See You Tonight Explained
See You Tonight is the third studio album by American country music singer Scotty McCreery. It was released on October 15, 2013, by Mercury Nashville.[1] The album is produced by Frank Rogers with the exception of two tracks produced by Mark Bright.
The album garnered a positive reception from critics who praised McCreery's improved musicianship over a plethora of well-balanced songs. See You Tonight debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and spawned two singles: the title track and "Feelin' It". As of April 2015, the album has sold 269,900 copies in the United States.
Background
Scotty McCreery recorded the album while he was attending North Carolina State University.[2] The producer of the album was Frank Rogers.[3] McCreery co-wrote 5 of the tracks of the album, including the title track which he co-wrote with songwriter Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell.[4] He also collaborated with Alison Krauss on "Carolina Moon" where she provides backing vocals. He considered "Carolina Moon" to be his favorite track on the album.[5]
Reception
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, with an overall Metacritic rating of 73 indicating "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found that the sound of the album has changed from the old-fashioned country of the first album, that its modern country sound is so "glossy and effervescent" making it seem McCreery's voice had jumped a couple of octave. He considered that McCreery had redefined himself as a "sports bar-hopping bro" in the album, but nevertheless thought the album works. Chuck Dauphin of Billboard thought that McCreery and the producers did well in stretching his music wings in the album, with positive reviews for most of the tracks.
Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly felt that the first half of the album "bogs down under too much by-the-numbers rock-country," but "hits its stride in the smoother second half". Tammy Ragusa of Country Weekly concurred that the album seems at times "a bit formulaic, with songs that subscribe to what is currently hitting big on country radio", but also thought it "exhilarating to hear Scotty stretch out, both in content and vocals". Matt Bjorke of Roughstock considered that the "hook-filled, radio-ready 'summer songs'" in the album are counterbalanced with strong, mid-tempo songs as well as traditional ballads, and thought that the album showed "a remarkable amount of growth and maturity" for McCreery. Billy Duke of Taste of Country was enthusiastic about the album, calling it "dynamic", and thought the songwriting and production "sharp".[6]
Commercial performance
The album debuted as the number 1 country album and the number 6 album on the US Billboard 200, selling 52,000 copies.[7] [8] It also debuted at No. 3 on the Top Internet Albums and No. 10 on the Top Digital Albums charts.[9] As of April 2015, the album has sold 269,900 copies in the US.[10]
Track listing
[11]
Personnel
Adapted from liner notes.[12]
All tracks except 7 & 16
- Scotty McCreery – lead vocals
- Jim "Moose" Brown – acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B3 organ
- Gordon Mote – acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B3 organ
- Frank Rogers – keyboards, programming, baritone guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
- J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar
- Jedd Hughes – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Bryan Sutton – electric guitar, mandolin
- Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki
- Derek Wells – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Mike Johnson – pedal steel guitar, dobro
- Rachel Loy – bass guitar
- Shannon Forrest – drums
- Greg Morrow – drums
- Eric Darken – percussion
- Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – harmonica
- Aubrey Haynie – fiddle
- Anthony LaMarchina – cello
- Kris Wilkinson – viola, string arrangements
- David Angell – violin
- Wei Tsun Chang – violin
- David Davidson – violin
- Wes Hightower – backing vocals
- Jon Randall – backing vocals
- Russell Terrell – backing vocals
- Matthew West – backing vocals
- Alison Krauss – featured vocals on "Carolina Moon"
Tracks 7 & 16
- Scotty McCreery – lead vocals
- Charlie Judge – keyboards, synthesizers, Hammond B3 organ
- Jimmy Nichols – acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano
