Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw’s major-label debut, Chariot, slowly built momentum after its release in mid-2003—a luxury of time big record companies generally only allow for presumed hits. The pop singer-songwriter has certainly been in all the right places to find fans for his sorta-soulful radio rock: He’s opened for Maroon 5—a frequent and solid comparison—and his “I Don’t Wanna Be” is the theme for One Tree Hill. 2008’s self-titled third album received mediocre critical reviews and complaints that he’s simply treading well-worn ground, but it also cracked the top 10 on the Billboard charts. He followed-up Gavin DeGraw with Free, the unimaginative title of which suggests he’s not quite done with the middle of the road.