Daughtry Plays It Safe In "Cage To Rattle"

Daughtry was one of those bands that really hit their prime and never quite realized they were out of it. Their sound certainly attempts to jump on new trends while keeping a core principle alive, yet it seems like it's trying too hard to maintain relevancy. Daughtry plays it safe in Cage To Rattle, their trendy new record that dives straight into poppy trends.

There's nothing inherently wrong with Cage To Rattle, as it's an easy and light listen. There's more to praise than not to, in fact; opening track 'Just Found Heaven' brings the record to an anything but average start. The brooding intro is full of dark synths and melodies that help bring the record to a pretty captivating start. 'Backbone' follows through with a more alternative structure and vibe, the great mood being accentuated by powerful vocals during the song's end. From there on out, it's pretty much some nice pop rock vibes, sometimes optimistic and other times a bit more somber, even sensual.

While Cage To Rattle is inoffensive, it still leaves you wanting more. It's all pretty standard stuff, from the poppy 'Deep End' to the nice ending 'White Flag.' It all feels like the classic "rock band jumps on pop trends" vibe without any of their own flavor that separates them from the rest. And even while they attempt to be themselves, it honestly feels like they're just X Ambassadors wannabes, especially in 'Stuff Of Legends.' As sweet as songs like 'As You Are' and 'Death Of Me' are, there's just not enough unique qualities to this album to give it any edge.

Daughtry plays it safe in Cage To Rattle, delivering an easy, inoffensive listen but failing to really carve out a place for themselves in the current pop rock scene. It feels all too radio-oriented for the sake of airplay rather than by a means of sonically supporting the meaning of the music to really hold any ground.

Favorite Track: Just Found Heaven

Least Favorite Track: Bad Habits

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy Cage To Rattle on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: