Gavin Degraw Week – Day 4

This is a review from London’s Evening Standard of a Gavin Degraw show there in May. (There are a lot of prepositions in that sentence. Holy cow!)

“DeGraw follows through with great show promise”
by Amira Hashish, Evening Standard 29.05.08

Occasionally, you stumble across an exceptional gig; the type that makes you realise why live music is hard to beat in the entertainment stakes. By the time Gavin DeGraw finished his third song at Shepherds Bush, he had laid down the foundations for one such show. Mid-way it was pretty much cemented, building up to a polished and well-rounded finale. Superb.

So, to continue with the building analogy, let’s fill in the gaps…Certain songs fulfilled their true potential when performed live; Chemical Party being one. Showing off his impressive range in an improvised interlude, the singer wouldn’t have been out of place leading a gospel group.

But his transition into rock and blues was made with ease. You name it, he can adapt to it as far as music genre is concerned. It’s not surprising then that he has a background in opera.

Essentially though, Gavin’s music is accessible enough to fall into the pop category and this is probably the reason the venue was packed. It would seem he has a loyal following. Most of the songs from first album Chariot were accompanied by a singalong. The American artist even left the vocals to the audience at times while he played the piano or guitar (with flair).

Judging by the new material showcased, the soon to be release second album sounds promising. If Gavin returns this time next year, no doubt its songs will be greeted with the same warm reception as tracks like Follow Through and In Love With a Girl (the latest single).

Of course, every great performer needs firm support. And Gavin’s band, comprising of musicians from New Orleans and New York, went beyond their call of duty. So comfortable was he with his group that he thought nothing of stopping half-way through a song to correct mistakes. Professional and confident, it was difficult to fault this set. What a show.