- Brent Mason – electric guitars
- Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitars, banjo, ganjo
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
- Shannon Forrest – drums
- Aubrey Haynie – fiddle
- Perry Coleman – backing vocals
- Russell Terrell – backing vocals
- Jenifer Wrinkle – backing vocals
Production
- Brian Wright – A&R
- Hank Williams – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Russ Harrington – photography
- Karen Naff – art direction
- Wendy Stamberger – design
- Amber Lehman – wardrobe stylist
- Paula Turner – hair, make-up
All tracks except 7 & 16
- Frank Rogers – producer, additional recording
- Scott Johnson – production assistant
- Richard Barrow – recording, additional recording
- Beau Maxwell – recording assistant
- Rich Ramsey – recording assistant
- Neal Cappellino – additional recording
- Nathan Zwald – additional recording
- Justin Niebank – mixing
- Drew Bollman – mix assistant
- Scotty Alexander – digital editing
- Brady Barrett – digital editing
- Matt Rausch – digital editing
- Brian David Willis – digital editing
Tracks 7 & 16
- Mark Bright – producer
- Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordinator
- Kirsten Wines – production assistant
- Derek Bason – recording, mixing, digital editing
- Ben Fowler – recording
- Chris Small – recording assistant, mix assistant
- Sean Neff – digital editing
Singles
The title track, "See You Tonight", the album's first single was released on April 9, 2013. It was his first Top Ten hit on the country charts.[13]
The second single, "Feelin' It", was released to country radio on April 14, 2014.
Chart performance
Year-end charts
| Chart (2014) | Position |
|---|
| US Billboard 200[15] | 170 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[16] | 27 | |
Singles
Notes and References
- Web site: Scotty McCreery Sets 'See You Tonight' Album Date. Billboard. August 28, 2013.
- Web site: Sophie Schillaci . The Hollywood Reporter . October 15, 2013 .
- Web site: Scotty McCreery on 'See You Tonight,' Brad Paisley and country lyrics: Interview. Melinda Newman . October 17, 2013 . Hitfix .
- Web site: Story Behind the Song: Scotty McCreery, "See You Tonight" . Alanna Conaway . October 23, 2013 . Roughstock . December 30, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131027090446/http://www.roughstock.com/blog/story-behind-the-song-scotty-mccreery-see-you-tonight . October 27, 2013 . dead .
- Web site: Parade Rewind With Scotty McCreery: His New Album, College Life, and His Favorite American Idol Memory . Erin Hill . Parade . October 18, 2013 .
- Web site: Album Spotlight: Scotty McCreery, 'See You Tonight' – ToC Critic's Pick . Billy Dukes . Taste of Country . October 15, 2013.
- Pearl Jam Earns Fifth No. 1 Album On Billboard 200 . Keith Caulfield . October 23, 2013 . Billboard.
- Web site: Country Album Chart News: The Week of October 23, 2013: Scotty McCreery, Willie Nelson Duets, Chase Rice, Cassadee Pope Lead. October 23, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029004009/http://www.roughstock.com/blog/country-album-chart-news-the-week-of-october-23-2013-scotty-mccreery-willie-nelson-duets-chase-rice-cassadee-pope-lead. October 29, 2013. dead.
- Web site: 'American Idol' on the Charts: Scotty McCreery Notches Another No. 1 Country Album . Fred Bronson . The Hollywood Reporter . October 24, 2013 .
- News: Country Album Chart Report For April 15, 2015 . Matt Bjorke . April 15, 2015 . Roughstock . Sales figure given here
- Web site: Nicholson. Jessica. Scotty McCreery to Release Sophomore Album in October. 27 August 2013 . Music Row. August 28, 2013.
- See You Tonight . Scotty McCreery . 2013 . CD booklet . Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings . B0019290-02.
- News: Cole Swindell Scores First Hot Country Songs No. 1. Wade Jessen . Billboard . February 20, 2014 .
- Top Country Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. January 16, 2015.
- Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End top-selling albums across all genres. Billboard .
- Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. January 16, 2015.
- News: Country Chart News: The Top 30 Digital Singles For May 21, 2014 . Matt Bjorke. May 21, 2014 . Roughstock .
- News: Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of January 16, 2015 . Matt Bjorke . January 16, 2015 . Roughstock .
