“Don’t go away/ Say you’ll stay until the morning light/ Don’t fade away/ Into gray/ Standing in the light.”

These are the lyrics that any “Everwood” fan heard on May 9, 2004. The song is “Morning Light” by Graham Colton Band off their 2004 album Drive. Although the television spot was a big breakthrough for the group, thousands of people have been able to hear the band for the last two years as they opened for various acts: the Counting Crows, Maroon 5, Guster, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and currently, Kelly Clarkson.

The members of Graham Colton Band, Graham Colton, Ryan Tallent, and Jordan Elder, met in Dallas, Texas at Southern Methodist University. Colton had been writing and performing in the area and eventually made a demo that fell into the hands of Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz. In short, the rest is history.

Colton and his band mates were soon on the Counting Crows 2002 summer tour and did not stop touring until they were signed to Universal Records in 2003, when they hit the studio to record their debut album.

If you like the album, it will not be long before you will be searching for tickets to catch a Graham Colton Band show with Kelly Clarkson.

The album is filled with songs written backstage, on the bus, and during sound checks. The band classifies the album as filled with “a series of love and loss notes from the road.” Their time spent on the road is evident in the title, Drive, as well as in many of the song lyrics.

“Killing Me” is a song about losing a girlfriend from being on the road constantly and both wishing they were still together. It is pop-rock with a different sound than anything out today. Each track on the album tells a story either of love, friendship, or life.

With music that is a mix of all the artists the band has toured with and including a song for all types of music lovers, Drive is a must have CD. These down south boys put their hearts on the line and after listening to the CD just once, you will not be able to turn it off.