Four years ago I fell in love with a boy. His voice was full of soul; his songs were sweet and easy to digest. Whether he was strumming his guitar or sitting at the piano, he drew me in with every word that came out of his mouth. He was Mr. Nice Guy and couldn’t be anything but even if he tried. His name? Gavin DeGraw. And even though he’s trying to somewhat shake his Mr. Nice Guy image with a new sound, he’s still the same charming guy I fell in love with on his debut album, “Chariot,” four years ago.
On “Chariot” we were introduced to the South Fallsburg, New York native who is probably most noted for his first single, “I Don’t Want to Be,” which also doubles as the theme song for “One Tree Hill.” The album drew critical acclaim for fusing together soul, rock, and pop seamlessly and for Gavin’s talent for writing songs about love people from all walks of life could relate to.
Even under the more rock-oriented sound of his sophomore self-titled album, his artful songwriting is not lost. He can still poetically get across the sentiments of being in love, falling out of love or being rebellious. To get that rock edge, DeGraw enlisted music producer Howard Benson whose resume reads like a contemporary rock who’s who (he’s worked with Daughtry, Hoobastank, Flyleaf, and My Chemical Romance). And just like the songwriting, there’s no losing that soul influence in his voice.
The album opener and first single, “In Love With A Girl,” is a good example of the new sound. It’s blaring rock guitar and Gavin’s edgier vocal delivery kind of give you a hint of what’s to come but often he revisits classic GDG.
Top 5 songs according to TJ, in no particular order, are:
- Next To Me: From the minute this song starts, you just know it’s going to be a good one. It’s rock/pop joy. It’s the perfect song to sing along to. I mean, come on! “Wait a minute, sister/I know I aint your mister yet/Just gimme the chance and see/but you won’t even get next to me.” How can you not love it?
- I Have You To Thank: This song is perfect. Gavin’s voice is purely hypnotic. He sings about being so completely in love with a girl that he can’t think of being with anyone else. No one else will ever compare. The emotion evoked in his voice is so clear that you can completely feel it and you kinda wish you were the girl he’s singing about. Lucky betch.
- Cop Stop: Gavin’s talent as a songwriter is really displayed in this one. There are good pop songwriters out there but few can turn a song about an emotionally overrun woman into such a delicious metaphoric pop masterpiece. “Wishing wells were made to echo a dime/the consequences are you keep on relying/you’ve become a run and hide refugee/baby I’m a cop, stop/put up your hands and surrender to me.” Saving a wounded duck has never sounded so good.
- She Holds The Key: The return of “Chariot” era Gavin. Gavin cites soul greats like Sam Cooke and Smokie Robinson as some of his top influences, and there’s no denying that when you hear this song. “She Holds The Key” is a soul-drenched ballad that is just as gorgeous stripped down acoustically as it is on the album -Â order his album at www.gavindegraw.com and you can see what I’m talking about. Yup, I’m gonna be stingy.
- We Belong Together: I can’t take how alluring Gavin’s voice is in this song. From the minute the song opens with Gavin singing, “We belong together like the open seas and shores,” I want to scream, “I KNOW! I KNOW WE DO!” The chick in the song doesn’t believe they do, though. The production is pretty simple, this song is driven completely by its compelling lyrics and Gavin’s delivery. The bridge offers a pretty hawt guitar solo but the best part is at the end where a vulnerable DeGraw sings, “Someday when you’re lonely/Sometime after all this bliss/Somewhere lost in emptiness/I hope you find this gift…./I hope you find this gift…./I hope you find this gift.” Silly betch.
So, am I still in love with this boy? Clearly. The core of who Gavin DeGraw is as a musician is still written all over this new album. Mr. Nice Guy isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. He’s just gotten a little bit more edgy.
wow..so im gonna so listen to his album now.