REFRAIN MUSIC

Daughtry - Break The Spell

Five years ago we were all introduced to Chris Daughtry via American Idol, we were all shocked when he was evicted from the idol island way too soon, but soon were thankful that he was because then he could make the music he was meant to make not influenced by the ‘pop’ machine. He then released one of the biggest selling debut albums of all time, and now is back with his band ‘Daughtry’ with the release of their third studio album titled ‘Break The Spell’.

This album is a lot like the previous two albums that have both been commercially successful for Daughtry, tightroping between pop and hard rock, all the while feeling perfectly at home to the listener in either grouping.

This album starts a bit on the hard rock side of Daughtry with the rock single ‘Renegade,’ an up-tempo rocker that gets that fired up and ready for the rest of this record. As usual with a Daughtry album the songs run the rails with variety, with a well thought out plan of a little of something to satisfy every palate.

The pop single ‘Crawling Back to You,’ already a smash hit, picks up the gauntlet of previous Daughtry hits like ‘Home’, and ‘What About Now’ that everyone knows most of the words too, get heavy rotation on the radio, and most have sung at least a dozen times at the top of their lungs in the car while driving. A song that stuck out for me in a very ‘Summer of 69’ style sound was “Louder Than Ever” which I could picture driving alone with the top down, screaming out in the wind. This album covers everything lyrically, from memories, lost love, love to be found, and running away and coming back.

The album even has it’s heavy moments, with the thought provoking ‘Lullaby’, and the heavy hearted song written about the loss of an unborn child and it being ‘Gone Too Soon’. Two wildly opposing set of lyrics but that somehow connect in an odd way, a way that shows how the band is growing and touching on things they may not have ventured into earlier in their career.

I noted back when they released their debut album that it was the best true ‘rock’ album I’d heard in years, and they haven’t strayed away from that feeling, its a solid album with a great flow of speed and tempo, fun and thought provoking lyrics. I highly recommend getting the “deluxe” addition that have the aforementioned ‘Lullaby’ and three more great songs in ‘Who’s They’, ‘Maybe We’re Already Gone’, and ‘Everything But Me’.

Some would say it’s a formulaic Daughtry album, but Daughtry do change it up on this album and it does see the band expanding itself and flexing it’s writing muscles in ways we’ve not seen before. Daughtry have been one of the shining moments in rock music for me over the last few years and I believe they will have yet another hugely successful outing with ‘Break the Spell.’…definitely recommended! Until next time…!

01. Renegade
02. Crawling Back to You
03. Outta My Head
04. Start of Something Good
05. Crazy
06. Break The Spell
07. We’re Not Gonna Fall
08. Gone Too Soon
09. Losing My Mind
10. Rescue Me
11. Louder Than Ever
12. Spaceship

Bonus Tracks:
13. Who’s They
14. Maybe We’re Already Gone
15. Everything But Me
16. Lullaby

4.5 / 5