Leave This Town

I really like Chris Daughtry. His unique blend of fresh, contemporary mainstream rock music breathes new life into the genre.
Anyone who already owns Chris' debut will no exactly what to expect here, some radio friendly rockers with a power ballad or two mixed in here and there.
In truth, "Leave This Town" is straight forward guitar based pop/rock, opening track "You Don't Belong" is about as heavy as it gets, bursting into a very catchy chorus that you'll soon be singing along to.
Chris lyrics are always very poignant, I often get the impression listening to them that he has drawn on experiences in his own life to make them up.
Take the wonderful ballad and best track on this record "September," it's an emotional track, the chorus lyrics "Of all the things I still remember, summers never looked the same, the years go by and time just seems to fly by, but the memories remain" are very thought provoking.
Other standout tracks for me include lead single "No Surprise," which if you think sounds alot like Nickelback then Chad Kroeger had writing credits on this one, no surprise there then.
"Learn My Lesson" again has that very catchy chorus, I would expect this song to be a single release later on.
Chris even trys his hand at a country rock song, track eleven is the wonderful semi acoustic "Tennessee Line," something which he pulls of remarkably well and I expect will rapidly become one of my personal favourites from the album.
No real weak moments, at a real push "Supernatural" feels uncomfortable, almost has a teen rock feel to it, I expect one of the many bonus tracks Chris is releasing at some point might have been better in its place.
In summary, "Leave This Town" is a great modern rock record and I highly recommend it.
Chris & Co can almost be assured of another multi platinum seller stateside and I hope more commercial success here.

I've now heard all of the bonus tracks available for "Leave This Town," I would not normally do a track by track review but in case you are interested here is my view:

1: "Long Way" - One of the first ballads written for the album originally, but developed into a strong rock number. Grows on you. 8/10
2: "One Last Chance" - A ballad, quiet verse/loud chorus scenario but not strong enough for the album. 6/10
3: "What Have We Become" - Awesome song. Could easily replace "Supernatural," very high tempo, killer chorus. Best track not on the album. 10/10
4: "On The Inside" - Very good song, surprised this didn't make it. Quiet acoustic opening, loud chorus, very catchy. 9/10
5: "Get Me Through" Similar sounding to "On The Inside." Nothing special about it, just a mainstream rock song. Could have been included. 7/10
6: "Traffic Light" In one word - weak. It's listenable, but dosn't work for me. Rightly didn't make the final cut. 4/10
7: "Back Again" - Actually the B-side to "No Surprise." Highly recommended, strong lyrically and musically. 8/10

PS: On a slightly different note, if you appreciate Daughtry's music then you might want to check out the debut CD by "Adelitas Way." It's available here on Amazon and is another strong modern rock record.

Chris can do no wrong - as proven by this second album. A little 'rockier' than the first, the lyrics are no less intuitive, the melodies, no less passionate, and overall, you just want MORE - and I defy any fan not to turn up the volume on ANY of it. It is true 'music to my ears' and Mr Daughtry just goes from strength to strength. It simply amazes me that he didn't actually win the daft American TV show.

I really like Chris Daughtry. His unique blend of fresh, contemporary mainstream rock music breathes new life into the genre.
Anyone who already owns Chris' debut will no exactly what to expect here, some radio friendly rockers with a power ballad or two mixed in here and there.
In truth, "Leave This Town" is straight forward guitar based pop/rock, opening track "You Don't Belong" is about as heavy as it gets, bursting into a very catchy chorus that you'll soon be singing along to.
Chris lyrics are always very poignant, I often get the impression listening to them that he has drawn on experiences in his own life to make them up.
Take the wonderful ballad and best track on this record "September," it's an emotional track, the chorus lyrics "Of all the things I still remember, summers never looked the same, the years go by and time just seems to fly by, but the memories remain" are very thought provoking.
Other standout tracks for me include lead single "No Surprise," which if you think sounds alot like Nickelback then Chad Kroeger had writing credits on this one, no surprise there then.
"Learn My Lesson" again has that very catchy chorus, I would expect this song to be a single release later on.
Chris even trys his hand at a country rock song, track eleven is the wonderful semi acoustic "Tennessee Line," something which he pulls of remarkably well and I expect will rapidly become one of my personal favourites from the album.
No real weak moments, at a real push "Supernatural" feels uncomfortable, almost has a teen rock feel to it, I expect one of the many bonus tracks Chris is releasing at some point might have been better in its place.
In summary, "Leave This Town" is a great modern rock record and I highly recommend it.
Chris & Co can almost be assured of another multi platinum seller stateside and I hope more commercial success here.

I've now heard all the bonus tracks available for "Leave This Town," I wouldn't normally do a track by track review but my views on them are below.

1: "Long Way" - One of the first ballads written for the album originally, but developed into a strong rock number. Grows on you. 8/10
2: "One Last Chance" - A ballad, quiet verse/loud chorus scenario but not strong enough for the album. 6/10
3: "What Have We Become" - Awesome song. Could easily replace "Supernatural," very high tempo, killer chorus. Best track not on the album. 10/10
4: "On The Inside" - Very good song, surprised this didn't make it. Quiet acoustic opening, loud chorus, very catchy. 9/10
5: "Get Me Through" Similar sounding to "On The Inside." Nothing special about it, just a mainstream rock song. Could have been included. 7/10
6: "Traffic Light" In one word - weak. It's listenable, but dosn't work for me. Rightly didn't make the final cut. 4/10
7: "Back Again" - Actually the B-side to "No Surprise." Highly recommended, strong lyrically and musically. 8/10

PS: On a slightly different note, if you appreciate Daughtry's music then you might want to check out the debut CD by "Adelitas Way." It's available here on Amazon and is another strong modern rock record.