For fans of

Jason Mraz and Maroon 5

Singles to download

“Not over You,” “Spell It Out,” “Run Every Time”

Thankfully, Gavin DeGraw has returned to his musical home in “Sweeter.” After the failed indie effort that was “Free,” DeGraw has gone back to the older style that is more characteristic of “Chariot.”

Unlike many of his past albums, “Sweeter” provides much more diversity in the music behind his improved, rough yet comforting voice. DeGraw’s voice remains at the forefront of every track, but the music sometimes distracts from his voice, as it all of a sudden sounds like we’re thrust into an empty bar where a guitarist is trying too hard. Up until the last 30 seconds of “Candy,” DeGraw’s voice is at its best, with a fuller sound than we’ve heard from him in years.

Songs like “Not Over You,” which is the album’s first single, would sound better if the music behind DeGraw was stripped out. Upbeat back tracks combined with a more soulful DeGraw work well on “Soldier” and “Sweeter,” which seem to mirror their titles. Not every song on the album has an up-tempo beat behind it, though, and DeGraw demonstrates his true growth on “Spell It Out,” which combines both a soft acoustic sound from the piano and Gavin’s recognizable voice. “Spell It Out” takes the indie feel of “Free” but combines it with raw, more relatable lyrics to form a truly beautiful song.