My Best Days

''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. The track "It's Only" was originally scheduled to be the first single, but it was withdrawn and replaced with " My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."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." Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album two stars out of five, calling it "pristine adult contemporary pop, all soft and glittering." 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."

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." 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."

Commercial performance

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. As of December 29, 2010, the album has sold 201,000 copies in the U.S.

Track listing

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.
* 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

* 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

Weekly charts

Year end charts

References

{{Authority control

2010 debut albums
Danny Gokey albums
RCA Records albums
Albums produced by Mark Bright (record producer)
19 Recordings albums