Review Summary: Daughtry's best album to date sees the group opt in for a more upbeat and even poppier sound. Though it pays dividends.
Daughtry is one of those bands that, while they may not necessarily be a hit or miss band, there are certainly a plethora of individuals who see them as such. That said, the band is often thrown into the monotonous pantheon of mainstream rockers that are seen as too formulaic and basic for even the simplest of minds. So a band that gets mentioned in the same breath as bands like Nickelback, Three Days Grace and Five Finger Death Punch, also has a very devoted following of fans, who have loved eponymous frontman Chris Daughtry since he auditioned for American Idol some 10 years ago. Daughtry, arguably the winningest non winner that Idol has ever seen, has since formed this eponymous rock outfit and released four studio full-lengths, the third of which, is by far the sharpest tool in the shed that is their discography.
While their self titled debut and "Leave This Town" gave you a superior yet simplistic offering of heavy hitters with massive pop appeal, "Break the Spell" sees a bit of an edgier approach this time around, and the end result benefits all involved with this band, especially Chris. He was always a talented singer, his aggressively soaring vocals leading each track. But this album shows Chris at his best and it's really a sight to behold.
I think opening track "Renegade" is an appropriate means of opening the album. Chris, who flexed his lyrical muscles for every track on the album, does a great job of bring the track to life. Some electronic noises pave the way for hard hitting riffs that in turn set the pins up for Chris to knock them back down with his raspy yet alluring voice. But if you think that song is good, wait till you come across "Crawling Back to You." Lyrically, this song certainly can be seen as a standard Daughtry special. But Chris helps to distinguish it from the melodic vibe of "Home" and "It's Not Over", as well as the introspective middle finger feeling of "You Don't Belong" and "What I Meant to Say."
Once the dust settles from the terrific one-two punch that opens the album, that's when we really sink our teeth into what Daughtry has to offer with their third outing. "Outta My Head" is another track that the average listener could easily see Chris Daughtry tackling, but it still manages to come out of left field with a surprisingly different touch to it, and we're taking into considering this album was produced by Howard Benson, who manned the producer's wheel for Daughtry's first two albums.
Ambient vocals and colorful harmonies are the true bedrock of the album, with "Start of Something Good, "We're Not Gonna Fall" and "Losing My Mind" taking Daughtry to different places with their flurry of six string riffs, up tempo pace, and of course, the roaring Chris Daughtry, who with daunting ease, balances out hoarse yells with soft croons.
It's quite obvious the band wanted to shake off the funk of their last two releases, and give new meaning to the phrase "Third time's the charm." Everything but the kitchen sink is present for what will surely hold up as Daughtry's best work to date, far superior to the record that succeeded it, "Baptized."
