Daughtry
Cage to Rattle


2.0
poor

Review

by Alex Stephenson USER (43 Reviews)
July 27th, 2018 | 31 replies


Release Date: 2018 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Irrelevancy is a sobering thing to witness.

The progression of Chris Daughtry from one of the most popular mainstream rock artists of the 2000s to a second-rate pop artist has been a depressing one to witness. Granted, it seems unlikely that anyone ever came to Daughtry for originality or unique songwriting -- the sentiments of his lyrics are absurdly dull and his song structures are only slightly less so. The appeal centered around his voice, a powerful tenor with a distinctive twang that managed to strike the balance of projecting slight country affectations without being too obnoxious about them. And certainly his abilities have not diminished in that regard over the years, as Cage to Rattle, Daughtry's fifth studio album, can attest to.

But for as unique as his voice is, Daughtry's inability to form an interesting musical identity in any other aspect on Cage to Rattle is staggering. While the production on this record doesn't seem like it will age as badly as the production on the band's previous album Baptized has, it's not exactly akin to a fine wine either, borrowing heavily from the Imagine Dragons book of pseudo-anthemic tricks more often than not. Thankfully, the actual singing is not tampered with much, but the resulting trade-off is the songs themselves neutering the impact of the vocals. Daughtry is a rock vocalist at heart, and while he doesn't feel exactly like a fish out of water on this album, his singing is not as much of a focal point and doesn't sound nearly as interesting here. It's as if whatever personality Daughtry had was run through a cheese grater and distributed sparingly across the breadth of the record.

Not every moment on Cage to Rattle is worth casting straight into the dumpster, in all fairness. Daughtry's singing is *the* focus of "Backbone", a powerful, stomping beast of a lead single that might be the best thing the band has done in nearly a decade. "Back in Time" deserves some recognition as well for, if nothing else, the half-time swing intro that serves as a quirky contrast to the rest of the song (and the rest of the album, really). However, even these songs will likely not attract the interest of anyone but those fans of Daughtry who were brave/foolish enough to stay aboard the ship after it hit the iceberg that was Baptized, and understandably so. Cage to Rattle may be an improvement on its predecessor, but it isn't nearly substantial enough of one to warrant more than a passing glance and, if desired, an expression of utter disinterest.



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user ratings (49)
1.6
very poor


Comments:Add a Comment 
TheLongShot
July 27th 2018


865 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I don't really know what I expected tbh

sonictheplumber
July 27th 2018


17569 Comments


who the fuck would listen to the new daughtry

Sowing
Moderator
July 27th 2018


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Excellent review and I totally agree.

Digging: Halsey - The Great Impersonator

rabidfish
July 27th 2018


8781 Comments


oh man i LOVE that cover art, it's really dope.
i ain't checking something tagged 'grunge' in 2018 tho, fuck that lol

anarchistfish
July 27th 2018


30405 Comments


it's a fine line between mainstream rock artist and 2nd rate pop artist

butt.
July 27th 2018


11124 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

why am i so excited to listen to this now? didn't even know they were still a band

SymbolicInTime
July 27th 2018


7380 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

I just put this out on the floor where I work and was shocked they’re still making music



ITS NOT OOOOOVERRR

butt.
July 27th 2018


11124 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

im comin' hoooome

neekafat
Staff Reviewer
July 27th 2018


26706 Comments


Cover art is so nice

butt.
July 27th 2018


11124 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

that was painful

BlackMalachite
July 27th 2018


3711 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5 | Sound Off

Album sucked

Daughtry needs to go back to the Alt Rock stylings of his debut and stop holding his voice back so much.

TheLongShot
July 27th 2018


865 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

“i ain't checking something tagged 'grunge' in 2018 tho, fuck that lol“



what idiot tagged this as grunge

butt.
July 27th 2018


11124 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

i was just wondering this myself

rabidfish
July 27th 2018


8781 Comments


@longshot

sowing probably lol it's in the sputnews thread as part of the releases of the week as grunge

bloc
July 28th 2018


70683 Comments


Didn't these guys have that one song

TheLongShot
July 28th 2018


865 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

These guys were all over rock radio like a decade ago, kinda nostalgic for me in a way

veninblazer
July 28th 2018


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Chris Daughtry said this album would be heavier than Baptized. What a big fat LIE. I give this a 1 for the dishonesty alone.

veninblazer
July 28th 2018


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

And FYI: I HATED Backbone, so it's unlikely a full listen would bring my rating up one bit if that's the highlight.

iambandersnatch
July 28th 2018


1935 Comments


Daughtry was never ever good so IMO there is no letdown

Epicenter
July 28th 2018


287 Comments


I swear, Daughtry has a good voice. It's a shame he makes such forgettable and boring music that i"m liable to classify them as non-entities.



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