Original Influences ~ Make A Move

Although this much-anticipated record from my favorite singer-songwriter, Gavin DeGraw, isn't quite out yet (Tuesday is the official "drop" day), thanks to VH1 we've been treated to the full album streaming on the web.  Watching the twitter discussions, reading blog posts and reviews, I've had a few thoughts of my own and I've decided to share them here.  140 characters isn't getting it done this week.

I love this album.  Yes, I suppose it's somewhat of a departure for him but I hear his voice--his unique, original voice--all through it.  Here are my brief gut responses to the new songs:

Best I Ever Had ~ Since this has been out since early summer, it's well-known to us already.  This has definitely been my 2013 summer jam and the live performances of it were amazing.  Makes me smile every time.

Make a Move ~ Also performed throughout the summer tour this feels, to me, like a light-hearted sexy invitation with only one possible response.

Finest Hour ~ Since I'm on the older end of Gavin's demographic, this song evokes memory for me.  College nights.  Summer nights.  Crazy youthful exuberance in the driving beat and telling lyric. "They say the best stories come from the worst nights baby."

I'm Gonna Try ~ Vintage Gavin with a new edginess.  

Who's Gonna Save Us ~ Gavin has been singing this out on the road since the summer too.  I heard it first in Virginia Beach.  It takes my breath away every time with the sweeping arc of the melody and the raw emotion of the lyric.

Everything Will Change ~ An anthem.  Love the production.  But I've always loved big, romantic sounds (I'm more Brahams than Bach, more Rachmaninoff than Ravel).  This is a big song.

Need ~ Truthful.

Heartbreak ~ Percussive, driving, highly danceable.

Every Little Bit ~ Soulful.  That thing he does at the end of certain phrases ... you know what I mean.

Different for Girls ~ Honest insights, great arrangement.

Leading Man ~ Rocking, new Gavin rooted solidly in soulful, bluesy Gavin.

This is what I'm trying to say:  You can tell me you hear Maroon 5 or Train or The Script or whomever.  All I hear is Gavin DeGraw.  All I hear is a songwriter who's been at this a fairly long time, who's met lots of folks along the way, who by his own admission likes many (if not most) genres of music and loads of musicians.  He's toured with lots of people over the years.  There are bound to be influences.  This is not a negative thing.  This does not make one unoriginal which is what I seem to be hearing from some writers out there in the cyber community.

What artist isn't influenced by something or someone?  It's what you do with that influence that really counts--how it flows through you to your final product.  

Who are we to place an unreal expectation of stagnancy on an artist, a writer, a composer, a dancer?  I believe truly creative people have a need within to keep moving forward, to keep evolving.  Very few ever completely totally evolve away from their roots; you can always find their essence at the core of the work.  I can't imagine not changing a little with each major work--that would be like never learning.  I look back in my own life, at the things I've done--even the really successful things--and I think "I may have tweaked that a little differently if I was doing that today."  We grow.  We grow up.  We're influenced by the people who pass through our lives, the places we visit, by our own evolving visions. 

I know that each of the songs on the new album are co-writes.  I know some will make the argument that since they are co-writes, they can't truly be reflective of the Gavin we all came to love through the earlier records.  But I'm pretty sure he wouldn't put anything on a record that he didn't believe in 100 percent, that he didn't feel represented him truly.  I think all artists go through periods in their lives.  It's kind of obvious with painters, right?  Because you can see the "blue period" or whatever.  I have this feeling that Gavin is not co-writing every song for the rest of his career.  There's a lot of music bottled up in that man.  It's going to find its way out through a variety of paths.  But I can't even think about future projects right now because I haven't fully appreciated this current one.  Lots more listening to do ... many more hours of singing and dancing, of pure enjoyment.  With an emphasis on joy.

Here's another thing:  One of the best things about this particular artist is how he balances knowing that his long-time fans adore his original music with keeping current and satisfying his own artistic urges.  This he accomplishes perfectly in live performances where you can always count on a mix of old songs with new ones and a nod at current influences with the covers he chooses to occasionally do.  

There.  That's been building in me all week and if you're still reading this, I thank you for indulging my opinion which is solely my own.  You are free to disagree, but I kind of hope you don't, because I have this weird need to have everyone fall as hard for this singer as I have, as unrealistic as that sounds.  He's an enormously gifted song-writer and storyteller, an amazing singer with a voice that will melt your heart and most importantly, a humble, gracious, generous human being. 

Go.  Listen.  Make a Move.

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Stream Gavin DeGraw, Make A Move here. 

Buy it here.

The first time I heard Make A Move with thanks to my dear friend for uploading this recording.