Remember that feeling when your favourite artist releases their long-awaited second album…and it’s just crap.  Very quickly they disappear and are never heard of again.

We’ve all got examples of that in our vinyl collection no doubt.

Conversely, what about the time when you discover the second album is actually better than the first? And what if the third album is actually better than the second?

All of a sudden you start to believe this band has got some talent and they’re going to be around for the long haul.

This is the case with Daughtry who has released It’s Not Over…The Hits So Far.

At the age of 26, lead singer Chris Daughtry was a finalist in the fifth series of American Idol in 2006.

Since then Chris and his band have released four recordings, have sold more than 8 million albums and over 30 million digital tracks in the USA alone!

I was lucky to see the band live at the HiFi bar in Swanston St in 2007 and he totally rocked the house.  Sadly, he is yet to return. (not too subtle hint @CHRIS_Daughtry)

This selection of 11 tracks from the first four albums only scratches the surface of the band’s song writing prowess.  Even my eldest teenage daughter admitted the song writing was pretty good.  Now that’s saying something.

Presented in chronological order, each track is classic Daughtry.  It shows the progression of song production from the post-grunge hard-rock to a modern day anthemic rock ‘n roll.

The most successful tracks in Australia have been No Surprise, Crawling Back to You and the first release It’s Not Over.

The band’s first three albums attracted a little criticism for being somewhat one-dimensional with its simple hard rock production.

Another band which attracted similar criticism was the Smashing Pumpkins.  I can recall an interview with lead singer, Billy Corgan, who made no apology for not varying the band’s production style claiming ‘if it’s what the fans want just give it to them!’  Alleluia!! The popularity of the Smashing Pumpkins speaks for itself. (30 million albums sold worldwide)

The fourth album, Baptized, and the two new tracks which feature on It’s Not Over…The Hits So Far demonstrate the continued evolution of the band’s writing style.

New tracks called Torches and Go Down are the types of quality songs we have now come to rely on and point to where the future is heading for Daughtry.

Other highlights include Feels Like Tonight and Over You.

Screw it!  They’re all highlights.

This one gets 4.5 guitars out of 5.  Truly awesome.