For better of worse,
Joey DeGraw will always be known as the older sibling of
Gavin DeGraw, the man behind the ubiquitous 2004 single "I Don't Wanna Be."
Gavin's star status has waned since those days, but he still remains the more successful sibling, a fact that
Joey undoubtedly recognizes. It's appropriate, then, that
Joey's own material is gruffer, grungier, and more rootsy than his brother's output, even if both musicians share a similar affinity for commercial pop and soulful, Catskills-inspired rock.
Say Something Strong shows
Joey to be a competent songwriter in his own right, its track list devoted as much to bar band rock & roll as the Southern-styled ballads that launched his brother's career. Even so,
Joey isn't nearly as versatile a vocalist as
Gavin, and the bulk of these melodies remain earthbound as a result. Songs like "Sister Mystery" and "Our Own Time" aim for the anthemic catharsis that made hits out of "Chariot" and "I Don't Wanna Be," but
Joey sounds better when he's aiming for the barstools ten feet from the stage, not the cheap stadium seats some 40 yards away.