There's a serious hard-rock record lurking deep in Chris Daughtry's clean-shaven skull; it's clear in the jubilant Judas Priest crunch of ''Renegade'' and hedonistic strut of ''Outta My Head.'' What holds the ex-Idoler back is his weakness for oversmoothness, which turns shout-at-the-sunset anthems like ''Rescue Me'' into pillowy group hugs. Still, he wields his Ginsu-sharp melodies like a Benihana chef on Break the Spell, which (almost) lets him get away with being more Bon Jovi than Black Sabbath. B
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Lighter-waver Rescue Me
Triumphant Losing My Mind
