Sometimes real musicians can get lost in the sea of mindless pop and meaningless hip-hop heard on the radio today. However, Gavin DeGraw’s unique voice and impressive musical talent keeps him afloat. In his newly released third album, FREE, DeGraw’s honest lyrics and bluesy, piano-laden tracks combine with his soulful voice to create an emotional, unapologetic musical journey.
Putting the album together in only two weeks, DeGraw goes back to the basics.
“We kept the production very minimal in order to get to everything that lies between me and the audience away,” Degraw said on his website.
This creates an informal but intimate feel reflected on every track of the album. The purity of DeGraw’s voice is magnified throughout the CD, and since the production is so minimal, there’s a raw edge present that can be likened to a live performance. His voice is his strongest instrument, complimented by his simplistic but strikingly real and unedited lyrics. Although DeGraw attests to having no lyrical theme for this album, many songs are about personal remorse and what it feels like to be truly in love.
The first track off the album, “Indian Summer,” is a cover from one of DeGraw’s favorite artists, the late Chris Whitley. It sets the mood for the entire album: mellow with driving rhythms and DeGraw’s voice as the centerpiece. “Glass,” a track which had become a staple in his live performances, is arguably one of the best tracks on the album. With lyrics like, “It wasn’t a lie/ But it wasn’t true/ I just wanted to make it feel good/ I just wanted you near,” listeners inevitably feel the same kind of yearning DeGraw expresses so well.
The album finishes with “Why Do Men Stray,” an acoustic track filled with emotional lyrics. Every scratch and squeal of the guitar strings is audible, adding to the album’s raw, organic sound. Like every track, it has a mellow vibe, and DeGraw’s voice is the focal point. But when hearing it, it elicits the feeling DeGraw is just sitting on a street corner, playing for passersby.
One thing working against DeGraw in this album is a lack of variety. While the album flows together very well, each track has the same kind of sound. They each have their own message, but they begin to melt together if the listener is not familiar with all of the tracks. Additionally, no track particularly stands above the rest, which prevents memorable songs. In this sense, FREE might be hard for a passive listener to enjoy, but according to DeGraw, the goal was to offer raw sound.
“This album reveals the honesty about my love of music. It isn’t about the biggest, the strongest or the loudest. It’s about simplicity in its purest form. It doesn’t sound like the big machine. It sounds like where you go to escape the big machine,” DeGraw said on his website.
FREE highlights the incredible musicianship of Gavin DeGraw. He definitely has one of those unique voices that you never want to stop listening to, and this, combined with his powerful lyrics, creates an album that is sure to please. Although the tracks are not always memorable, DeGraw’s talent will keep listeners coming back for more.
