Success of Daughtry's Sophomore Album 'No Surprise'
Douglas
Boultinghouse
Arts & Entertainment Editor
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| Photo by Douglas Boultinghouse |
| Leave This Town - Chris Daughtry performs with his band at Minglewood Hall in Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 12. The band launched a club tour to support the album before the arena tour kicks off in October. |
Rock band Daughtry knows how to create a masterpiece. While many artists fall into a “sophomore slump,” this band formed a set of songs so cohesively haunting and peaceful, it blows the first album out of the water.
“Leave This Town,” the follow-up to the multi-platinum self-titled debut, stands as one of few albums of this decade that sounds like a solid album from the first track to the last. The tracks blend together, but each stand out.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and continues to hold steady in the top 20, giving the group a second No. 1 album.
The album opens with a bang. “You Don’t Belong” almost jumps at you with its chorus, one the band shake walls with on tour.
“No / You don't belong to me / I think you lied to me / And with my back against this wall, its hard to be strong / You'd tell me anything / Look what you've done to me / And still I tell myself that tomorrow you'll be long gone,” Chris Daughtry, the lead singer, wails.
The song leads right into “No Surprise,” the band’s sixth top five hit.
“It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow / I can't believe that I stayed till today / Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow / But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise,” the infectious chorus goes.
Another rocker, “Every Time You Turn Around,” follows and makes way for “Life After You,” one of the best songs on the album.
The song features a meaningful melody, but the hook grabs you and does not let loose.
Daughtry sings, “All that I'm after is a life full of laughter / As long as I'm laughing with you / I'm thinking that all that still matters is love ever after / After the life we've been through / 'Cause there's no life after you.”
In the same vein as the opener, “What I Meant to Say,” packs a punch, but its follower, “Open Up Your Eyes,” brings out the gut-wrenching emotion that sends chills throughout your body.
The opening lines set a scenario that builds into the eye-opening chorus, “For the first time you can open your eyes / And see the world without your sorrow / Where no one knows the pain you left behind / And all the peace you could never find / Is waiting there to hold and keep you / Welcome to the first day of your life / Just open up your eyes.”
Keeping things calm, “September,” slides into place.
“All the things I still remember / Summers never looked the same / Years go by and time just seems to fly / But the memories remain / In the middle of September / We still play out in the rain / Nothing to lose but everything to gain / Reflecting now how things could've been / It was worth it in the end,” he sings with a set of guitars backing him, almost acoustically.
The same style returns at the end of the album.
On “Tennessee Line,” legendary vocalist and country music artist, Vince Gill, sings background vocals. The pairing comes out of nowhere, but Daughtry and Gill’s voices complement each other nicely.
Daughtry sings, “On my way to L.A. looking into the rear-view as the roads fade away / I've sworn off my past, first to last bad call that I ever made / Tell me how to make right every wrong turn that I've learned? / So this can all end tonight / Tennessee line just changed my mind / Well it's my heart I'll follow this time,” as Gill harmonizes behind him.
The song ends with a violin series that unites country and alternative rock seamlessly.
One word describes the closing track, “Call Your Name.” Intense.
Daughtry’s vocals combined with the haunting lyrics create a striking way to end the album.
“When you fall apart, am I the reason for your endless sorrow? / There's so much to be said / With a broken heart, your walls can only go down but so low / But can you hear me when I call your name? / When I call your name,” he sings as the song explodes into a guitar solo.
Other tracks on the album include “Ghost of Me,” “Learn My Lesson” and “Supernatural.”
The album also features seven bonus tracks, which can be purchased from various locations. Those include “What We Have Become,” “On the Inside,” “Get Me Through,” “One Last Chance,” “Long Way,” “Back Again” and the chilling track “Traffic Light.”
Daughtry’s official Web site explains how to locate each track.
In support of the album, the band plans to launch a 36-city tour in the fall with Theory of a Deadman and Cavo as opening acts. The tour will make two stops in Arkansas, one in Jonesboro Dec. 16 and one in Little Rock Dec. 18.
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