Daughtry - Daughtry
Artist profile:
Daughtry
Release Date: 20/08/07
Label: Epic
Rating: *
Pop Idol. X factor. Fame Academy. They have brought nothing but a miserable waste of TV air time. Thousands of regular people line up to be humiliated by a few uber-rich fiends ready to milk dry any miniscule amount of talent, making themselves that little bit richer and leaving the crumpled shell of a human being behind. One generic single hit number one then it's off to the bargain bin with the album. The corpses of Gareth Gates, Michelle McManus and Shayne Ward now float in the celebrity dead water of Heat magazine.
If the UK version wasn't enough to deal with, now we have American version pushing its filthy wares on our side of the water. Daughtry, or known to whatever Hicksville he came from, Chris Daughtry, didn't win the 5th series of American Idol. But that's always the way. Daughtry went on to 'put a band together' (please note the cynicism) and record an album. And his album has gone on to sell 2.4 million albums in the US, 'outselling the top 3 singers on the show combined', according to the press release.
The result? Generic US ballad rock. The UK, with its vibrant indie scene and creative bands, is not so used to this sound. Our only real encounter with it came when Nickelback gave us 'How You Remind Me'. We lapped it up at first, but we got bored of it very quickly as well. It seems in the States they did not.
Daughtry is not just the Stateside equivalent, he's exactly the same. The people at American Idol have done the business on him. The album drips with studio gloss. Vocals are driven flamboyant, double tracked to perfection, and more importantly, hopelessly samey. Song titles such as 'All These Lives' and 'Over You' hold a fake sincerity and only a whimsical hope at actually meaning something. The backing band could be one of a thousand touring the US right now, everything from the guitars right down to the drum sticks.
Lead single 'Its Not Over' is ballad-y, full of gusto, radio friendly and a guaranteed single sale. Every song could be a single. That's because every song on this album is the same. Even 'What I Want', featuring famous Guns'n'Roses guitarist Slash, is little different. Slash has really sold his soul by putting his name to this one.
What does all this tell us? It tells us why the American music scene is in such dire crisis right now, why many musicians are choosing London over New York and why so many UK groups and musicians are being welcomed with open arms as creative gods. While the UK has embraced independent artists and internet superstars, the US is content to lap up whatever the big music corps put in their bowl. This can't be allowed to happen in the UK.
Chris Daughtry has a good strong voice. Yet what he uses it for is the musical equivalent of mindless fish food, for people to consume no matter what the taste is. The fear is that people in the UK are no longer discerning enough not to do the same.
Jon Bye
Daughtry Official Site
Daughtry Myspace
Buy Daughtry CDs | Buy Daughtry mp3s | Buy Daughtry Tickets | Buy Daughtry Merch
Release Date: 20/08/07
Label: Epic
Rating: *
Pop Idol. X factor. Fame Academy. They have brought nothing but a miserable waste of TV air time. Thousands of regular people line up to be humiliated by a few uber-rich fiends ready to milk dry any miniscule amount of talent, making themselves that little bit richer and leaving the crumpled shell of a human being behind. One generic single hit number one then it's off to the bargain bin with the album. The corpses of Gareth Gates, Michelle McManus and Shayne Ward now float in the celebrity dead water of Heat magazine.
If the UK version wasn't enough to deal with, now we have American version pushing its filthy wares on our side of the water. Daughtry, or known to whatever Hicksville he came from, Chris Daughtry, didn't win the 5th series of American Idol. But that's always the way. Daughtry went on to 'put a band together' (please note the cynicism) and record an album. And his album has gone on to sell 2.4 million albums in the US, 'outselling the top 3 singers on the show combined', according to the press release.
The result? Generic US ballad rock. The UK, with its vibrant indie scene and creative bands, is not so used to this sound. Our only real encounter with it came when Nickelback gave us 'How You Remind Me'. We lapped it up at first, but we got bored of it very quickly as well. It seems in the States they did not.
Daughtry is not just the Stateside equivalent, he's exactly the same. The people at American Idol have done the business on him. The album drips with studio gloss. Vocals are driven flamboyant, double tracked to perfection, and more importantly, hopelessly samey. Song titles such as 'All These Lives' and 'Over You' hold a fake sincerity and only a whimsical hope at actually meaning something. The backing band could be one of a thousand touring the US right now, everything from the guitars right down to the drum sticks.
Lead single 'Its Not Over' is ballad-y, full of gusto, radio friendly and a guaranteed single sale. Every song could be a single. That's because every song on this album is the same. Even 'What I Want', featuring famous Guns'n'Roses guitarist Slash, is little different. Slash has really sold his soul by putting his name to this one.
What does all this tell us? It tells us why the American music scene is in such dire crisis right now, why many musicians are choosing London over New York and why so many UK groups and musicians are being welcomed with open arms as creative gods. While the UK has embraced independent artists and internet superstars, the US is content to lap up whatever the big music corps put in their bowl. This can't be allowed to happen in the UK.
Chris Daughtry has a good strong voice. Yet what he uses it for is the musical equivalent of mindless fish food, for people to consume no matter what the taste is. The fear is that people in the UK are no longer discerning enough not to do the same.
Jon Bye
Daughtry Official Site
Daughtry Myspace
Buy Daughtry CDs | Buy Daughtry mp3s | Buy Daughtry Tickets | Buy Daughtry Merch
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