Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a good and healthy week last week! I know it was definitely a rough one for me and a couple other people I know with the semester’s cold and flu season coming into full swing.
This week’s spotlight is on pop-rock singer Gavin DeGraw’s new album, Something Worth Saving.
I’ve loved Gavin DeGraw’s music since his Chariot (2003) days. Over the years, I’ve grown to love his music more and more. He has a really cool style that mixes pop, rock, and soul into one so I was beyond excited to see what Something Worth Saving had in store!
The first song that I heard off this album happened to be the very first song on the album, “She Sets the City on Fire.” I heard it by chance one day while I was shopping with my mom. It was definitely one of those moments where you’re groovin’ along, like, “hey, I really like this.” And then you have that realization that it’s a certain artist that you actually do like and listen to on a regular basis so it’s no wonder that you liked it in the first place. “She Sets the City on Fire” is one of those songs that you listen to when you’re driving around with the windows rolled down on a warm night. In fact, the entire album seems fitting for that kind of scenario.
On my first listen of Something Worth Saving, I definitely had some mixed feelings about the sound of the album. I’m used to hearing DeGraw’s music with a little bit of a gritty rock sound like the song “Leading Man” on the Make A Move (2013) album. I was surprised by the overall pop sound that Something Worth Saving had. Don’t get me wrong, there are a fair share of his songs that have a strong pop sound, but this album was different.
After listening to the album a few times through, it definitely grew on me. “You Make My Heart Sing Louder” has that rock vibe that I was hoping for from one of DeGraw’s album, while “Kite Like Girl” sounds like an indie bubblegum pop-ish song with DeGraw’s vocals over top. Those two songs feel like they’re at two opposite sides of the spectrum, but somehow it all comes together really well. I honestly really disliked “Kite Like Girl” when I first listened to it. But after listening to it a few times and focusing more on the lyrics, which are part of the reason why DeGraw’s songs are so strong, I realized that I actually did like it. It was just a lot different than anything he has ever put out.
Another reason why I liked this album and recommend it very strongly to other Gavin DeGraw fans is because of how relatable it is to people in new relationships, old relationships, or just coming out of a relationship. The title track, “Something Worth Saving,” was by far my favorite track because of how much it related to my own relationship.
Since it’s a relatively short album with only ten songs on it, this week I will only be giving my top three recommended songs from the album!
My top three recommended tracks are:
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Something Worth Saving
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Kite Like Girl
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Annalee
The album, Something Worth Saving, is available for purchase at most music retailers or listen to for free on streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora.
Check out Gavin DeGraw’s music video for his single, “She Sets the City on Fire”: