Daughtry Album: “Daughtry”

For Chris Daughtry, finishing in fourth place in American Idol 2006 may have been the second biggest break (the first being making it on American Idol) of the young rocker's career. Had he gone on to win Idol (as he rightfully should have in my opinion), I believe we all would have been cheated in a way, and received a watered-down, corporate-friendly debut album.

When given the opportunity to join an already well-established band in Fuel upon his exit from the American Idol stage, Chris turned down the offer to the surprise of many. He instead wanted to return home to think about his career, and which of the many available paths he wanted to choose. He gathered up members of his previous band, labeled the group with the Bon Jovi like name of "Daughtry" and went into the studio to record what would be his major label debut.

With extremely high expectations set forth before him, Chris Daughtry delivered on just about every level possible. With his debut CD, the appropriately self-titled "Daughtry," Chris is able to captivate audiences of all types, ranging from the American Idol fans who supported him throughout his run on the show, to alternative rock crowds looking for a new artist to bring rock back to the forefront of the music industry.

Daughtry's first single "It's Not Over," went on to score number one's in multiple formats, and the second single "Home" is following sharply in its footsteps. From power rock songs like "What I Want" and "There and Back Again," to emotional ballads like "Home" and "What About Now," this CD truly has it all for just about anyone who is a fan of rock/pop music. Other standouts include the Mitch Allan (SR-71)penned song "All These Lives" (an emotional song about growing up in a broken home) and the power pop/rock song "Over You" (a song about finally coming to terms with the end of a relationship and realizing you are better off without that person).

Chris Daughtry is ready to pave his way to rock and roll stardom, and this debut is a must have for anyone who still believes that the sound of rock will never die, even when it has been pushed into a corner by just about every other musical genre out there. Here's to you Chris Daughtry, and in regards to your career, "It's Not Over" my friend, it has only just begun.

Personally, I've been a fan of Chris since he did his first audition on American Idol. His distinct voice that is rough, yet at the same time smooth, captivated me the moment he opened his mouth.

I really wanted Chris to win American Idol and was really hurt when he got voted off. But, I think it's really great that he still has an album out and he did it without a record deal with Americal Idol, showing that he can hold his own. And, if you look at it, most of the AI winners lost popularity after their first album (excluding Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood). So, by doing his very OWN album, it insures that he won't go out of business with fans for a long while now. Sorry Taylor fans, that's just the way life is.

Now, as for the CD, this truly represents Chris in every way. He wanted to do a rock CD, and he got it. So, from the lists of songs, here they are and my rating:

1. "It's Not Over" - His first track on the album and it starts off with a blast. As soon as I listened to this, I knew this would be one of my all-time favorite CDs. Definitely for rock fans! 5/5

2. "Used To" - Though the subject is a bit sad, the song definitely isn't! It's got that rock tune to it that makes you want to move after the first :30 sec. Another good rock song. 4/5

3. "Home" - A little bit of a softer song that shows Chris's more gentle side. It's a really warming song, though! I, though, am a big rock fan so this doesn't get me as much, but I still love it. 3/5

4. "Over You" - This song really motivates you to try hard after your heart has been broken. Makes you feel like you've got something important to say to those who don't understand you after you've been hurt. Another rock song! 5/5

5. "Crashed" - I REALLY like this song. The point of the song makes me feel great knowing that there's someone out there that won't let me down. Not to many parts I don't love. Enough said!!! 5/5

6. "Feels Like Tonight" - This song is about how he's been making many mistakes in his life, but now decides to make it up to the person he loves, realizing that he really does love her. Well, that's what I think when I listen to this song. It's really great. 4/5

7. "What I Want" (ft. Slash) - THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM!!!! For all of those rock fans out there, this is the song for you!!! I can't say it enough. And, though this is a heavy rock song, it has a great subject about it and not one of those "gonna-kill-you-for-what-you-did-to-me!!" songs. One of my most favorite songs of all time! 1000/5

8. "Breakdown" - Another great song (are there any that aren't? Nope!). It's a bit soft at first, but gets really good during the second chorus and on. 5/5

9. "Gone" - In my opinion, sounds like a western song at the beginning, but that's OK. I like this song as much as the others. 4/5

10. "There And Back Again" - THE SECOND BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM!! Another song that's hard-core rock. Almost reaches the principles of "What I Want", but not completely. Great song! 100/5

11. "All These Lives" - I didn't like this song that much at first, but now it's really grown on me . . . that took about 2 days for that to happen, so you'll probably like it, too, if you like rock (there are no songs that don't have a rock piece to them). A sad song in ways, but really good. 4/5

12. "What About Now" - *Sniff* The last song on the album! And a great song that is heartwarming down to the core. It always leaves me on a happy note for the end of the CD. 4/5

Well, that's it! Hope you enjoy this as much as I have and still do! You definitely won't regret it.

A good combination of rock and ballads. A really great first effort for a guy who should have won the Idol show. Hope he's around for a long time.

This is a great CD---pure rock, no expletives. There is only 1 track I'm have no enthusiasm for, but the rest of it is great.Would definitely recommend to others. Chris definitely was robbed of the American Idol title, but he's on the way to a great career.

Having been fortunate enough to miss the over-hype of American Idol, my own expectations for this album came largely from what I had read, and I was perhaps expecting a little too much.

Having had Chris talked up to be some form of Rock God, I found the Daughtry album to be comparatively mellow (comparative to my own expectations, that is).

It's interesting, though, as I listen to the album, that I find myself thinking, "That sounds a bit like Poison .. that sounds a bit like Skid Row .. that sounds a bit like Tool .." and so on. There doesn't seem to me to be more than one or two songs that really set this group strongly apart from any other.

Having said all of that, I think this is a great album, and it will no doubt remain in my car stereo for at least another month.

My favorite song has got to be "There and Back Again" .. it starts off sounding like Tool but then miraculously forces me to forget about that as it spins off in it's own direction - it's definitely more like I was expecting from this album, and Chris has a powerful voice for carrying off such a strong rock song. I hope the next album brings with it more like this.