their eye. ["White Ladder"] was the first record they put out and the only record they had to focus on, and it meant so much to them."

According to ATO co-founder Tetzeli, their collective passion for the artist began "when Dave [Matthews] bought David Gray's first album, and it spread like wildfire in our camp. Dave took David on tour with him as an opening act."

Gray made his recording debut with the 1993 album "A Century Ends"; 1994's "Flesh" and 1996's "Sell, Sell, Sell" followed. All were virtually ignored by the American music-buying public.

After parting ways with the major labels that released his previous albums, Gray released "White Ladder" in 1998 on his own independent label, IHT Records. The album was initially issued only in Ireland, where it has since sold more than 180,000 copies, reaching 12-times-platinum status, according to ATO. In the U.K., the album has gone platinum, hitting No. 2 on the U.K. album chart and selling in excess of 300,000 copies, according to ATO.

The demand for more Gray music in the U.K. was so high, in fact, that this year, Gray's IHT label released in the U.K. the album "Lost Songs," a collection of tracks that didn't make "White Ladder" or "Sell, Sell, Sell."

Tetzeli says, "The idea of starting a record label was simmering about two years ago. [Gray publicist] Ambrosia Healy knew we were thinking about starting this label and that we were huge fans of David Gray. When he put out 'White Ladder,' it forced our hand in putting the label together to release the album in North America. We saw David as the absolute perfect artist to sign to the label.

"Our approach to this album all along was we don't spend a lot of time studying trends," adds Tetzeli. "We knew it was a magical album that struck a nerve, and we felt so confident in it that it was mainly a grass-roots, word-of-mouth effort to get people to hear the music."

ATO was initially an independent label distributed through BMG, but it has since partnered with RCA for marketing and promotion.

Gray applauds the move. "RCA has come on board at the right time. They've done a really good job of getting the album more exposure, more radio and video play. We're getting blanket coverage for the first time ever.

"It's like RCA has stepped up with a bigger bat to hit people with over the head," he adds with a laugh.

In addition to the increasing radio airplay, "Babylon" is getting notable exposure on major music video networks. The low-budget first version of the "Babylon" video was set aside in favor of a more stylized second version, directed by "Leaving Las Vegas" film director Mike Figgis.

Gray is currently touring in Europe, and he will return for a U.S. tour sometime in late March or early April 2001.

In the meantime, the artist (who has already performed on "Late Show With David Letterman") will make select U.S. TV appearances this month: "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday (Nov. 18), a second "Letterman" appearance Nov. 24, as well as "The Charlie Rose Show" and "Austin City Limits," with air dates to be announced.

For Gray, his breakthrough in the U.S. is special because "so few British acts have broken significantly in the States in the last few years. In America, you have to make personal contact to make the whole thing work. You can't just do it on the phone."

The singer/songwriter adds that the common thread in many of the fans' responses to the music is that "they say that my music is genuine. I'm a 'heart on sleeve' kind of songwriter.

"I've become more understated and more confident in my writing. I used to be more wordy, and I've moved away from that," he says.

Looking ahead to the future, he says, " 'White Ladder' is only the beginning for me musically. I have a number of songs finished and a large pile of musical ideas for my next album. I don't think my next album will be a million miles away from 'White Ladder,' but it'll sound better because we'll have more money to spend in the studio. We'll just have to see what happens in the studio situation because I've got so much I'd like to explore."

By Carla Hay

[taken from Warner Music Australia]