Bland Nickelback-esque rock
Chris Daughtry was a runner-up in last year's American Idol and let's face it, talent competitions haven't brought us much real talent. Chris's redeeming factor has been that he's fashioned himself as a good old rocker and managed to reach number 1 in the US Billboard Charts; this could be because his music smacks of radio friendly generic rock more than an indication of any true skill or originality.
Daughtry's press release states that the singer wrote 10 out of 12 tracks on this new album, as if this is some badge of honour in an age, in the world of pop perhaps, but the majority of respected rock artists write their own music and wouldn't even need this fact pointed out.
There are mid-tempo numbers with glistening guitars and repentant words about mistakes in love ('Over You'), aching grunge-mimicking tunes with more than a passing resemblance to Nickelback's impassioned vocal melodies and centrefield rock and moaning ballads ('Tonight').
Daughtry pulls out all the stops on the vicious, 'What I Want' which even manages to boast Slash on guitar, it's all too tempting to cynically add that it's amazing what the scent of success will do, and it's clear from the American Idol days that Chris Daughtry would be successful, but as a viable rock artists he's still about as likely to catch on as G n'R new album is to hit the shelves anytime soon. In 'There And Back Again' Daughtry manages to rock without any celebrity intervention with squealing guitars and grinding bass, there are even some hints of Chris Cornell in the more melodic works like, 'All These Lines', although it's usually this aping that's the most irritating quality in Daughtry's music.
Still, I suppose we should all be thanking Daughtry as he'll inevitably bring rock back to the charts, freeing our radio waves from insipid indie and hip-hop, perhaps one day Daughtry will grow to develop his own style, but if you like music that sounds like Nickelback, you're more likely to buy Nickelback's back catalogue than shell out on Daughtry's debut.