Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Found a Way
3. Circles
4. Somehow
5. In the End
6. Don't Preach
7. Hollywood Girl
8. Golden Days
9. Down We Fall
10. Backhouse
11. Highway to Nowhere
12. Telegraph

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88025 in Music
• Released on: 2005-09-27
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

NOT just for the young
In my opinion, you don't have to be a young boy or girl who finds Drake 'dreamy' to really appreciate this album (not AT ALL to devalue the musical tastes or celebrity crushes of younger folks).

Whereas most 19-year-olds with guitars are just young people who can write songs, Drake is a SONGWRITER. Whereas most of those 19-year-olds can play the guitar, Drake is a GUITARIST. He's the real deal and has more than enough talent to spread over the 10 of these 12 music tracks.

I'd say he leans toward the rock (as opposed to pop) genre, but there's nothing abrasive about his rock and roll style. Take any period of the Beatles, pretend they're spices and you can find them seasoning up the entire album in one way or another. There's also some Patty Griffin (the paradoxical semi-detached yet achingly personal lyrical style), some of Bruce Springsteen's blue-collar-workin'-man energy, and a bit of John Mayer (not so much the glossy sound... but the journalist-turned-songwriter sensibilities). He even has a gift for Jason Mraz-esque word-play, but where Jason uses it (or seems to use it) as a novelty that serves his musical style, Drake seamlessly incorporates its usage into the bigger picture.

If this album doesn't get much radio play (and that would be radio's loss), it's because it's more varied and musically sophisticated than the stuff radio programmers are comfortable with. I'm not saying it's "experimental" or "abstract" by any means. There's just plenty of blues, jazz, classic rock, and folk rock to go around and yet there's no one song that conforms cleanly to any of those genres. He's a renaissance man who deserves to be at the front of the line along his 20-something-year-old peers.

By-the-by, this album provided the perfect soundtrack for a cross-country drive. It's a good, fun album to drive by. Good energy, strength... never over-the-top and not an ounce of whimpishness (for lack of an actual word).

For those curious, his voice is pleasantly raspy and there's always a sense of unapologetic know-how in his delivery, without the bratty psuedo-punk attitude that litters many a radio station. The concerns are always beyond that of typical late-teen angst as well (no doubt due to his having to grow up pretty fast due to his young celebrity status, which he seems to approach with a refreshing lack of arrogance). As sophisticated as he is in his lyrical style, he always gives the songs room to breathe and even indulge in good-clean-fun of the California Rock variety.

For those teetering on the brink of buying this album, I'd say it's safe to put both feet through the door. To coin a cliché, "What's not to like"?

Don't be fooled by lack of reviews
Full disclosure: I'm a 40 y/o SAHM who has been exposed to Drake Bell's music on Nick's "Drake & Josh" thanks to my 11 y/o son. Once I heard "Found A Way" off the newer album, I was hooked!

"Telegraph" was released independently in the fall of '05, and (I believe) riding the wave of attention Drake Bell is getting from being on tour w/his new album - as well as the special movie ending of the Nick show - has been rereleased w/an 07 publishing date.

Why there are two product listings for "Telegraph" on Amazon, I have no idea. But there are 60+ GLOWING reviews of this album at the original product listing. I wanted desperately to own this album after falling in love with "It's Only Time," released Dec 06. But all I found here was a handful of collectible-quality CDs priced over $100! (And I'm a sucker for liner notes) So to have the opportunity last week to preorder "Telegraph" directly from Amazon was a real treat!

Unfortunately, when I tried to spread the word of a rerelease of "Telegraph," most pp found the original product listing, which shows to be available from 3rd-party sellers only. So, I'm definitely going to send all my friends a direct link to the NEW Amazon listing for "Telegraph", because it is completely worth it to get an original recording of this album, as opposed to the 2nd or 3rd gen I've been listening to!

As an older listener, I love catching the more obscure influences Drake has obviously referenced - clearly, The Beatles has had an enormous effect on the development of his writing and playing skills. But I hear more current influences on the "Telegraph" songs: as varied as Green Day, ska/reggae, some Spanish guitar at the beginning of "Somewhere" and, believe it or not, even more mature lyrics than those that some mothers of preteens have complained about on "IOT." I could see 3-4 potential radio hits on this album, if it is given the chance.

This CD is a MUST have!!
Filled with intensity and wise beyond his 19 years, Drake Bell's lust for life nostalgic is surpassed only by his musical talents; singing, songwriting and guitar playing.
The CD kicks off with "Found a Way" the theme song to his hit television show, Drake and Josh. An upbeat pop tune that might be mistakenly dismissed solely as kiddie fodder, its appeal is multi-generational. Tucked away in this lively melody is a revelation of self-assuredness "no one cares what you give/you know you gotta live like you wanna live"
Go for it.
With "Somehow", Drake moves beyond melodic and melancholy with a haunting strength so lacking in music today. "And all that she could take/ lies at the bottom of a lake", impresses a soul stirring image of a tortured psyche wrestling with the commission of a grave transgression, from which "she fell to her knees/ screaming God please" begging for absolution.
As a spokesperson for this generation, Drake Bell has the intelligence, passion and talent to take us all back to a better time, and to move us forward with anticipation and fond memories.
Which brings me to "Golden Days".
"These are the golden days/ in this golden age that we're living", where is the video for this one?? This is a truly `golden' song, that just makes you feel warm all over... it's summer time again, and I'm cruising with the top down...
From there, Bell flows effortlessly into the brilliant Beatles homage "Down We Fall". Enough said.
I have been touched and amazed; this entire album is a reckoning for this and the next generation of musicians. There isn't a bad song on the CD.
And finally, the heart wrenching lyrics Drake belts out in "Telegraph" the CD's title track, harkens back yet again to a timeless musical era and wraps things up quite nicely.
Drake Bell is going places.
Don't miss out.