Gavin DeGraw (2008)

A few years back, Gavin DeGraw rode in on a wave of testosterone with John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Teddy Geiger. Too bad. His gravelly voice is distinctive, and his debut, Chariot, is uniformly terrific. The same can't be said for the self-titled schizo follow-up Gavin DeGraw. For every tune like ''In Love With a Girl,'' which summons the addictive melodies and rich, discordant chords of Chariot, there's a self-indulgent snoozer such as ''Medicate the Kids,'' a screed about doping up kids on antidepressants. Tom Cruise might approve. The rest of us just want our hooky pop. B-
DOWNLOAD THIS: Watch the video for ''In Love With a Girl'' at AOLMusic