Will Daughtry ever be anything other than boring?

It's obvious to me that Chris Daughtry can sing. He knows how to hit the right notes. He even has a strong voice. Not that you need one to be popular, but still - it certainly doesn't hurt.

What I don't understand, however, is why all of his songs are so damned boring.

Case in point: his brand new single, "No Surprise."

Bonus points for truth in advertising, Chris, because I definitely wasn't surprised. Let's see what we've got here, folks:

- Straightforward strumming. Come on now - this is radio rock. You've got to keep it simple. Here, we've got compressed acoustic guitar and some synth/strings. Lots of layers. No riffs in sight. I think we all know where we've heard that sort of thing before. Don't know quite how it's done? Let's have a little question and answer: Are you in the verse? Strum a straight-eighths pattern on an acoustic guitar. Are you in the chorus? Strum a straight-eighths pattern on an electric guitar. Nothing to it.

- No dymanic range whatsoever. The vocals are compressed. The guitars are compressed. The strings are compressed. When the chorus kicks in, the mix gets LOUDER, but it doesn't gain any energy. There's just nowhere left to go. Everything is buried. And honestly, it's tiring to listen to. And of course, that leads me to the next one:

- Ridiculously layered vocals. This is what kills me about Daughtry: he gives too much, too soon. Here we are, fifteen seconds into the song, and he's already singing at the top of his lungs. Twice, in fact, since the vocals are doubled. Pulling that trick so early really robs the audience of emotional connection. There's no sense of progression here. And it doesn't help that the vocals are incredibly loud. They overpower the mix. I know this is 2009. I can appreciate the value of limiting. But would it really hurt to take easy every now and then? Look, Chris, I know doubling and compression add power to a vocal line, but you already have a pretty strong voice. If you backed off a little and kept things more human, there's a chance you could make something personal and touching. But hey, corporate works too. Your call.

- No originality. I like modern rock conventions - really, I do. There are certain elements of songcraft that have stood the test of time because they WORK. And there's nothing wrong with that. But if I can predict the arrangement and progression of a song I've never listened to, that's a problem. A big one. Come on now, let's do this: Acoustic first verse without any drums. Heavier chorus with the full band. Second verse with the full band. Heavy chorus. Heavy bridge. Sparse third verse with acoustic guitar. Heavy final chorus with the full band.

This stuff is like ramen noodles: cheap, bland, and you know it's all going to taste the same regardless of the color of the package.