Back in 2007, Daughtry’s debut album was the biggest-selling album in the US. They remain a seriously big deal.
After forays into other poppier waters, “The Reckoning” is exactly the sort of US arena rock that they seemed to make so effortlessly back in the day—but obviously, it isn’t, or else everyone would do it.
However, the more things change, and all that, “Shock To The System” is being presented as a two-part thing probably because the theory—which I’m never sure I buy—is that “we” don’t consume albums anymore, but it’s not some limp rehash of rock’s past either.
You can see why they’ve recorded with Halestorm on the likes of “Artificial,” because if Lzzy wrapped herself around this, no one would be surprised.
Every time I listen to Daughtry, I have the same thought: this is heavier than I remember them being. “Pieces” is that one this time around. It soars, like they all do, but it’s not far from metal; it really isn’t.
The title track changes tack with its electric pop vibe. Think X-Ambassadors with better hooks and more ebullience. “I do it to feel alive,” sings Daughtry here; he sounds like it here.
And even if the music of “Nerves” sounds more sparse, then its words are way more raw. “Trying to find my purpose,” he offers, as if deciding to lay his insecurities on the line for all to see.
The change in the second half of this first half is stark; “The Dam” bursts, if you will, with a flood that FFDP might attempt.
It makes for a superb end to a superb EP. A shock? Not really, but “A Shock To The System” sounds like a million dollars and makes you want Volume 2. It amounts to Chris Daughtry saying, “Hi, I’m back, and we’re rocking again.”
Rating: 8/10
REVIEW: DAUGHTRY – SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM PART ONE (2024)
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