Daughtry: Daughtry (2006) Review

TV talent shows like American Idol create an interesting fame paradox.

Starry-eyed contestants are placed in front of millions of viewers on primetime USA and promised a successful recording career, but it rarely goes to plan.

For the vast majority of contestants – even those who win the show – they will find it impossible to sustain the level of fame which they held while competing on the show itself, and the moment the current season finishes they are thrown away and replaced with a fresh batch of hopefuls.

Chris Daughtry could be the exception to this rule.

It’s Not Over

This North Carolina frontman was widely expected to win the fifth season of the show, but for some reason he finished in fourth place.

The dream could’ve ended right there, but thankfully it didn’t.

Instead, Daughtry’s phone started blowing up.

Post-grunge outfit Fuel – a band whom he’d been a fan of for many years – offered him the chance to become their new singer, but after weighing up his options he decided to take up American Idol’s promise of a solo deal with RCA Records.

He then used the label’s connections to assemble a top tier group of studio musicians (including former Guns N’ Roses drummer Josh Freese and future Bon Jovi axeman Phil X), and got to work on what would eventually become the fastest-selling debut album in rock history.

Nope, that’s not a typo.

Being The Exception

Moody lead single It’s Not Over captures the essence of what Chris Daughtry is all about.

It’s catchy, it’s dark, and – thanks to Josh Freese’s thunderous drums and Phil X’s pummeling guitars – it’s signiticantly heavier than anyone expected it to be.

It’s no bad thing that several other tracks use a similar musical template.

These include the delightfully heavy duo of Crashed and Gone, the slow-burning Breakdown (complete with a chorus that’s capable of soundtracking even the baddest of bad days), and crunching hit-single-in-waiting What I Want, which features a guest appearance from legendary axeman Slash.

Speaking of Slash, the top-hatted guitar legend was said to be impressed with Daughtry’s pipes.

We’re left to ponder what might’ve been had the frontman’s big break occurred just a couple of years earlier, when the ex-GN’R unit (Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum) were searching for a vocalist, eventually handing the gig to former Stone Temple Pilots leader Scott Weiland for the short-lived but much-loved Velvet Revolver.

” I grew up listening to GN’R, Skid Row, Alice In Chains, Bush, and Soundgarden.

I enjoy modern rock music too, but there’s just something super special about those nineties bands, you know?

Having the opportunity to have Slash appear on one of my songs was fucking wild. Honestly, starstruck doesn’t even describe it! I didn’t know what to do when he came to the studio. I think I just sat outside like an excited little kid, listening to him cut his solo (laughs).

He was like, “So is this okay for you?” and I must’ve looked like a weirdo with really big eyes, I was like, “Hey if you think it’s cool then it’s cool!”

It was a fucking unbelievable experience.”

– Chris Daughtry

” I grew up listening to GN’R, Skid Row, Alice In Chains, Bush, and Soundgarden.

I enjoy modern rock music too, but there’s just something super special about those nineties bands, you know?

Having the opportunity to have Slash appear on one of my songs was fucking wild.

Honestly, starstruck doesn’t even describe it!

I didn’t know what to do when he came to the studio. I think I just sat outside like an excited little kid, listening to him cut his solo (laughs).

He was like, “So is this okay for you?” and I must’ve looked like a weirdo with really big eyes, I was like, “Hey if you think it’s cool then it’s cool!”

It was a fucking unbelievable experience.”

– Chris Daughtry

Substance Over Style

Daughtry’s self-titled debut album is a fine piece of work.

It’s a collection of songs which hint that there are levels to the frontman’s talents which weren’t fully explored by Simon Cowell and co.

His desire to prove himself as “more than just a TV singer” provides the record with an audible sense of grit, and his heartfelt, gut-wrenching vocal delivery makes him altogether more relatable than bland rock contemporaries like Staind, Shinedown, and Chevelle.

He also appears to possess a Bon Jovi-like talent for penning memorable tunes, which should open up all kinds of doors in terms of audience appeal.

By sprinkling in a handful of syrup-stained ballands to appease the large following he garnered on TV, Daughtry attempts to straddle the line between where he wants to be as a legitimate rock artist and where he is right now as an American Idol alumni.

And yet, despite serving a very deliberate purpose, the majority of these ballads are still fine pieces of work in their own right.

For proof you need look no further than the splendid Home, Over You, and What About Now.

” I read an article where a critic dismissed us, like, “Oh, they’re just as annoying as Nickelback”, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I know he meant it as a sort of snarky insult, but I took that as a compliment. I mean, Nickelback’s sold something like 5 million records! That gives me hope and confidence that maybe there’s a future where I get to continue doing this crazy thing which I love doing for a living!”

– Chris Daughtry

” I read an article where a critic dismissed us, like:

“Oh, they’re just as annoying as Nickelback!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I know he meant it as a sort of snarky insult, but I took it as a compliment.

I mean, Nickelback’s sold something like 5 million records! That gives me hope and confidence that maybe there’s a future where I get to continue doing this crazy thing which I love doing for a living!”

– Chris Daughtry

The Birth Of A Band

While initially intended to be a Chris Daughtry solo project, shortly after dropping the first single the singer-songwriter asked RCA for permission to recruit a permanent line-up.

He then made the call to operate as a collective unit moving forward.

The new band from left to right (pic above): Joey Barnes (drums), Josh Paul (bass), Chris Daughtry (vocals), Jeremy Brady (guitar – almost insantly replaced by Brian Craddock, who is not shown here) and Josh Steely (guitar).

Wanting to make the most of his exposure on television, RCA insisted that the band be called DAUGHTRY (yep, all caps!), and then gave the go-ahead for all future releases to be collaborative efforts which would feature musical contributions from all five members of the project.

That will come into full effect from their next release, and it’ll be interesting to see how the musical influences of the new members impacts the overall sound.

However, such is the promise shown by Chris Daughtry this time out, one must hope that he retains an influential role in the creative process.

Daughtry: Self-Titled

This is a great album from start to finish..

The American Idol alumni already has a clearly identifiable vocal style, and a canny knack for penning the type of instantly-hummable rock songs which seem to have been missing from our radios in recent years.

It’s no surprise to us that a whopping seven of the record’s twelve songs went on to become hit singles, and that two of those in particular – It’s Not Over and Home – were able to do some serious damage in the charts by reaching #4 and #5 on the coveted US Billboard Hot 100.