Photo courtesy of Youtube.com | Daughtry released their debut self-titled album in 2006 and have been churning out the hits ever since. Cage to Rattle was released on July 27.
Back from a five-year hiatus, Daughtry, fronted by none other than former American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry, have returned to release their latest album: Cage to Rattle.
As with previous discography, Daughtry’s booming signature voice is splattered across pretty much all of the songs. Daughtry has the natural ability to lower or raise his pitch to fit the effect the song is trying to have on a listener. He can do this rather easily because he authors a lot of the band’s songs himself.
One feature that the band definitely experimented with on several tracks is sound effects, mostly with Daughtry’s vocals but also with some of the background music choices.
The band went against the grain with sounds that are trendy and almost Imagine Dragons-like, which is definitely a new flavor for a band that usually sticks to its rock roots. The change of pace is welcome, especially because of how long the band took to come out with a new slate of songs. The enriched sound the band produced shares many characteristics of the alternative music genre.
Another notable difference is the way the songs generally play out. Many of the band’s older tunes jump right into the action from the start. In a few of the tracks on this album, the build-up to the chorus takes longer to develop, adding a more dramatic effect.
The oddly satisfying aspect of Cage to Rattle is that the songs seem disconnected in nature yet have enough similarities to know they are from the same album.
I’ve seen Daughtry live in concert twice — once as the main act and once as the opener — and both times they have sounded exactly as they do digitally. One of the biggest reasons I am a fan of the band is their songs almost always have intrinsic meaning. The two best songs on the album, in my opinion, certainly follow this model.
“Backbone,” for instance, is the ultimate wake-up call/when-reality-hits anthem. “White Flag” epitomizes a “never give up” attitude toward life, playing off the idiom “waving the white flag.” Another song that is one of the better ones on the album is “Deep End,” and an under-the-radar track is “Gravity.”
Overall, the album deviates from the band’s normal melodies, but the switch-up is just a modern take that still incorporates classic Daughtry elements.
By: Luke Feliciano | Sports Editor
Arts and Entertainment
