Fame has not spoilt American rock band Daughtry, at least not their approach to making records. The five-piece from North Carolina, led by frontman and American Idol runner-up Chris Daughtry, recently cranked out their third studio album, Break the Spell. The band's relentless energy has proven worthwhile. They push the boundaries - become un-Daughtry-like in some respects - yet still remain relevant and fresh.
'Going into the writing sessions, we said, 'Let's not try to sound like anything. Let's just write, and see what happens,'' says Chris. Each song on the 12-track album (16 in the deluxe edition) was co-written by Chris and either a bandmate or another collaborator.
'We came up with some pretty interesting tunes that sound nothing like anything we've done before,' Chris says. 'Even though some of them didn't make the album, the writing process stretched us and took us to new places. It was the first time I've said, 'It doesn't sound like us, but I can see us doing that.''
On the lyrical side, Break the Spell is evidence of Chris and Co venturing out of their comfort zone. Chris credits the birth of his twins in November as inspiration for the lyrics in Gone Too Soon, which explores the idea of losing someone special way too early.
'The song is about realising that today could have been the day someone would be blowing out the candles,' Chris says. 'It just hit me pretty hard. I remember playing the demo for my brother, and I turned around and he was bawling. I didn't realise that my brother's wife had suffered a miscarriage years before. It was a pretty emotional moment.'
But Gone Too Soon goes against the grain; the majority of the songs on the album are not so dark or intense. Most delve into the lighter side of life, often dwelling on relationships. Here, Chris looked to his own relationship for cues, reflecting on time spent with his wife.