Daughtry Review

Though he wasn’t successful in snagging the title “American Idol” in 2006, the talented singer, Chris Daughtry, has been very successful in making a name for himself. He has come out with his band, Daughtry. His band’s self-titled debut album is definitely one of the best debuts that I have heard from an American Idol contestant.

Daughtry isn’t a Christian band, but some of the lyrics in their album could be directed towards Christianity. In most of the songs, as most secular artists, their songs are directed more towards relationships, breakups, and such things, but Daughtry does not use inappropriate language or ideas in their songs, unlike most secular artists.

The songs themselves are very well-written. What impressed me was when I saw that Chris Daughtry had actually taken part of writing the songs, even some of them by himself, which, I believe, is the way to go. The songs are his in a sense, and thus he got to “know” them before going to the studio to record.

Daughtry doesn’t get too hard rocking. There is actually a lot of acoustic guitar in some of their songs. The tunes are very catchy, and I often find myself humming them far after I listen to the actual song. If I compared Daughtry to any other secular band, I would say they sound most like Nickelback, but with a more soothing tone.

Their album has been very successful. It grabbed the No. 1 position on the Billboard album chart after its ninth week of release. Currently, Daughtry is in the No. 5 position, having been on the chart for 28 weeks, while all the other top 10 have been on for way less.

When the shocking news had come that Chris Daughtry was voted off, and not Katharine McPhee, I was hoping that he would come out with an album anyway. He did, and it was more than I had expected.

Over all, Chris Daughtry’s band, Daughtry, is one of the best things America has gotten out of American Idol.

Review: End of Silence by Red

End of Silence
Reviewed by Kathryn Turner, age 14

The Pennsylvania-based Christian rock band Red begins their album, End of Silence, with a piano intro. Orchestral accompaniment eerily filters in. You really wouldn't suspect Red to be a hard rock band, but when the intro is over they kick into high gear with one of their hit songs, Breathe Into Me. The rest of the album is packed with gripping sound that I have never heard before. Their mix of piano, orchestra, and pounding electric guitar adds a very cool, unique sound to their music.

Michael Barnes, lead singer and pianist, puts full passion into the vocals. While he’s only a moderately talented singer, he surely doesn't overdue the screaming. He can make his voice soothing, and doesn't "burst out" very often, but when he does, he truly screams in the opportune parts of the song to keep you on the edge of their compositions.

"Are their lyrics really worth hearing?" you might ask. I think they are. Michael is crying out to God to be "broken down," "to give it all to Him." Even though they don't mention His name, it's clear that they try to send a message about Him, which is the approach of most Christian rock bands. Compared to bands such as Linkin Park, Kutless, and Muse, Red brings a refreshing new sound into Christian music.