Daughtry: If It Ain't Broke, Yada Yada Yada

America’s favorite poster child for not winning American Idol and still coming out ahead of the actual winner is back. Daughtry has just released a new album entitled Break the Spell and it follows the “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it” formula fans expect from the band. That’s not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.

Daughtry first burst onto the scene as a contestant on American Idol in 2006. He was one of, if not the, first contestant who had a true passion for rock. Many fans of the show remember his shocking elimination from the final four on the show. You have to YouTube the clip and just look at the expression on his face and eventual runner-up Katharine McPhee. Chris went on to almost make a joke out of the show by selling more than all of the contestants combined from that season. His debut album sold over four million copies and produced numerous hits and his follow-up Leave This Town was also a hit. He has proven that he is not a flavor of the week and that he is serious about his music career.

The band brought in Howard Benson again to produce for them. He has also produced Daughtry’s first two albums. A producer can bring a lot to the playing field for a band. A great producer will push a band and force them to think outside of the musical box. I have to admit than I am a fan of Daughtry and they have a formula that works for them. They do manage to break out of the “relationships on the brink of disaster” formula a few times on this album, but for the most part it’s sticking to that tried and true formula that sells millions for them. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, I guess it’s open for debate with both sides holding valid points, but time will truly tell.

“Renegade” kicks off the album with a big rock number. No, it’s not a cover of the Styx classic, but it definitely has an edge to it that they would be envious of. Next up is “Crawling Back to You”, which is the first video and single and textbook Daughtry. “Outta My Head” is another catchy, rocking number with a hint of Bon Jovi .
“Start of Something New” is a mid-tempo, acoustic flavored ballad that will most certainly draw comparisons to “Home”, but it’s still one of the strongest songs on the album. An artist always wants to connect with the listener and make them feel what they are singing. “Gone Too Soon” is an excellent example of one of those songs. A powerful and emotional song of a lost child and the grief the parents are going through as they think “what if”. This is one song that will definitely tug on the heart strings of the listener.

Chris dabbles a little bit in the field of falsetto on the song “Rescue Me” and pulls it off like a pro. What’s the lyrical content of this one? You guessed it, another wounded relationship song. “Spaceship” closes out the regular edition of the album; a standout track on the album about love and a romantic escape and proving that even adults who rock and roll for a living can still daydream.

I think Break the Spell is a really good album with a few standout tracks that show the band branching out. Is it a great album? Well, I am sure most diehard Daughtry fans will give a big “HELL YEAH” to that question. I just wish there was more growth or experimentation from the band, whether in lyrical content or musical direction. That is needed from any band to be able to make their career in the industry a marathon rather than a sprint.

Funeral For A Friend: Refocused and Armageddon Bound!

The Welsh quintet Funeral for a Friend is back with a new found sense of direction and a return to their roots. There has been a great deal of things going on in their camp since the release of their debut CD Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation in 2003. Several roster changes and some experimentation found fans of their debut scratching their heads. What happened to their hardcore heroes that blew them on that epic release? Although their last release Memory and Humanity showed signs of returning to form, it was not a consistent effort.

Their new CD, Welcome Home Armageddon, finds them more focused than they have been in a few years. In part, this should be attributed to Gavin Burrough switching from bass to guitar and Richard Boucher replacing Gareth Davies on bass. Combine that with a new found hunger by guitarist Kris Coombs-Roberts who seems to have found his comfort zone on this release. I think some of his best work to date can be found on here.

The CD starts out with an instrumental track entitled “This Side of Brightness” that rips directly into “Old Hymns”. It really picks up with the third track “Front Row Seats to the End of the World”, which features drummer Ryan Richard’s trademark screams. This is an added element that the band doesn’t overuse hence losing its effect.


Kris really shines on “Broken Foundation” and on the standout track “Medicated”. I am not sure who unleashed him during the recording process, but his new found comfort zone excels on this CD. It just seems like all the separate elements have come together on this release to make a very cohesive unit. Let’s not fail to mention that Richard’s drumming is some of the best that we have heard from him. His double bass attack helps to bring back that aggressive edge that has been lacking in the band.

The band still does mix it up a bit on here, but at least this time it seems genuine and it flows much better than in the past few releases. Aggression, lyrically and in musicianship, plus emotion equals a return to sound for the guys. Longtime fans will welcome this and maybe some lost fans will actually jump back on board. Let’s hope this new found unity transcends into their live show. That will be the true test for these guys. Here’s to the next chapter in their hardcore saga.