My Best Days
My Best Days is the debut 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2010, by RCA Records Nashville.[1] The track "It's Only" was originally scheduled to be the first single,[2] but it was withdrawn and replaced with "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."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
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."[3] Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album two stars out of five, calling it "pristine adult contemporary pop, all soft and glittering."[4] 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."[5]
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."[6] 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."[7]
Track listing
| 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 |
Personnel
Compiled from liner notes.[8]
- Tom Bukovac — electric guitar
- Lisa Cochran — background vocals
- Eric Darken — percussion
- Aubrey Haynie — fiddle
- Chris McHugh — drums
- Mike Johnson — steel guitar
- Charles Judge — keyboard, synthesizer, strings
- Gordon Mote — keyboard, synthesizer, piano
- Jimmie Lee Sloas — bass guitar
- Ilya Toshinsky — acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Jonathan Yudkin — fiddle
Chart performance
Album
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]
| Chart (2010) |
Peak
position |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 |
4 |
End of year charts
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Peak positions |
| US Country |
US |
| 2009 |
"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" |
24 |
82 |
| 2010 |
"I Will Not Say Goodbye" |
32 |
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
References
- ↑ Herrera, Monica (2009-09-02). "Idol finalist Danny Gokey signs record deal". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ↑ Bjorke, Matt (2009-11-17). "Danny Gokey - "It's Only"". Roughstock. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ↑ Matt Bjorke (1 March 2010). "My Best Days review". Roughstock. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "My Best Days review". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ↑ Mansfield, Brian (2010-03-02). "Danny Gokey's 'My Best Days': Track-by-track". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ↑ Phillips, Jessica (March 29, 2010). "Reviews". Country Weekly 17 (13): 52. ISSN 1074-3235.
- ↑ "Danny Gokey: I Want To Do Country 'For The Rest Of My Life'". Billboard.com. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ↑ My Best Days (CD booklet). Danny Gokey. RCA Records. 2010. 88697.
- ↑ Jessen, Wade (2010-03-10). "Danny Gokey's Days Starts Strong". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ↑ Mansfield, Brian (2011-01-05). "Crystal Bowersox passes Lee DeWyze, 100K sales mark". USA Today.
- ↑ "Best of 2010 - Top Country Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
