3.5/5
Less than a year after his self-titled sophomore smash, radio darling Gavin DeGraw breaks Free. Soulful, stripped-down piano ballads and bluesy (but still pretty-boy) vocals mark the intimate album, a far cry from last year’s might-as-well-be-Maroon 5 single ‘In Love With A Girl.’ With nine other singles behind him ‘mdash; notably, the anthemic Billboard Award nominee ‘I Don’t Want To Be’ ‘mdash; DeGraw doesn’t need the fame anymore. Instead, he opts for inner harmony and a healthy dose of self-loathing: a diary’s worth of post-breakup depression.
DeGraw opts for forgiveness on ‘Stay,’ warbling: ‘You don’t have to be part of the problem/ I just need a second chance.’ Sparce drums on silken rhythms slice his words like paper cuts ‘mdash; and they hurt so deep, don’t you know? On ‘Dancing Shoes,’ he piano-keys his sensitivity with an occasional stroke of soft flute or broken ivory jangles. Accompanying lyrics ‘Rush me/ But leave time to wait’ are stupid in comparison. Fortunately, DeGraw compensates with an acute acoustic sensibility for the next few tracks, easing up for an organic sincerity that offsets his sometimes sobby poetry.
Bare production figures big on Free, a hefty improvement from his previously polished hits. It’s an important lesson: Even honey-dipped vocals and emotional hair flips can be served with clever competence. In this sentimental reincarnation, DeGraw’s got just enough to pass.