#76 "Follow Through" by Gavin DeGraw

I don't listen to the radio very much. I'm not saying that I'm some snobby dick who thinks he's too cool for the mainstream. It's just that most of the stuff I like doesn't really have mass appeal. I mean... look at this list. What radio station would I tune into to hear these songs? Unless it was some satellite station that I refuse to pay for, I don't have many options there. Occasionally, however, I'll be in the car with my wife or will flip across VH1 and hear something new. That's how I discovered Gavin DeGraw.

You might remember DeGraw's song "I Don't Wanna Be" all over the radio a few years back. It was a pretty cool anthem of independence, but it was actually his second single. The first was "Follow Through," but it didn't really take off. I don't know about the chronology, but I'd gather that there was a good four months or so between those two songs coming out, or at least between the one coming out and the other being embraced and played all over the place. I really liked "Follow Through" though and thought that Gavin DeGraw showed some promise. For one reason or another I brought up his name in class one day and a student ended up giving me a copy of his album. Yes, that is one of the great perks of teaching. I have over 100 hookups every year.

So anyhow, when I listened to DeGraw's debut, "Chariot," I really liked it. He plays multiple instruments on it, writes the songs, and has a solid voice. He showed a good range in his songwriting too. I was pretty convinced that this guy was just beginning what could be a long and popular career. I wasn't the only one either. Aerosmith's Joe Perry was a big admirer too and performed with DeGraw a few times. Here we are now, a few years later, and I wouldn't say his career has taken off like I might've guessed though. His second album was a lot more guitar-oriented and the one song I heard from it just didn't hit me at all. You never can tell how a person's gonna go.

"Follow Through" has a great message in it too. It's basically a song from one guy to his lover saying "Look... if you want to do this, just be the person you claim you are. Put your money where your mouth is. Follow through." I like that a lot.

"Follow Through" is from the album "Chariot." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.