Christon Gray is giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the making of School of Roses, his forthcoming debut album for Collision Records.
The 14-track project draws from Gray’s experiences with love, temptation, failure, marriage and faith. Rather than separate those subjects into clean categories, he treats them as parts of the same life.
That includes moments that are difficult to explain and others that may not be particularly flattering to revisit.
Christon Gray Goes Behind School of Roses
That transparency sits at the center of School of Roses. Gray uses the album title to describe life as a classroom where beauty and pain can teach at the same time.
However, the record does not present him as someone who has already mastered the material.
Musically, Gray also refuses to stay inside one genre. He moves among R&B, soul, pop and hip-hop, sometimes singing and rapping within the same song.
Meanwhile, Swoope, JGivens, Wes Pendleton, Taelor Gray and B. Reith add different voices without turning the album into a guest-list exercise.
The tracklist includes “Vanish,” Gray’s collaboration with Swoope, along with “Wanna,” “Windchaser,” “Convenient” and “Lady Gray (Easy to Love).”
In addition, three songs carrying the “Roses” name divide the album into sections. “Arena (The Final Hour)” closes the project.
Inside the Making of School of Roses
The behind-the-scenes video follows Gray and the Collision Records team during the recording process.
Along the way, it captures the producers, musicians and conversations involved in turning the album’s personal subject matter into finished songs.
School of Roses will be released March 25 through Collision Records. The album is available for preorder through iTunes for $6.99 ahead of its $9.99 release-day price.
School of Roses Tracklist
- The Last Time
- Wanna featuring JGivens
- Windchaser
- Vanish featuring Swoope
- Roses 101: After All
- Hello or Goodbye
- Moving On
- Convenient featuring Wes Pendleton
- SuperDave
- Roses 102: Burning House
- Nostalgious featuring Taelor Gray and B. Reith
- Lady Gray (Easy to Love)
- Roses 103: Ghost
- Arena (The Final Hour)