Daughtry released their debut album, Daughtry, on November 21, 2006, through RCA and 19 Recordings in the United States. Chris Daughtry had finished fourth on American Idol earlier that year, but the record gave him a different role: writing the songs as well as singing them. He wrote or co-wrote 10 of its 12 tracks, with Howard Benson producing.
The opening song came with a decision Chris was determined to win. Recalling “It’s Not Over” in a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said Gregg Wattenberg supplied an unfinished song, and fellow Idol contestant Ace Young hummed the chorus melody while they were on the show’s 2006 tour. Chris wanted that balance of rock and melody to introduce the album. “I fought and fought and fought,” he recalled of securing it as the first single.
“Home” reached further back. Chris told the Houston Chronicle in 2007 that he wrote it on his couch while anticipating leaving his family to take part in Idol. It also helped establish his partnership with Benson. In the March 2007 issue of Pro Audio Review, the producer recalled Chris playing “Home” at their first meeting. Benson had watched him on television, but hearing his own ballad helped persuade the producer to make the album. He described it as “so real and heartfelt.” The song gave Benson a chance to hear what Chris could create before they began making the record together.
The sessions paired Chris with musicians including drummer Josh Freese, while the touring band came together through Hollywood auditions. Slash supplied guest guitar on “What I Want,” which runs less than three minutes on the original album. Alongside the ballads, that compact track gave the record another setting for Chris’s voice. The studio personnel and the touring lineup were distinct, even though both worked under the Daughtry name.
Benson’s approach to the vocals was practical. He told Pro Audio Review that he chose a Sony C-800G microphone for its bright, present character, recording through a Quad-Eight preamp with restrained compression. He wanted to capture the high-frequency detail that mixers would otherwise add later. Those choices were made with radio in mind, shaping how Chris’s voice would come through on the finished record.
Daughtry opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with approximately 304,000 copies sold in its first week. Its first week at No. 1 came in its ninth chart week, on the chart dated February 3, 2007. The singles reached beyond rock radio: “It’s Not Over” peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100, and “Home” reached No. 5.
“Home” also returned to the show that had introduced its singer, becoming American Idol’s farewell song for eliminated contestants during the 2007 season. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, the debut and its singles earned four nominations: Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “It’s Not Over,” and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Home.”
