Pulse Magazine, 02/10/05
David Kraai is a songwriter with an uncommon twang in his throat, a gift for sentimental imagery and his album, A Denim Fall, is full of juicy American allusions and down-home country heartache. On "Chuck's Song," Kraai establishes the predominant attitude of A Denim Fall, a laid-back, drowsy nonchalance that apotheosizes blue-jean cowboys who spend their days leaning against wooden fences, chewing hay, adjusting their 10-gallon hats. Kraai's guitar is sad and reflective, and the first time we hear him sing, there is an aching simplicity in his sentiment that will immediately endear listeners. "I might be a strange you, you might be strange too, she might be stranger than you, I might be a stranger too." There is a startling sense of alienation in these opening thoughts, but when you combine the words with Kraai's emphatic vocal, it's clear that this is one cowboy who also likes to revel in his misery. It is this sort of emotional complexity that makes Kraai an appealing artist, one who has seen enough sorrow to know the difference between what is bittersweet and what is truly tragic.