Gavin DeGraw - Gavin DeGraw Review

On his sophomore album—the follow-up to 2003's slow-building platinum smash "Chariot"—Gavin DeGraw deftly weaves together rock, pop and soul influences without letting the seams show. Courtesy of producer Howard Benson (Daughtry, P.O.D., My Chemical Romance), this 12-song set leans more on its rock muscle than anything else, with biting guitar chords punctuating DeGraw's taut and tuneful melodies in the opening track and first single, "In Love With a Girl," to such classic rock-aping pieces as "Relative." DeGraw's soulful vocal swoops stand out on "I Have You to Thank," while his balladeer side emotes on "Young Love" and "Let It Go." "We Belong Together" moves from an anthemic start into a delicate dynamic build that provides a master class in DeGraw's deft straddle between craft and passion....full text It's been three years since Gavin DeGraw released his debut album and watched it go from a slow-burn to white-hot platinum after the song "I Don't Want to Be" was used as the theme song for the teen drama "One Tree Hill." From the sound of this self-titled follow-up, DeGraw has been having some girl trouble to which he applies his Rufus Wainwright-meets-Maroon 5 approach. Whether it was his jealousy driving a lover into another's arms on the lovesick rocker "Cheated on Me" or the girl who ruined him for anyone else on the rollicking piano tune "I Have You to Thank," romantic befuddlement suits him....full text Elvis Costello can write a well-wrought song with ease, but he usually doesn’t just throw records out there. “Momofuku,” which takes its name from the inventor of instant noodles, is different. It’s effortfully tossed off; it’s a middling record battling against his built-in high standards.

Verifiable news about “Momofuku” first surfaced on Mr. Costello’s Web site, elviscostello.com, the day of the album’s release on vinyl two weeks ago. (It comes out on CD this week.) The album started, Mr. Costello wrote in his post, when he contributed vocals to Jenny Lewis’s next record, which also included Davey Faragher, Mr. Costello’s regular bass player....full text