Nearly three years after the band's debut, Daughtry returns today with its sophomore effort Leave This Town. The album, which was produced by Howard Benson, features songs including "September," "You Don't Belong" and its first single, "No Surprise."
Also releasing today on iTunes only is Brooke White's High Hopes & Heartbreak, which will be available everywhere on Tues., July 21. As part of the special one-week offer, fans can also download the music video for Brooke's new single "Radio Radio."
Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below: 
Albums
Daughtry, Leave This Town
Amazon.com - ($9.99) - Buy
Amazon MP3 - ($9.99 deluxe) - Buy
Best Buy - ($9.99) - Buy
Buy - ($10.98) - Buy
CD Universe - ($14.80) - Buy
DaughtryOfficial.com - ($19.99 deluxe fan pack edition) - Buy
iTunes - ($9.99 standard, $12.99 deluxe) - Buy: standard, deluxe
Sears - ($12.59) - Buy
Target - ($9.99 standard, $13.98 deluxe) - Buy: standard, deluxe
Walmart - ($11.86 standard, $13.88 deluxe) - Buy: standard, deluxe
Brooke White, High Hopes & Heartbreak
iTunes - ($7.99) - Buy
Music Videos
Brooke White, "Radio Radio"
iTunes - (Free) - Buy
The abundance of exclusive material available on the different retail editions of Leave This Town is astounding, as there is no shortage of bonus tracks or music videos to go around. The full list is as follows:
DaughtryOfficial.com: Two bonus tracks ("Long Way" and "One Last Chance"), 11"x17" exclusive double-sided poster
iTunes: Three bonus tracks ("What Have We Become," "Still You On the Inside," "Traffic Light" [pre-order only]), "No Surprise" music video
Target: DVD with six music videos ("It's Not Over," "Home," "Over You," "Feels Like Tonight," "What About Now," "No Surprise")
Walmart: Bonus download of "Get Me Through"
Showing posts with label howard benson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label howard benson. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Out today: Daughtry's 'Leave This Town'
Saturday, July 11, 2009
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.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Album review: Kelly's 'All I Ever Wanted'
.gif)
After hitting a few speed bumps on the road to consistent success, dependable pop/rock maven Kelly Clarkson bombards fans with her much-anticipated fourth studio album, ‘All I Ever Wanted.’ Clarkson calls on big named songwriters and proven producers including Howard Benson to assist her in convincing audiences the album is worth listening to, trading in artistic experiments for guaranteed pop hits.
Leading off the disc is the super sugary and ultra radio-friendly #1 hit single “My Life Would Suck Without You.” The same team that was responsible for her most memorable hit, “Since U Been Gone,” Max Martin and Dr. Luke, offers up its talents with the highest-quality dance/pop production possible on the track. Although it is a great way to begin ‘Wanted,’ it’s not nearly its strongest track.
Other current sounding songs with similar Katy Perry dance elements include the Ryan Tedder-produced and co-penned “If I Can’t Have You,” which could be confused with a Miley Cyrus song thanks to juvenile lyrics if it weren’t for Clarkson’s distinct vocals, while another Tedder track, “Impossible,” is stylized and produced to soda pop perfection complete with synths and a big classic Clarkson bridge.
The comparisons to Perry’s work found on ‘Wanted’ are made easier by the inclusion of two former demos recorded by radio’s newest sensation, which she helped pen with the likes of Glen Ballard and ‘Idol’ judge Kara DioGuardi among others. Clarksons’s takes on the two tracks, “I Do Not Hook Up” and “Long Shot” are certified earworms. “Hook Up,“ the album’s second single, has an anthemic vibe that carries positive connotations, while the stronger “Long Shot” features a crazy, catchy chorus and staccato verses that add intensity to the album.
One thing that can’t be denied about ‘Wanted’ is the idea that it’s a combination of elements from Clarkson’s three previous albums, which makes it her most diverse one stylistically speaking by a large margin. The album that seems to be drawn on the most here is ‘Breakaway’ for obvious reasons, as songs like the hit-in-waiting “Don’t Let Me Stop You” beckons back to “Behind These Hazel Eyes” and “Save You” sounds like it would fit right in on her most commercial album to date.
Just as there are oodles of dance-pop hits on the album, there are just as many rock tracks a la ‘My December.’ Title track “All I Ever Wanted” (Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Dameon Aranda) is among the catchiest offerings while maintaining instrumentation with heavy bass, guitar chords and earthy vocals per Clarkson. The grungy “Whyyawannabringmedown,” also written by Aranda, is the most intense song on ‘Wanted’ and helps show off Clarkson’s personality. Other ‘My December’-esque tracks are the bluesy “Ready” and the dreamy, throwback-sounding “I Want You,” both of which Clarkson had a hand in writing.
The strongest track on ‘Wanted’ is without a doubt the power ballad “Cry,” which is where Clarkson is able to show off her range and fuse it with a beautiful arrangement. Clarkson herself described the song as being “the most personal song on the album,” and a few country elements included in the instrumentation give it a raw and gritty feeling at the same time. “Already Gone,” the album’s second-strongest offering, sounds like an updated “Nothing Compares 2 U” complete with haunting, echoing vocals. Although it is often compared to another Tedder-produced track (Beyoncé’s “Halo”), the song is original enough to stand on its own as a musical and lyrical achievement.
Clarkson chooses to finish off ‘Wanted’ with the Keri Noble cover of “If No One Will Listen,” which is the most ‘Thankful’-like option. Although it is a nice ballad in its own right, it feels a bit out of place here, especially as a closing track.
Among the three bonus tracks available on the deluxe edition are yet another Tedder/Clarkson collaboration, “Tip of My Tongue,” which sounds like something that could be heard as part of a high school dance club‘s act, and “The Day We Fell Apart,” a more ratcheted and rocked up “I Do Not Hook Up.” Either track could have easily been swapped with two tracks on the original album and they would have fit relatively well.
Even though ‘All I Ever Wanted’ is far from measuring up to Clarkson’s most artistic album (’My December’), it is on par with ‘Breakaway’ in terms of balancing commercial appeal with personal influence from Clarkson herself. Whether or not the album measures up to the success of the aforementioned disc, Kelly Clarkson is surely back in the game and is ready to redeem her throne atop the pop music kingdom.
Buy on iTunes and Amazon.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Daughtry writes song with Richard Marx, Chad Kroeger
According to Richard Marx's latest blog entry, he just wrapped up writing with Chris Daughtry and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger:
Richard just returned home from 10 days of writing with several artists. In Nashville, with newly signed acts Jason Jones, The Coppolas and Meghan Kabir, along with current chart climber, Chuck Wicks and superstar, Gary Allan. Then Richard flew to Vancouver where he co-wrote a song with Chris Daughtry and Chad Kroeger. He heads back to Nashville next week to write with Jessica Andrews, who's recording her Lyric Street records debut, and new artists Kree Harrison and Shanna Crooks. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
No word yet on whether or not the song will appear on Daughtry's upcoming album, never mind what its title is. The band's next album is tentatively set for a summer release.
Some track possibilities include the following:
"What I Meant to Say" (Chris Daughtry, Brian John Howes)
"Open Your Eyes" (C. Daughtry, David Hodges, Ben Moody)
"One Last Chance" (Mitch Allan, C. Daughtry, D. Hodges)
In an interview with Simon 98.7, the band's drummer, Joey Barnes, revealed more information on the release, saying they will record the second half of the album in Los Angeles and will choose 11-12 songs from a total of 20 or so recorded. He also said the band will headline their own tour this year to promote the album.
Howard Benson (Kelly Clarkson) will produce the album.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
