As Daughtry prepares for the July 14 release of Leave This Town (19 Recordings/RCA), the band is ready to reveal details behind the follow-up to its Grammy-nominated, quintuple-platinum debut.

Singer Chris Daughtry, bassist Josh Paul, drummer Joey Barnes, and guitarists Brian Craddock and Josh Steely recorded the album's 12 songs in Los Angeles with returning producer Howard Benson (All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance).

Many of the songs from Leave This Town, Chris says, reflect how where we've been determines where we're going, including the first single "No Surprise," which has been the #1 most added at Hot AC 4 weeks in a row. The "No Surprise" video was directed by Nathan Cox. In it, the song's theme of love gone wrong is expressed through the character's relationship with the town where he lives. "The place you call home can cause heartbreak just like a bad relationship," Chris says. "Places change just like people change. Sometimes the best thing you can do is leave."

The album's title comes from a line in "September," a new song Chris wrote with Steely. The bittersweet ballad draws on the singer's experiences growing up with his brother in a tiny North Carolina town. "Every time I hear that song it takes me back to my summers in Lasker," he says. "I loved growing up there, but I knew I'd have leave to make something of my life."

The entire album features inspired performances by the quintet held together by anthemic hooks, impassioned vocals, and lyrics laced with wisdom found through searching horizons and rearviews. The songs shift smoothly from powerful arena-rock ("No Surprise," "Ghost of Me"), to hushed ballads ("September") and emotional mid-tempo rockers ("Life After You," "Learned My Lesson"). Leave This Town also includes the country-influenced "Tennessee Line," a track Daughtry wrote with Craddock that features vocal harmonies by country-music superstar Vince Gill.