Not really sure how to start this out. I guess i'll start with saying I went to see Daughtry with the Goo Goo Dolls the other day. That concert, their set specifically, has been bugging me ever since. Their setlist was abnormally short, but it was also filled with 6 songs from their recent album. Most songs that are catchy, but from all accounts at the concert, no one want to hear those songs. They want to hear the songs that made them popular. The songs that made them become a fan of the band to begin with. ROCK songs.
Their self-titled debut, which dropped in the fall of 2006, was not only a massive success, but at the time, it was a big boon for Rock music in general. I remember listening to that album over and over again. I still do from time to time. As far as i'm concerned, there's not a bad song on the album and there's a good amount of actual ROCK on the album. I think I saw them in concert 4 times when they were touring that album alone. I hate to say it, but their concerts were better in 2006/2007 than they are in 2014. That's a problem.
It's kind of sad as a fan, they had an enormous amount of success with their debut album. They released seven singles from the album and probably could've still released 2-3 more and had them be successful. Where it gets sad is when they started to make new music. I actually got excited for their new music when I saw them open for Bon Jovi in 2008. They previewed a new song "You Don't Belong", which serves as the album opener. It's a great song that fit in great with the music they were playing then. The rest of the album is the problem. It's all pop-rock garbage, even experimenting into the Country genre at times.
This continued through their next album "Break The Spell". I accepted it as it was just who they were now: a Pop-Rock group that will have a few hard-rock songs on each album. Then they released their newest output, "Baptized". Good Lord, what a mess.
They did warn fans beforehand that their sound would be changing a bit on the album. However, i'm not sure anyone could've expected such a deviation. The album is not only filled with Electronic-influence and more uptempo beats, but there is maybe ONE song I would even consider pop-rock on the album in "Traitor". The rest is either straight up pop music or country-tinged pop. There are at least 3 songs on the album with country undertones including a song called "Long Live Rock & Roll". Maybe it was pressure from the record label. Maybe just a general change, but whatever it was, I hope they right the wrong.
I just want to put it out there that I personally have no problem with the pop-rock genre in general (or pop music). Where I do have a problem though is this band is capable of so much more. By making a record like this, it completely ignored why they even have fans in the first place and what that fanbase wants, which is more ROCK. It also is detrimental to Chris Daughtry himself to put out a record like this. Throughout the album, you can tell he is having to hold back because the songs are limiting in terms of what he can do with his voice. When he sings full out, his voice is insanely powerful, which is why it's an amazing shame that he doesn't get to do that more often because of the songs that are being written.
The band has also had a tough time keeping themselves together. They're onto their third drummer in 8 years (Jamal Moore) now after Joey Barnes left to pursue a solo career in 2010 and Robin Diaz left to tour with Courtney Love in May. Bassist Josh Paul also left the band for about an 8 month period between September 2012 and May 2013 (Andy Waldeck filled in). It was originally thought he would not return. Thankfully, he did, as he's almost as integral of a part of the band as Chris from a fan point of view. In all the shuffle however, they have gained a terrific keyboardist/backup vocalist in Elvio Fernandes. Let's hope they can hold onto him now.
There's not much more I can say I guess. When I first heard Daughtry's debut album and saw them in concert, I thought they had the potential to be the potential to be as good as Shinedown. I feel like if they'd have gone that route, they'd be much more respected as a band. Now they're nothing more than a Train/One Republic wannabe and as big of a joke as Creed/Nickelback.
