My American Dream is the debut studio album released by Neal E. Boyd

Neal E. Boyd

Neal E. Boyd is an American pop opera singer. He is best known as the 2008 winner of America's Got Talent.-Early life:Neal E. Boyd, known worldwide as "The Voice of Missouri," grew up in Sikeston, Missouri...

 on June 23, 2009.

Background

After Neal won the third season

America's Got Talent (season 3)

The third season of America's Got Talent, an American television reality show talent competition, premiered on MediaCorp Channel 5 on September 3, 2008. Opera singer Neal E. Boyd was named the winner on January 28, 2009....

 of America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...

, Neal was signed to Decca Records

Decca Records

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

. Neal explains that the name of the album reflects on how he met his dream after winning Talent. Songs included on the album are "God Bless the USA

God Bless the USA

"God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country musician Lee Greenwood. The first Greenwood album it appears on is 1984's You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No...

," "Ave Maria

Ave Maria

Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...

," "Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...

," West Side Story

West Side Story

West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...

's song "Somewhere," and his Talent winning song "Nessun Dorma

Nessun dorma

Nessun dorma is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto , who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot...

."

The album was released on the date of the fourth season

America's Got Talent (season 4)

The fourth season of America's Got Talent, an American television reality show talent competition, premiered on the NBC network on June 23, 2009. Country singer Kevin Skinner was named the winner on September 16, 2009....

 premiere of Talent, which was June 23, 2009.

Neal has since gone on tour with Britain's Got Talent

Britain's Got Talent

Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...

winner Paul Potts

Paul Potts

Paul Robert Potts is an English pop opera tenor who won the first series of ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2007, singing an operatic aria, "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot". As a singer of operatic music, Potts recorded the album One Chance, which went to #1 in nine countries...

 and later sang for US President Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

.

Commercial performance

The album sold 6,000 copies in its first week of release. The album also debuted at #195 on the 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...

 and #3 on the Top Classical Albums Chart.

Critical reception

James Manheim of allmusic says Neal's talent "leaves an impression on listeners. That's the quality that makes for a crossover star." Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "an effective showcase for his supple singing if not quite an artistic statement of purpose. Thankfully, Boyd avoids the ersatz Euro-schlock of Il Divo

Il Divo

Il Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music...

, never trying to have a pop production, instead being happily symphonic."

Track listing

1. "God Bless the USA
   God Bless the USA
   "God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country musician Lee Greenwood. The first Greenwood album it appears on is 1984's You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No...
   
   " 3:57
2. "Nessun Dorma
   Nessun dorma
   Nessun dorma is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto , who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot...
   
   " 3:05
3. "Mama" 3:23
4. "Somewhere" 3:22
5. "Il Gladiatore" 3:45
6. "Bring Him Home" 3:43
7. "Is Nothing Sacred" 4:12
8. "Anthem" 3:08
9. "Sonny Boy" 2:58
10. "Ave Maria
    Ave Maria
    Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...
    
    " 4:47
11. "Amazing Grace
    Amazing Grace
    "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
    
    " 2:36

Personnel

These are the personnel who helped create the album.

• Savan Kotecha (Composer)
• Winston Simone (Executive Producer)
• Peter Rudge (Representation)
• Neal E. Boyd (Vocals, Liner Notes)
• Evelyn de Morgan (A&R)
• Jeffrey Pescetto (Lyricist)
• Jon Bailey (Engineer, Mixing, Digital Editing)
• Justin S. Turner (Legal Counsel)
• City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Choir, Orchestra)

Chart positions

Chart (2009)	Peak position
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...	195
US Billboard Top Classical Albums Chart	3
US Billboard Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...	10
US Billboard Year End Classical Albums Chart	29

Sales

{|class="wikitable"
!Country
!Sales
|-
| United States
| style="text-align:center;"|6,000