Something Worth Saving (Signed) (Barnes & Noble Exclusive)

The sixth studio long-player from the multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter, Something Worth Saving sees Gavin DeGraw treading familiar ground, but with the easy yet cocksure gait of a pop pro. DeGraw's big, soulful, and elastic voice remains his biggest asset, and it helps to elevate some of the album's less inspired numbers, specifically the paint-by-numbers opener/single "She Sets the City on Fire." With that bit of Fun.-aping, romantic comedy trailer bait out of the way, DeGraw is able to flex his songwriting chops a bit, beginning with the sultry "You Make My Heart Sing Louder," a bluesy, midtempo come-hither banger that finds the sweet spot between the club and the ride home. Elsewhere, the subtle electro-folk gem "Kite Like a Girl" invokes late-'70s Paul Simon by way of Ed Sheeran, the bouncy "Anaalee" flirts with classic Motown and soul in a sort of "Come on Eileen" way, and the punchy "How Lucky Can a Man Get" suggests that DeGraw spent his formative years absorbing more than his fair share of classic rock radio -- the title track/closer is a genuine lighter ballad. As per usual, DeGraw, like a 21st century Huey Lewis, delivers everything with an amiable, everyman gusto, and it's that penchant for workmanlike listener inclusiveness that ultimately makes Something Worth Saving worth dropping the needle on. ~ James Christopher Monger