Album review: Daughtry's 'Leave This Town'

Nearly three years after Daughtry’s debut album was released and made history, the band returns to the forefront of the music world with its latest disc ‘Leave This Town.’ Produced by Howard Benson (Kelly Clarkson’s ‘All I Ever Wanted’), ‘Town’ provides fans with a perfect mix of high-powered, edgy rock with heartfelt ballads and radio-friendly mid-tempos.

Kicking off the disc with an explosive punch, Daughtry returns in full form on “You Don’t Belong,” which gives off a Hoobastank vibe and could light the active rock chart on fire if given the chance. Other up-tempo offerings found on the album are the chilling “Ghost of Me,” which features a chorus similar to the one found in “Belong,” and the formulaic yet still appealing “Supernatural.”

On “What I Meant to Say,” Chris teams up with Brian Howes and the pair produce a radio-friendly anthem that has lyrics that any man could identify with (“I know I said I’m sorry / But that’s not what I meant to say”). The song documents the emotional pain a man is receiving from his wife/girlfriend.

Although it would not seem likely that the ballads would outshine the up-tempo rock tracks here, the assortment of the former on ‘Town’ is surprisingly solid. In fact, the album’s strongest song comes in “September,” which is nothing short of beautiful. The lyrics are what really make the song what it is (“In the middle of September / We still play out in the rain / Nothing to lose but everything to gain / Reflecting now on how things could have been / It was worth it in the end”).

There are also a few tracks that are well-suited for Hot AC, like the catchy “Every Time You Turn Around” and the mid-tempo love song “Life After You.” The Chris D./Mitch Allan/Chris Tompkins collaboration “Learn My Lesson” sounds like a perfect soundtrack selection for an ‘Iron Man’-like film.

The album’s weakest track comes in the form of “Open Up Your Eyes,” which appears sixth on the track list. It is not that the song is bad per se. It’s just that the melody sounds a little off and it comes off sounding pretty bland in comparison to the other songs. Fortunately, this is the only real bumpy spot on ‘Town.’

Not to be missed is the album’s first single, “No Surprise,” as it pops up as track No. 2 and acts as a mid-tempo bridge connecting the more lively offerings “Belong” with “Turn Around.” “Surprise” includes an extended final verse that gives the song a fresh sound.

Daughtry also uses ’Town’ as a launching pad to experiment with a country sound, as the band calls on Vince Gill to provide backing vocals on the subdued southern rock track “Tennessee Line.” It turns out that Chris’ vocals blend very well with country music instrumentation, and so the genre could possibly be an avenue the band will further pursue in the future.

The band’s choice of “Call Your Name” to close out the standard version of ‘Town’ comes as no surprise, as the track’s soft opening leaves the listener longing for more, and then when the action is ratcheted up three-quarters of the way through, everything seems complete. The album ends on as active a note as it began.

Chris had a hand in writing all 12 of the tracks on ‘Town.’ This fact alone signals that this band is not just a one-album wonder, and regardless of how well ‘Leave This Town’ fares commercially, the album easily overshadows the band’s extremely successful debut. Whichever town the guys left on this album, odds are the next town they turn up in will be even better.

Leave This Town will be released on Tues., July 14, and can now be pre-ordered on Amazon and iTunes.