Pop songs with a hard-won innocence

Graham Colton calls himself a "songwriter-singer," and he merges grassroots inspiration with pop-rock accessibility. In the words of Fuzz, Graham "has the writing talents of Chris Carrabba and the musical abilities of Rob Thomas, but he melds the two in a style that differs greatly from Dashboard melodrama and Matchbox Twenty pop-sadness." An Oklahoma City native, Graham broke through with his song "Best Days," an iTunes single of the week that was featured on American Idol. He has toured with Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, the Dave Matthews Band, and Counting Crows. Graham's latest CD, "Pacific Coast Eyes," is packed with gorgeous melodies and goes a long way toward establishing him as the new standard-bearer for intelligent romantic pop.