Daughtry keeps style, including tired theme of jilted romance

It’s time for the latest installment of Daughtry’s relationship drama. Break The Spell

Daughtry

Recordings Ltd.

B

Rocks Like: Lifehouse, Hinder

It’s time for the latest installment of Daughtry’s relationship drama.

Five years after its first self-titled album, American rock band Daughtry has released Break The Spell. The group’s third album combines a harder rock sound with the classic Daughtry music that fans know and love.

As always, Daughtry focuses on the pains and pleasures of relationships. It’s a nice throwback for fans, but overall it’s boring. How many times can we listen to songs about failed relationships?

Fortunately, not every track does this. The album kicks off with a high-energy song titled “Renegade,” featuring lyrics like, “Can you hear the sound of the turnin’ wheels / Burnin’ the road like it’s never been done / I’m breakin’ out of this town like a renegade / So baby, get ready to run.”

A gritty guitar drives the song, keeping the pace up and adding a level of fun that will probably make it shine at live performances.

Immediately after this, the song “Crawling Back To You” highlights the band’s continued fascination with songs about relationships on the brink. On this track, Daughtry sings about a man begging a woman to take him back. It sounds less like “gritty” rock and more like a typical Daughtry song, with softer lyrics and a sing-a-long tempo and chorus.

But lead singer Chris Daughtry adds a layer of interest when he experiments with his vocals in this album. He hits higher notes during songs like “Losing My Mind” than he had in the past and begins to demonstrate a softer, more emotional side of himself.

This more emotional side to Daughtry can be seen on one track in particular. The deluxe edition of the album features an acoustic song called “Lullaby.” The chorus goes, “I can’t wait to see your faces / And I can’t wait to hold your hands / When you get here, it’s off to the races / And we’ll tackle all life’s demands / But until I do / Yeah, until I do / I’ll be right here singing for you.” It’s a soft, emotional track, with the singer addressing the children of the future. It stands out as unique and incredibly heartfelt on an album primarily about falling in and out of love.

Overall, this album expands upon the band’s music without alienating its fans. It’s a fantastic demonstration of how a band’s sound can grow and develop over time, even if the primary topic remains a bit too repetitive.