Out today: Daughtry's 'Leave This Town'

Nearly three years after the band's debut, Daughtry returns today with its sophomore effort Leave This Town. The album, which was produced by Howard Benson, features songs including "September," "You Don't Belong" and its first single, "No Surprise."

Also releasing today on iTunes only is Brooke White's High Hopes & Heartbreak, which will be available everywhere on Tues., July 21. As part of the special one-week offer, fans can also download the music video for Brooke's new single "Radio Radio."

Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:

Albums
Daughtry, Leave This Town

Amazon.com - ($9.99) - Buy
Amazon MP3 - ($9.99 deluxe) - Buy
Best Buy - ($9.99) - Buy
Buy - ($10.98) - Buy
CD Universe - ($14.80) - Buy
DaughtryOfficial.com - ($19.99 deluxe fan pack edition) - Buy
iTunes - ($9.99 standard, $12.99 deluxe) - Buy: standard, deluxe
Sears - ($12.59) - Buy
Target - ($9.99 standard, $13.98 deluxe) - Buy: standard, deluxe
Walmart - ($11.86 standard, $13.88 deluxe) - Buy: standard, deluxe

Brooke White, High Hopes & Heartbreak

iTunes - ($7.99) - Buy

Music Videos
Brooke White, "Radio Radio"

iTunes - (Free) - Buy

The abundance of exclusive material available on the different retail editions of Leave This Town is astounding, as there is no shortage of bonus tracks or music videos to go around. The full list is as follows:

DaughtryOfficial.com: Two bonus tracks ("Long Way" and "One Last Chance"), 11"x17" exclusive double-sided poster
iTunes: Three bonus tracks ("What Have We Become," "Still You On the Inside," "Traffic Light" [pre-order only]), "No Surprise" music video
Target: DVD with six music videos ("It's Not Over," "Home," "Over You," "Feels Like Tonight," "What About Now," "No Surprise")
Walmart: Bonus download of "Get Me Through"

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David Cook performs "Heroes" and "Declaration" at 2009 Home Run Derby

David Cook took to the stage in the middle of the outfield at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo., prior to the 2009 Home Run Derby, part of Major League Baseball's "All-Star Week." He performed "Heroes" and "Declaration," the latter of which can be watched below:

While "Heroes" aired on the MLB Network, "Declaration" was shown on ESPN and received the larger audience.

The event's entertainment was announced via a press release that was made public on Thurs., July 9. Also in attendance was Nikko Smith, as the fourth season's 9th-place finalist and son of St. Louis Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the derby.

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Flashback: Brooke White's "Love Is a Battlefield"

Before she made her way all the way to fifth place on the seventh season of Idol, Brooke White wowed audiences with her take on Pat Benatar's power ballad "Love Is a Battlefield" for "80's Night" during the Top 16 week. Watch the performance below:

Even though she did not use her piano or guitar-playing skills, Brooke still showed her understanding of what works for her stylistically and her decision to perform an acoustic version of the song, which Simon said would not normally suit her.

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IDOL LIVE predix: Daughtry's 'Leave This Town'

Daughtry is no stranger to selling millions of albums. So will it really be a surprise to see the guys do well with the release of their sophomore album, Leave This Town, this week?

Of course not. In fact, an opening atop the Billboard 200 is all but assured, as the band's competition ranges from Yung Joc to Jessie James. The only question that remains is, how big will the album open at? Considering Daughtry's debut managed to sell 304k in its opening week back in November 2006, it would be a logical guess that this disc will do much, much better in its first week.

A good comparison could be the difference between Carrie Underwood's debut week sales for Some Hearts and Carnival Ride, which was 212k in the latter's favor (315k to 527k). One thing to considering, however, is the state of the economy at the moment, as well as the continuing decline of the CD. So do not go expecting the band to sell gold levels in its first week.

But the promotion has been top-notch, with Chris pulling in a lot of free publicity thanks to his recent acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and other appearances he's made. The album's first single "No Surprise" is not doing the best job in terms of building anticipation, but with special promotional deals like the one the band has with ESPN to play some of their songs throughout the month, that should be be enough to cancel out the disappointing chart performance of the single.

After all consideration, a first week take of 390k seems to be in store, which would be among the highest releases of the year. Although this estimate is on the conservative side, it does seem fairly realistic in light of how sales have been lately.

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'Idol' BB 200: Season 8 Walmart exclusive #34 (7/18/09)

For the first time in a very long time, an solo album by an Idol alum did not hold the title of top album representative for the franchise on the Billboard Top 200 chart for the chart week of July 18.

