Daryl Tay.net

Gavin DeGraw - Chariot

I really liked Gavin DeGraw’s first album, Chariot, when it first hit the music scene back in 2003. I liked it so much, I even bought the Chariot Stripped album, which had basically the same track listing as Chariot, performed acoustically.

Then he disappeared from the scene for awhile, and returned in 2008 with a self-titled album, and I was vaguely aware of the songs like “Cheated On Me” and “In Love With A Girl“, but somehow never quite felt the compulsion to pick up the album and give it a good listen.

So here we are in 2009 and Mr. DeGraw has a new album, Life, which I’ve listened to a couple of times, and it just hasn’t grabbed me. On the first listen, I was making my way the first few tracks and it wasn’t until track three, “Stay“, where I felt I was listening to a Gavin DeGraw album. And the reason hit me when I finally hit track seven, “Dancing Shoes“.

The reason? Somewhere between 2003 and 2009, it seems he’s decided to take a decidedly more “polished” approach to singing, resulting in his songs sounding “smoother” than they used to. That may work out for some artists, but not for Gavin, who I really identify with sounding raw and conveying emotion.

So why did it hit me when I listened to “Dancing Shoes“? Simple. He has an old version which wasn’t on the first album but was available on the internet, and it sounds drastically different from the new version. Don’t take it from me, have a listen. Old version first:

Now the new:

What do you think?

I’m not saying the new album is bad my any means. There’s just too drastic a change from the Gavin DeGraw sound I was first introduced to and liked, but it could well work for you. Let me know!