Clear as Day is the debut studio album by season ten "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery, released on October 4, 2011 in the United States.
Background.
Scotty McCreery began working on his album soon after he was crowned the winner of the tenth season of "American Idol". McCreery described the album as having "some old country influences and elements" that he grew up with, such as Hank Williams, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard, but "it also has a contemporary feel with fun up-tempo songs." He said the title track, "Clear as Day", is one of his favorites on the album and he loves the message behind the song. The album includes a cover of a song by Keith Urban, "Walkin’ the Country", released when he was in the band The Ranch.
Reception.
Upon its release, "Clear as Day" received generally mixed reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 51, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "Mixed or average reviews".
Jerry Shriver of "USA Today" gave the album 2 stars out of 4, saying that the album was "strictly paint-by-numbers country, with some mildly interesting colors occasionally dabbed inside the lines." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave it two stars out of five, saying that although some of the songs had "signs of life" to them, "the songs and production demand that all energy come from young Scotty, who amiably sleepwalks through the tunes, expecting his 'aw shucks' smile will translate onto record. That it doesn’t is not necessarily on his shoulders -- it’s better to place the blame on the machine, here run by producer Mark Bright." "Rolling Stone" critic Caryn Ganz also gave the album two stars out of five, stating that "his debut – a ho-hum jaunt through an America full of dog-eared Bibles, rugged pickup trucks and girls 'hot as July, sweet as sunshine' – works overtime playing up his wide-eyed charm." Chris Willman, writing for Reuters, gave it a mixed review, singling out "The Trouble With Girls" as having "sweetly playful lyrics" but adding that "the sappy music seems to have been written for a different set of words, as if McCreery were supposed to be singing about Jesus taking the wheel, not chick magnetism."
Melinda Newman, writing for HitFix, gave it a B− rating, saying "McCreery has a voice meant for country. It’s deep, resonant, and for someone so young, he also had a good command of nuance...the sound is so clean and clear, if it were a floor, you could eat off it...there is no attempt whatsoever to make any song here palatable for a country crossover to pop — and that is a compliment." Joey Guerra, writing for the Houston Chronicle, gave it a positive review, noting that "there are a surprising and refreshing number of uptempo numbers, and the entire thing clearly establishes his persona, unlike so many post-Idol debut efforts." Additionally, he said that of the two albums being released by the 2011 American Idol finalists (referring to Lauren Alaina's debut album, which would be released a week after "Clear As Day"), "("Clear As Day") is clearly the stronger of the two, and it's no surprise. He's a more natural performer and seems unfettered by NashVegas trappings or mainstream radio cynicism. Country music just seems to be an extension of who he is. The songs are age-appropriate, heartfelt and sincere.".
Chart performance.
"Clear as Day" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, with first week sales of 197,000 copies, subsequently becoming the first debut album from an "American Idol" winner to top the chart since Ruben Studdard's "Soulful" in 2003. McCreery broke records as the first country act to debut at number one with their first studio album, and at 18 years old, the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with their debut release; the record had previously been held by Omarion, who was 20 when "O" debuted at number one in 2005.
As of April 2013, the album had sold 1,166,000 copies in the United States, having been certified platinum on January 6, 2012.
Personnel.
Adapted from "Clear As Day" liner notes.
References.
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