For anyone who is keeping score, the female alumni of American Idol have fared much better on the charts than their male counterparts. With his self-titled debut, season five contestant Chris Daughtry threatens to even that score.

Coming out of the box with the strongest male showing since Clay Aiken's 2003 Measure of a Man, which went straight to No. 1, Daughtry is fronting a band, aptly titled Daughtry, and made an excellent first disc. Unlike some of the disappointing musical displays released by his predecessors and competitors, Daughtry has given fans a solid album with more than a dozen good reasons to bring it home.

Opening with the album's first single, "It's Not Over," Daughtry immediately shows the sound and style that earned him an offer to front the band Fuel upon his elimination from American Idol. It's a pained and powerful song that refuses to let go of a love that is slipping away and he begs for a second chance to get it right.

From the outset, it is clear that Daughtry loves to rock, and he immediately provides several great examples of his versatility. On "Used To," he serves up a delicious, catchy relationship song that has listeners singing along to the chorus by the second verse. The song looks back on a good relationship that has somehow been ignored, but he is determined to find the way back to where they used to be. It's a well-written, well-executed song, and it is just waiting for some radio airplay.

Daughtry's softer side gets the chance to shine through on some edgy ballads, the first of which is the compelling "Home." Easily related to by anyone whose work takes them on the road, this song is about being pulled in two different directions and it focuses on the relief that accompanies being able to return to the place where he feels the safest.

Daughtry is packed with several strong, radio-worthy songs, most of which were co-written or written by the singer himself. He shows differing shades of his modern rock sound, which will easily appeal to fans of bands like Nickelback and Fuel. On "Crashed," he offers an edgy love song that manages to be tough and tender at the same time. (The great news for fans is that he includes bonus acoustic cuts of "Home" and "Crashed" at the end of the disc.)

He is joined by Slash on "What I Want," another high-octane, fist-pumping love song. Daughtry barrels through this one with sheer force and the results are magnificent. He is both vulnerable and demanding, and that makes for an appealing mix. There's a bit of '80s musical leftovers seeping through on this one, but it sounds perfectly at home in the context of the rest of the disc.

On "What About Now," one of the album's final tracks, Daughtry delivers a touching song about longing for the one that he left behind. It sounds like a close cousin to Heart's "Alone", both musically and lyrically. Like much of the rest of this impressive debut, it is emotional, compelling and, in Daughtry's capable hands, completely believable.

By Paula Felps