Alright, so if you, yes you, the reader, didn't know already, I'm a HUGE Daughtry fan. Therefore, I feel it's only appropriate that I review his album from 2009,
Leave This Town. A little background on the album: Daughtry stated that this was the first album they really recorded as a band, because the first album was simply session musicians. Furthermore, various musicians (Chad Kroeger from Nickelback, for instance) helped Chris write these songs. Anyhow, onto the reviewing.
1. You Don't Belong-this song is probably the heaviest song on the CD. Daughtry croons through the verses and soars into high screams and melody during the chorus, belting out his touching lyrics about a girl who broke his heart and how he doesn't want her anymore, but she's got his back against the wall ("with my back against this wall, it's hard to be strong..."). Good solid Daughtry song, I rate it 9/10.
2. No Surprise-this was written alongside Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, and it shows. Beginning with a melodic echoey intro, it is more of a ballad than a rocking song. That being said however, Daughtry stuns us again with his astounding vocal range, reaching an incredible A#5 (that's translated to really bloody high for you laymen out there). The chorus will stick in your head for ages, and the lyrics go straight to the heart. 9/10.
3. Every Time You Turn Around-whoa there, Daughtry drummer, you can do double bass? That's right, this rocker starts off with a simple but fun double kick pattern, which quickly launches into Daughtry's "whoo-hoo"-ing. This song has more of an upbeat tone to it, with the lyrics being about going back to fulfill a promise ("I know you're standing there, waiting for me to take it on back down the other road, baby. Well, I won't let you down."). Nice heavy and melodic number that will stick with you for a while. 9/10.
4. Life After You-the first radio hit off the album, and for good reason. This song's lyrics are touching, talking about going back and trying to get someone back after you did something stupid. The orchestral arrangements, wait, WHAT?! Yes, Daughtry has gone and done it again, putting amazing orchestral arrangements into his songs, which makes it that much more amazing. Yet another catchy chorus stays in the listener's head for ages, but it's well worth it. 10/10.
5. What I Meant To Say-there's something about this song that's different, and I like it. The lyrics are about apologizing when you shouldn't ("I know I said I'm sorry, but that's not what I meant to say."), and Daughtry soars into his beautiful vocal lines, pumping all the emotion he can muster into his lyrics. The guitars are heavily distorted in some places, whereas in the verses they are less so, to good effect. A bit repetitive though, and that's why I'll give this song 8/10.
6. Open Up Your Eyes-this is probably the most touching song on the CD. A slow ballad, this song talks about a woman whose husband passes, leaving her all alone. When she dies, she meets him again and she's happy once more. The keyboards are enough to make a grown man cry, and Daughtry meets and exceeds all expectations once more with his god-like vocal chords. The guitars range from acoustic to clean electric to medium distortion guitars, making this song beautifully put together. 10/10.
7. September-fading in from the previous song, the acoustic guitars and Daughtry's soft crooning of his lyrics draws the listener in from the start. The lyrics are about looking back at the past and seeing how good things really were. The guitars, no matter how simplistic, really shine here, as do Daughtry's vocals. This was another good choice for a radio hit. 9/10.
8. Ghost of Me-Daughtry once again wows us with his astonishing vocal range with this little gem. The lyrics talk about never looking back at what you did wrong in a relationship. The guitars have a nice crunch to them, and the riffing is quite memorable. It is a little short and repetitive though, so I'll give it a 7/10.
9. Learn My Lesson-this song is probably the saddest song on the album, with Daughtry softly singing, "tonight, the sunset means so much. It's the one thing that I know you'll never touch," the lyrics talking about a scorned lover afraid to love again. The guitars are mainly softly distorted, which works nicely, and complements the piano. I'll give this song a 8/10.
10. Supernatural-this song is different, in a good way. It starts off with Daughtry singing behind a delayed guitar riff, which makes the song sound a bit overly poppy, but he makes up for it, quickly storming into the verse, singing about a girl who's more than he could ever have guessed. The guitars are nicely distorted, and there is a good little guitar solo in there. 9/10.
11. Tennessee Line-one of my favorite songs on the CD. Another slow song, this song straddles the line between country and rock, without being too much on either side. Daughtry is joined by country star Vince Gill on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Daughtry sings his heartfelt lyrics about trying and failing to run away from your problems. The drums add a nice touch, with the drummer using brushes to not cloud the acoustic guitars too much. At the end, there is a nice, simple orchestral break. 10/10, easily.
12. Call Your Name-while I originally didn't like how this album ended (on a soft note), it turned out to be a wise decision on Daughtry's part. This song is very touching, with the piano complementing the acoustic guitars and Daughtry's heartwrenching vocal delivery well. After about 2 or so minutes of this, they bring out the heavier side, with the guitarist playing a solo behind Daughtry's crooning and the rhythm guitars. I especially like how Daughtry changes key at the very end on a dime. Good ender, 8.5/10.
TL, DR;
Leave This Town is a fantastic album with amazing lyrics and vocals, among everything else. Definitely worth checking out.
DAUGHTRY!
