How to Save a Life

This Denver-based quartet used a grassroots campaign of their local radio station and newspaper to land a major label recording contract. Their demo of ""Over My Head (Cable Car)"" ended up being one of the most-played songs of 2004 and set the band in motion. The group's piano-based pop rock easily slots in next to adult-contemporary favorites like Five For Fighting and David Gray without missing a beat. Singer Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King write catchy songs that are earnest and upbeat in their general veneer, recalling both the heartland Americana of Counting Crows and the heart-on-sleeve emotional overload of Dashboard Confessional.