Instead, it was the Season 8 Walmart exclusive album that took on the title for the most recent chart, as it debuted at #34. Unfortunately, sales were not available for the entries for the second week in a row.

Next up was Kelly Clarkson and her fourth studio album All I Ever Wanted, which slid seven spots to #65. Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride followed at #74, down 15 spots from the previous week.

The other major country star to come out of Idol, Kellie Pickler, saw her self-titled sophomore release fall #76-78, while David Cook's self-titled album held steady at #87 for the second straight week.

Two weeks before seeing its sophomore effort released, Daughtry witnessed its debut album fall 14 spots to #105, as it still will not leave the chart. Look for it to increase over the course of the next two weeks thanks to Tuesday's launch of Leave This Town.

And in its second week of release, Michael Johns' post-Idol album Hold Back My Heart fell nearly 100 spots, collapsing #97-199. Expect it to disappear on next week's chart.

Full chart positions courtesy of 2m on Pulse as follows:

034 --- Various Artists - American Idol: Season 8
065 058 Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
074 059 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride
078 076 Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler
087 087 David Cook - David Cook
105 091 Daughtry - Daughtry
199 097 Michael Johns - Hold Back My Heart

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Jordin Sparks looks on as pole dancer treats boyfriend Steph Jones

Steph Jones celebrated his birthday party in Los Angeles, Calif., on Fri., July 3. Not surprisingly, his girlfriend, Jordin Sparks, was in tow. What was a little surprising was how uncomfortable things got when a pole dancer named Nicole Williams treated Jones to a show in front of the party's attendees. See what happened below in video courtesy of Blackarazzi:

If you think that's uncomfortable, just watch part two. Yes it's true that this pole dancer is supposedly a friend of Steph's to begin with, so it makes the whole situation a little less awkward.

Regardless of what Jordin was really thinking, though, Blackarazzi's take on the whole deal is humorous just the same.

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Album review: Daughtry's 'Leave This Town'

Nearly three years after Daughtry’s debut album was released and made history, the band returns to the forefront of the music world with its latest disc ‘Leave This Town.’ Produced by Howard Benson (Kelly Clarkson’s ‘All I Ever Wanted’), ‘Town’ provides fans with a perfect mix of high-powered, edgy rock with heartfelt ballads and radio-friendly mid-tempos.

Kicking off the disc with an explosive punch, Daughtry returns in full form on “You Don’t Belong,” which gives off a Hoobastank vibe and could light the active rock chart on fire if given the chance. Other up-tempo offerings found on the album are the chilling “Ghost of Me,” which features a chorus similar to the one found in “Belong,” and the formulaic yet still appealing “Supernatural.”

On “What I Meant to Say,” Chris teams up with Brian Howes and the pair produce a radio-friendly anthem that has lyrics that any man could identify with (“I know I said I’m sorry / But that’s not what I meant to say”). The song documents the emotional pain a man is receiving from his wife/girlfriend.

Although it would not seem likely that the ballads would outshine the up-tempo rock tracks here, the assortment of the former on ‘Town’ is surprisingly solid. In fact, the album’s strongest song comes in “September,” which is nothing short of beautiful. The lyrics are what really make the song what it is (“In the middle of September / We still play out in the rain / Nothing to lose but everything to gain / Reflecting now on how things could have been / It was worth it in the end”).

There are also a few tracks that are well-suited for Hot AC, like the catchy “Every Time You Turn Around” and the mid-tempo love song “Life After You.” The Chris D./Mitch Allan/Chris Tompkins collaboration “Learn My Lesson” sounds like a perfect soundtrack selection for an ‘Iron Man’-like film.

The album’s weakest track comes in the form of “Open Up Your Eyes,” which appears sixth on the track list. It is not that the song is bad per se. It’s just that the melody sounds a little off and it comes off sounding pretty bland in comparison to the other songs. Fortunately, this is the only real bumpy spot on ‘Town.’

Not to be missed is the album’s first single, “No Surprise,” as it pops up as track No. 2 and acts as a mid-tempo bridge connecting the more lively offerings “Belong” with “Turn Around.” “Surprise” includes an extended final verse that gives the song a fresh sound.

Daughtry also uses ’Town’ as a launching pad to experiment with a country sound, as the band calls on Vince Gill to provide backing vocals on the subdued southern rock track “Tennessee Line.” It turns out that Chris’ vocals blend very well with country music instrumentation, and so the genre could possibly be an avenue the band will further pursue in the future.

