My Best Days
| My Best Days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:My Best Days.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 2, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 38:34 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville, 19 | |||
| Producer | Mark Bright | |||
| Danny Gokey chronology | ||||
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| Singles from My Best Days | ||||
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My Best Days is the debut studio album from American Idol season eight finalist Danny Gokey. The album was released on March 2, 2010, by RCA Records Nashville.[1] The track "It's Only" was originally scheduled to be the first single,[2] but it was withdrawn and replaced with "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me." Both it and the album's second single, "I Will Not Say Goodbye," have made Top 40 on Hot Country Songs.
Critical reception
[edit | edit source]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | StarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B−)[4] |
| Roughstock | StarStarStarHalf starFile:Star empty.svg[5] |
Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave a positive review, saying that its sound recalled country pop and contemporary Christian music, but also saying that it, "sure feels like Danny Gokey has gotten himself a strong set of songs that find him in strong voice."[5] Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album two stars out of five, calling it "pristine adult contemporary pop, all soft and glittering."[3] Brian Mansfield of USA Today gave it a positive review saying, "All in all, My Best Days continues in the vein of the three earlier albums from the four top finishers of Season 8, in that it plays exceptionally well to the strengths of the performers and the expectations their existing fans have for them."[6]
Jessica Phillips of Country Weekly magazine gave three-and-a-half stars out of five, with her review saying, "it is refreshing to find a new artist with a solid message and genuineness to match."[7] Deborah Evans Price of Billboard praised Gokey's vocal performance and said "Working with producer Mark Bright, Gokey crafted a contemporary country album that showcases his soulful vocals."[8]
Commercial performance
[edit | edit source]The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 for the chart week of March 9, 2010, selling 65,000 copies in its first week. My Best Days is the best debut for a male country solo artist since Billy Ray Cyrus' Some Gave All album debuted with 90,000 copies in June 1992. My Best Days sold 19,000 digital albums its first week, giving it the highest first week digital album sales ever for a new Country artist.[9] As of December 29, 2010, the album has sold 201,000 copies in the U.S.[10]
Track listing
[edit | edit source]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" | Marv Green, Kent Blazy | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Like That's a Bad Thing" | Tony Martin, Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley | 3:28 |
| 3. | "I Still Believe" | Kara DioGuardi, Busbee | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Tiny Life" | Jeffrey Steele, Green | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Get Away" | Ron Hemby, Billy Simon, Jimmie Lee Sloas | 4:04 |
| 6. | "It's Only" | Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Tom Douglas | 4:55 |
| 7. | "Life on Ya" | Steele, Tom Hambridge, Chuck Jones | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Crazy Not To" | Green, Mobley, David Lee Murphy | 3:55 |
| 9. | "Be Somebody" | Greg Barnhill, Joanna Cotten, Adam Hood | 4:02 |
| 10. | "I Will Not Say Goodbye" | Chuck Cannon, Lari White, Vicky McGehee | 3:52 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "The Coach" |
Personnel
[edit | edit source]Compiled from liner notes.[11]
- Danny Gokey – vocals
- Charles Judge – keyboards, synthesizers, strings
- Gordon Mote – acoustic piano, keyboards, synthesizers
- Tom Bukovac – electric guitars
- Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitars, mandolin
- Mike Johnson – steel guitar
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass
- Chris McHugh – drums
- Eric Darken – percussion
- Aubrey Haynie – fiddle
- Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle
- Lisa Cochran – backing vocals
Production
[edit | edit source]- Lisa Ramsey-Perkins – A&R
- Mark Bright – producer
- Derek Bason – recording, mixing
- Todd Tidwell – additional recording
- Chris Ashburn – technical assistant
- Tristan Brock-Jones – technical assistant
- Nathan Dickinson – editing
- Hank Williams – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordinator
- Kirsten Wines – production assistant
- Scott McDaniel – creative director
- Tracy Baskette-Fleaner – art direction
- Andrew Southam – photography
- Judy Forde-Blair – creative production, liner notes
- Tammie Harris Cleek – imaging production
- David K. – stylist
- Holly Chapman – grooming
- Mission Management and RLM – management
Charts
[edit | edit source]
Weekly charts[edit | edit source]
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Year end charts[edit | edit source]
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References
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- ^ "Danny Gokey Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Danny Gokey Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
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