Clear as Day
Encyclopedia
Clear as Day is the debut album from the season ten
American Idol
winner Scotty McCreery
. The album was released on October 4, 2011 in the United States
. Clear as Day also became the first debut album from an American Idol winner to reach number one on the US Billboard 200
since Ruben Studdard
's Soulful
2003, selling 197,000 copies in its first week.As of November 9, 2011, the album had sold 424,000 copies. 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.
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
.
". It debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
. It also peaked at number 15 on the Hot Country Songs
chart. As of November 11, 2011, I Love You This Big has sold a total of 661,000 in downloads.
The second single released from the album was "The Trouble with Girls
", which premiered on radio on August 30, 2011, and released onto iTunes
and Amazon.com
on September 1, 2011. It debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100
. As of November 11, 2011, The Trouble With Girls has sold a total of 119,000 in downloads.
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 mixed to positive review, 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.".
American Idol (season 10)
The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
winner Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery
Scott Cooke "Scotty" McCreery is an American country singer from Garner, North Carolina . He also won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, Clear as Day was released in October 2011...
. The album was released on October 4, 2011 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Clear as Day also became the first debut album from an American Idol winner to reach number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
since Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
's Soulful
Soulful (Ruben Studdard album)
Soulful is the 2003 debut album from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard.-Track listing:# "Sorry 2004" – 4:22...
2003, selling 197,000 copies in its first week.As of November 9, 2011, the album had sold 424,000 copies. 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.
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 TwittyConway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
and Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, 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
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
, "Walkin’ the Country", released when he was in the band The Ranch
The Ranch (band)
-Track listing:-The Ranch:*Keith Urban – lead vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, ganjo, keyboards, hand claps*Jerry Flowers – bass guitar, background vocals, hand claps*Peter Clarke – drums, percussion, hand claps-Guest musicians:...
.
Singles
The first single released from the album was "I Love You This BigI Love You This Big
"I Love You This Big" is the debut single and coronation song of American recording artist and American Idol 's season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery. It was first performed on the American Idol final performance show on May 24, 2011. The single was released to digital retailers after the final result...
". It debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It also peaked at number 15 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. As of November 11, 2011, I Love You This Big has sold a total of 661,000 in downloads.
The second single released from the album was "The Trouble with Girls
The Trouble with Girls (song)
"The Trouble with Girls" is the title of a song written by Chris Tompkins and Philip White, and recorded by American recording artist and American Idol 's season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery...
", which premiered on radio on August 30, 2011, and released onto iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
on September 1, 2011. It debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. As of November 11, 2011, The Trouble With Girls has sold a total of 119,000 in downloads.
Reception
Reviews of Clear as Day have been mainly mixed; At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 55, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Jerry Shriver of USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
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
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
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
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, gave it a mixed review, singling out "The Trouble With Girls
The Trouble with Girls (song)
"The Trouble with Girls" is the title of a song written by Chris Tompkins and Philip White, and recorded by American recording artist and American Idol 's season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery...
" 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
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
, gave it a mixed to positive review, 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
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, 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
Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina is an American singer from Rossville, Georgia. Alaina was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower was released in October 2011....
'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.".
Track listing
Album
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
5 |
| UK Country Artist Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
5 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Top Country Albums |
1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
||
| 2011 | "I Love You This Big I Love You This Big "I Love You This Big" is the debut single and coronation song of American recording artist and American Idol 's season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery. It was first performed on the American Idol final performance show on May 24, 2011. The single was released to digital retailers after the final result... " |
15 | 11 | 21 |
| "The Trouble with Girls The Trouble with Girls (song) "The Trouble with Girls" is the title of a song written by Chris Tompkins and Philip White, and recorded by American recording artist and American Idol 's season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery... "A |
31 | 84 | — | |
- A Current single.