Sweeter (album)

Untitled

Sweeter is the upcoming fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw. The album was released in the United States on September 20, 2011 and features tracks co-written with other artists for the very first time, including Ryan Tedder and Andrew Framptom. The lead single "Not Over You" was released to mainstream radio and to iTunes in June. The track was co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder, with lyrical arrangements by J. Barrera.

Background

DeGraw defined the album as "more refined yet edgier sound". He revealed to The Examiner that "For this album in particular what happened was there were things that I did musically that I recorded that I hadn’t recorded before. Continuing he explained, "Some of the types of singing that I’m doing on this album, I’ve done it live but I’ve never actually recorded it this way." Gavin also described the album as "just funkier and more sexy than the albums I’ve made in the past. Not that every song is about bumping and grinding cause that’s not at all the record I’m saying I made. It’s just a sexier more intimate type of album.”

Composition

"I worked with four different producers, so different producers recorded different songs with me and you’re getting a lot of variety on there."

—Gavin DeGraw telling to The Examiner about the variety of songs on his new album.

"Not Over You," which poignantly evokes the difficulty of getting over someone, is one of two songs Gavin co-wrote with Ryan Tedder for Sweeter, which was recorded in several locations, including Ryan's studio in Denver, Blackbird Studio in Nashville, producer Butch Walker's space in Venice, CA and the legendary Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood. The album finds DeGraw experimenting with new sounds, which resulted in a potent, swaggering strut, both musically and lyrically, on sexually charged songs like the R&B-infused "Sweeter" and "Radiation." The racier moments are balanced out by more emotionally transparent songs like the vigorous "Not Over You," and the uplifting "Soldier" and "You Know Where I'm At," which convey vulnerability while still managing to feel distinctly masculine. He decided to work with co-writers for the first time as a way to broaden his horizons, such as Ryan Tedder, who also co-wrote and produced "Sweeter," and Andrew Frampton. He also worked with a host of producers including Butch Walker, Eric Rosse and Ron Aniello.

"Co-writing with other people changed everything for me," DeGraw said. "Not only did it open my mind to new ideas, but it changed the way I wrote on my own. Playing all these different styles with other musicians led me to think about things differently when I was working by myself. I was able to tap into things I do live, dabbling with some of that late '60s, early '70s R&B stuff; I was able to record all the styles of music that I like and put them on one album. It was great to take my leash off and experiment. Although it doesn't stray too far from what I've done, I think it's the first album I've made that has caught my true sound."

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Gavin DeGraw

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Sweeter"	DeGraw, Ryan Tedder	3:43
2.	"Not Over You"	DeGraw, Tedder	3:38
3.	"Run Every Time"	DeGraw, Andrew Frampton	3:06
4.	"Soldier"	DeGraw	3:31
5.	"Candy"	DeGraw	4:38
6.	"You Know Where I'm At"	DeGraw	3:21
7.	"Stealing"	DeGraw	4:17
8.	"Radiation"	DeGraw	4:17
9.	"Where You Are"	DeGraw	4:21
10.	"Spell It Out"	DeGraw, Frampton	3:57

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Boston Globe	(mixed)
Entertainment Weekly	(B-)
Rolling Stone

Jody Rosen from Rolling Stone gave the album a positive review, stating that: "The 10 songs on Sweeter, DeGraw's fourth album, are taut, efficient and hook-packed, with guitars bolstering the big choruses. DeGraw is an excellent singer, with a hint of grit in his tenor that tips power ballads like "Soldier" toward soul music." Melissa Maerz wrote a positive review for Entertainment Weekly, saying that [...] "Well, there's a half-dozen good ones on his fourth full-length Sweeter (check the title track). Too bad the other half's weighed down by painfully mopey, girl-done-left-me blues." Ken Capobianco wrote a more mixed review for Boston Globe, stating that [...] "The results are predictably formulaic, as seen on their co-writing effort, “Not Over You,’."