ALBUM REVIEW: Cage to Rattle – Daughtry
Since his performance on American Idol in the mid-2000s, Chris Daughtry has become somewhat of a household name. During his time on the popular reality show he was painted as a young rocker with a backlog of influences throughout rock history. This is certainly apparent in their new upcoming album Cage To Rattle.
The initial track, Heaven sets the expectations of the record as soon as the song kicks in with traditional DAUGHTRY style. Minor key piano accompanied with the haunting voice of Mr Chris Daughtry himself. A short catchy verse before jumping into the repetitive but captivating chorus after which the simplistic drum beat joins for the second verse and remainder of the song. The result of which is clear, the music once more is focused around the talented vocal range rather than creating complex melodies, which makes it certainly relaxing to listen to.
A somewhat surprising turn of events once the second track, Backbone starts with a bluesy kick beat which could be clapped along to. This difference in music doesn’t last too long as it jumps straight into another towering chorus which is the clear cut focus of the song. The mixture of styles between the verse and the chorus is inherently pleasant and this song, in contrast to the first is definitely carried by the backing; the ascending vocals in the distance and catchy kick drum make it feel like a song that you could walk in beat to.
The album itself as aforementioned is representative of DAUGHTRY in their typical conventions and whilst they have tried a few different techniques it’s overshadowed by their trademark choruses which are cheesy and fun. The simplistic lyrics to the songs don’t show a lot of creative intent but the power of the vocal range adds a new level of expertise and understanding that good music doesn’t need to be complex.
The bluesy feeling and influence returns in the stand out track on the album, Back In Time, which almost demonstrates conventions from Stevie Wonder. Much like the rest of the album this track revolves around a ridiculously fetching chorus making it a very memorable song indeed. Chris Daughtry demonstrates his incredibly powerful vocal range in the closing moments on the album, specifically in the songs Gravity and White Flag.
The lyricism in the closing track White Flag was particularly interesting, taking the musical influential style of SHINEDOWN which Chris Daughtry has demonstrated he is a fan of in the past (performing their song I Dare You back on American Idol). The words in this song seem to address the criticism that he has faced in the past, pushing the moral of “never give up” on his listeners.
Whilst not inherently a bad album by any means, Cage To Rattle lacks creativity and invention. Capturing the traditional tones of what DAUGHTRY are expected of, it’s exactly what comes to mind when thinking of the band. Catering to the masses with soaring lyrics that are easy to pick up and sing along to before the first listen of any track is over. The overall feeling of this album is tricky to pin down until you realise the clear creative influences from 80s rock music as the majority of the songs would easily fit into the lyrical style of a band such as BON JOVI.
DAUGHTRY have played to their strengths in this album which is certainly a pleasure to listen to and is sure to be popular across the board, maybe not just with current fans.
Rating: 7/10
Cage To Rattle is out now via RCA Records.
Like DAUGHTRY On Facebook.