The band’s choice of “Call Your Name” to close out the standard version of ‘Town’ comes as no surprise, as the track’s soft opening leaves the listener longing for more, and then when the action is ratcheted up three-quarters of the way through, everything seems complete. The album ends on as active a note as it began.

Chris had a hand in writing all 12 of the tracks on ‘Town.’ This fact alone signals that this band is not just a one-album wonder, and regardless of how well ‘Leave This Town’ fares commercially, the album easily overshadows the band’s extremely successful debut. Whichever town the guys left on this album, odds are the next town they turn up in will be even better.

Leave This Town will be released on Tues., July 14, and can now be pre-ordered on Amazon and iTunes.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Paula Abdul "optimistic" about returning

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>Paula Abdul spent her day filming a guest appearance on Lifetime's upcoming dramedy Drop Dead Diva, which premieres Sun., July 12. She will play a judge that hears a case about a store refusing to carry clothing for plus-sized women and her episode will air sometime in September.

While on the set, Paula said she is "optimistic" about returning to Idol as a judge, although a new contract has yet to be drafted. In her own words:

“I’ve been invited to stay the duration of the show, however long it lasts.”

Her most recent contract expired at the end of the show's eighth season. Aside from the contract drama, Paula has been keeping herself in the public eye, aided by her pivotal role in the Sacha Baron Cohen film Bruno, out today.

>One week ahead of its release, Daughtry's sophomore album Leave This Town was added to VH1.com's "The Leak" section, which allows fans to stream albums in their entirety prior to being released. The stream came at the best possible time, as it coincided with the album's pre-release illegal leak.

>The other big Idol album due out this July, Jordin Sparks' Battlefield, has a release date only a week-and-a-half away, and Jordin is currently touring with The Jonas Brothers. At Wednesday's show in Minneapolis, Minn., Jordin sang "Smile" by Natalie Cole in remembrance of Michael Jackson, as it was his favorite song. Watch fan video of the performance below:


Although Jordin's album has not leaked in full, as many as four tracks have found their way onto the web, including "Walking On Snow," "Emergency (911)," bonus track "It Takes More" and her next single "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)." Naturally, she is not happy with the leaks, as she tweeted the following:

is SO angry right now. We give you promo copies for you to listen to. NOT to post all over the Internet. Jerks. >:O 9:05 PM Jul 6th from TwitterFon

and followed it up with:

Sorry! Its just so frustrating! If it was up 2 me I wouldnt give copies. Its not my call. I get a few days b4 the album but 2 weeks!? Cmon! 9:19 PM Jul 6th from TwitterFon

Apparently Jordin is just as human as the rest of us.

>Adam Lambert and Kris Allen will host American Top 40 (AT40) this Sunday, taking over for Ryan Seacrest, the radio show's actual host. Per a tweet from Ryan alerting fans of this week's guest hosts, Adam said he regrets saying Kris is cute. Slow news day I guess?

>Katharine McPhee announced Wednesday another promotion via her official Twitter account to help raise awareness of her forthcoming release on Verve Forecast Records. The contest allows fans to enter to win a 16GB iPod Touch and a T-shirt autographed by Kat herself (a total prize package is valued at $300) by signing up at TheCelebrityCafe.com. Fans may enter once per day until Fri., July 31.

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Poll of the week: Fans still pick Pickler

It was a spirited week of voting on IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series for the favorite sixth-place finalist of all eight seasons, and the competition broke the win streak of Season 7 finalists for the first time this voting period.

Leave it to Kellie Pickler and her faithful fans to stand in the way of Carly Smithson and her equally passionate fans. The fifth season's lovable country star netted 296 of the 582 total votes, which equated to 50%. In comparison, Carly was able to take in 267 votes (45%). The two were tied in the count with just one hour left to vote, which is when Kellie's fans eked out a win by fewer than 30 votes.

The poll's six other contenders failed to excite voters, as Anoop Desai only took in nine votes (1%), and Constantine Maroulis was only able to generate six votes (1%).

In the next installment of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, readers are asked which fifth-place finalist is their favorite of all eight seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Christina Christian 2 (0%)
Carmen Rasmusen 0 (0%)
John Stevens 0 (0%)
Constantine Maroulis 6 (1%)
Kellie Pickler 296 (50%)
Phil Stacey 2 (0%)
Carly Smithson 267 (45%)
Anoop Desai 9 (1%)

Total votes: 582

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