To be honest, when I first heard that Gavin DeGraw was releasing a new material, I wasn’t that excited about it. The last Gavin DeGraw album I really listened to was his 2003 major label debut, Chariot (J Records), which spawned his one top ten single, “I Don’t Want To Be.” That album was chock-full of singer-songwriter pop gold including “Follow Through” and the album’s title track, “Chariot.” DeGraw had an awesome voice that transcended the singer/songwriter genre, vocally speaking. A little bit folk, a little bit country a little bit R&B – Gavin DeGraw was the voice of the moment, a real, raw, untapped talent and someone who would be on our radios for years to come. Nearly five years later, DeGraw released a follow up to Chariot. The self titled set featured lead single “We Belong Together,” which debuted at #38 before peaking at #26. Unfortunately, after the release of “We Belong Together,” I can’t for the the life of me remember another Gavin DeGraw single. Thank God for Ryan Tedder, I suppose.
On June 7th, singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw is set to release his new single, “Not Over You” to digital music retailers everywhere. The single is a welcome return for the talented artist from New York, who’s last album was 2009’s Free. “Not Over You” is an uber-radio-friendly pop/rock number, co-written and produced by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. It’s the first single to be taken from his forthcoming fourth album of original material entitled, Sweeter, due out on J Records August 9th. Check out the new single BELOW and let me know what you think of it. I think it’s dangerously skirting into straight up pop territory (UM, HELLO! Ryan Tedder?), but I imagine that an acoustic performance of the single will take us back to the soulful, slightly shy Gavin DeGraw that we all know and love.
Sweeter promises to be typical Gavin DeGraw, at least as far as the voice, melodies and charm are concerned. Fans can expect a few new sounds thrown in the mix as well, per the press release:
“The album finds the New York native — beloved for his blue-eyed soul vocals, freewheeling melodies, and earthy charm — experimenting with new sounds, which resulted in a potent, swaggering strut, both musically and lyrically, on sexually charged songs like the R&B-infused “Sweeter” and “Radiation.” The racier moments are balanced out by more emotionally transparent songs like the vigorous “Not Over You,” and the uplifting “Soldier” and “You Know Where I’m At,” which convey a vulnerability while still managing to feel distinctly masculine.”
“SWAGGERING STRUT?” “SEXUALLY CHARGED?” Are we still talking about Gavin DeGraw? If so then color me deeply intrigued. According to DeGraw,
“The question for me became, ‘How do you expose your vulnerability without seeming like somebody who gets kicked around, and at the same time, describe your ability to get past something without sounding cocky,” Gavin says. “That’s always tricky, because you know you’re being judged on the lyrics and they’re all very personal.”
OK, OK. I’m getting a little bit more comfortable with his choice to take more risks with this album. Another something new fans can anticipate on Sweeter is the addition of co-writers. YES! Singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw worked with CO-WRITERS, something he previously had never done. In addition to working with Tedder, DeGraw paired up with Andrew Frampton (The Script, Natasha Bedingfield) as well as producers such as Butch Walker (Weezer, Avril Lavigne), Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos) and Ron Aniello (Barenaked Ladies, Matt Nathanson). In talking about the co-writing process, DeGraw doesn’t seem bothered in anyway. He actually seems to view this all as one big learning experience.
“Co-writing with other people changed everything for me,” Gavin says. “Not only did it open my mind to new ideas, but it changed the way I wrote on my own. Playing all these different styles with other musicians led me to think about things differently when I was working by myself. I was able to tap into things I do live, dabbling with some of that late ’60s, early ’70s R&B stuff; I was able to record all the styles of music that I like and put them on one album. It was great to take my leash off and experiment. Although it doesn’t stray too far from what I’ve done, I think it’s the first album I’ve made that has caught my true sound.”
While I still have my doubts about this new single and it’s overtly POP sound, I know how talented Gavin DeGraw is. His voice is one that’s been missing on the radio for far too long so it’s certainly sweet sweet music to my ears to hear that he’s back and ready to make us all fall for him once again. Check out Gavin on tour this summer with TRAIN and Maroon 5. Tour dates are below. “Not Over You” will hit radio on June 6th and will be available to download on June 7th. Check out the single up top.
Tour Dates:
06/02 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor*
06/18 – Biloxi, MS – Hard Rock Live*
06/24 – Las Vegas, NV – Red Rock Resort*
07/15 – Kansas City, MO – Power & Light District Outdoor Stage*
07/16 – St. Louis, MO – Celebrate St. Louis Concert Series*
07/17 – Springfield, MO – The Gillioz Theatre*
07/22 – Chula Vista, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
07/23 – Paso Robles, CA – California Mid-State Fair
07/25 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Bowl
07/27 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Casino
07/28 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
07/31 – Mount Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino Resort
08/02 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
08/03 – Virginia Beach, VA – Farm Bureau Live @ Virginia Beach
08/05 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
08/07 – Mashantucket, CT – MGM Grand Theater at Foxwood
08/09 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
08/12 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
08/13 – Mansfield, MA – Comcast Center
08/14 – Bethlehem, PA – Muzikfest +
08/15 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Park Pavilion/Stadium
08/17 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
08/18 – Indianapolis, IN – Indiana State Fair
08/19 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair Grandstands
08/20 – Chicago, IL – Charter One Pavillion +
08/21 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/22 – Toronto, ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheater
08/25 – Syracuse, NY – New York State Fair
08/26 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
*denotes Gavin DeGraw headlining show
+ Maroon 5 will not be on this date.