My Best Days Explained

My Best Days
Type:studio
Artist:Danny Gokey
Cover:My Best Days.jpg
Recorded:2009
Nashville, Tennessee
(Starstruck Studios)
Genre:Country
Label:RCA Nashville, 19
Producer:Mark Bright
Next Title:Hope in Front of Me
Next Year:2014

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2010, by RCA Records Nashville.[1] The track "It's Only" was originally scheduled to be the first single,[2] but it was withdrawn and replaced with "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."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]

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.[8] As of December 29, 2010, the album has sold 201,000 copies in the U.S.[9]

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.[10]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for My Best Days! Chart (2010)! Peak
position

Year end charts

2010 year-end chart performance for My Best Days! Chart (2010)! Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[11] 35
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[12] 185

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Idol finalist Danny Gokey signs record deal. Billboard. Herrera. Monica. 2009-09-02. 2010-01-24.
  2. Web site: Danny Gokey - "It's Only". Roughstock. Bjorke. Matt. 2009-11-17. 2010-01-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20091110030256/http://www.roughstock.com/blog/danny-gokey-it-s-only-. 2009-11-10. dead.
  3. Web site: Matt Bjorke. My Best Days review. 1 March 2010. Roughstock. 2 March 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100310141120/http://www.roughstock.com/reviews/danny-gokey-my-best-days. 10 March 2010. dead.
  4. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1716670|pure_url=yes}} ''My Best Days'' review]. Erlewine. Stephen Thomas. Allmusic. 6 March 2010.
  5. News: Danny Gokey's 'My Best Days': Track-by-track . USA Today . 2010-03-02 . 2010-05-19 . Brian . Mansfield.
  6. Phillips. Jessica. March 29, 2010. Reviews. Country Weekly. 17. 13. 52. 1074-3235.
  7. Web site: Danny Gokey: I Want To Do Country 'For The Rest Of My Life' . Billboard.com . 2010-03-22 . 2012-03-02.
  8. Web site: Danny Gokey's Days Starts Strong. Billboard. Jessen. Wade. 2010-03-10. 2010-03-10.
  9. News: Crystal Bowersox passes Lee DeWyze, 100K sales mark . USA Today . Brian . Mansfield . 2011-01-05.
  10. My Best Days . Danny Gokey . 2010 . CD booklet . RCA Records . 88697.
  11. Best of 2010 - Top Country Albums . . . 2010-12-31.
  12. Top Current Albums – Year-End 2010. Billboard. January 14, 2021.