In a world surrounded by rap wannabes and auto-tune, it's kind of unfair that real artists who enjoy making music period don't get more of the praise. Gavin DeGraw is no exception. With a soulful and nifty tenor voice, DeGraw got my attention immediately after he released his first single off of "Chariot:" "I Don't Want To Be."
On his third big studio album, "Sweeter," DeGraw joins writing forces on some songs with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. A good majority of the music is great, and shows a more sensitive side to the singer whose first song got famous off of TV's "One Tree Hill."
The title track is a blast of combined funk and rock 'n' roll goodness in which DeGraw wittily belts about stealing another person's woman.
Another song that matches up with the spirit of the title track is "Radiation," a song about getting an invitation from a drunk Gavin when the mood strikes to be with the one person you probably don't want to be with at the moment.
Other highlights of the album include "Candy," a song that reminds me of the style of The Script, "Run Every Time," which is about the inability to commit to a person, and "Soldier," an honest and heartfelt ballad about being there for the person that means the most to you.
But the real highlight of "Sweeter" is the main single, "Not Over You," another aching and deep ballad that is about being sadly isolated after a failed relationship. The lyrics are melancholy as the listener hears DeGraw sing about "staring at a picture of you and listening to the radio."
Overall, not every track is a favorite of mine, but Gavin DeGraw proves again that he is one of the bluesiest and most soulful artists out there at the moment. "Sweeter" left me with a musical craving.
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