Personnel: Gavin DeGraw (vocals, piano, keyboards); Michael Ward (guitar); Alvin Moody (bass); Joey Waronker (drums).

Recorded at Sunset Sound and Larabee East, Los Angeles, California; The Hit Factory, New York, New York.

Triangulated somewhere between the passionate earnestness of David Gray, the polished post-Jeff Buckleyisms of Howie Day, and the Hootie-meets-Petty pop-rock of Pete Yorn, the photogenic young troubadour Gavin DeGraw (he's even got a great name) seems almost preternaturally destined for success on his seamless debut album. Expertly produced by Mark Endert, CHARIOT organically emphasizes the natural hookiness of the material rather than relying on crass production tricks to shove the songs down the public's throat. DeGraw's voice has just the right mix of ragged honesty, falsetto-tinged sweetness, and pure pop melodicism, and the mainstream singer-songwriter rock he turns out is a refreshingly gimmick-free commodity all too rare for its era.

What the critics say...

Rolling Stone (8/21/03, p.72) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A brash rock-accented pop album that sounds like it could have been recorded anytime in the last twenty-five years, thanks to the spotlight clarity of his strong tenor voice and the well-rehearsed attacks of his band..."
CMJ (6/30/03, p.6) - "CHARIOT is an album full of moments that effortlessly steal you away into the beautiful scenes that he's constantly constructing..."