The Man I Want to Be explained

The Man I Want to Be
Type:	studio
Artist:	Chris Young
Cover:	The Man I Want to Be.jpg
Released:	September 1, 2009
Recorded:	2008–09
Genre:	Neotraditional country honky-tonk
Length:	34:30
Label:	RCA Nashville
Producer:	James Stroud^[1]
Prev Title:	Chris Young
Prev Year:	2006
Next Title:	Neon
Next Year:	2011

The Man I Want to Be is the second studio album by American country music artist Chris Young. It was released on September 1, 2009 via RCA Nashville. The album includes the singles "Voices", "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)", and "The Man I Want to Be", all of which reached Number One single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Content

"Voices" was released in May 2008 as the album's first single. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Young's first Top 40 country hit. The album, originally to have been released in August 2008, was then delayed until September 2009. The second and third singles, "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" and the title track, which were released in January 2009 and November 2009 respectively, both reached Number One on the country charts. In July 2010, Young re-released "Voices", his third consecutive Number One hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.

The album also includes cover versions of Waylon Jennings' 1987 hit "Rose in Paradise" (recorded here as a duet with Willie Nelson) and Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia."^[1] In addition, "It Takes a Man" was previously a single in 2005 for Aaron Lines from his album Waitin' on the Wonderful.

Personnel

• Eddie Bayers- drums
• Shannon Forrest- drums
• Paul Franklin- dobro, steel guitar
• Kenny Greenberg- electric guitar
• Tania Hancheroff- background vocals
• Aubrey Haynie- fiddle, mandolin
• Wes Hightower- background vocals
• John Hobbs- keyboards, piano
• Brent Mason- electric guitar
• Steve Nathan- keyboards, piano
• Willie Nelson- duet vocals on "Rose in Paradise"
• Biff Watson- acoustic guitar
• Glenn Worf- bass guitar
• Chris Young- lead vocals

Chart performance

The Man I Want to Be debuted at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 19 on the U.S. Billboard 200. As of the chart dated February 26, 2011, the album has sold 418,528 copies in the US.^[2]

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[3]	52
Chart (2010)	Position
US Billboard 200^[4]	151
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[5]	25

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country	US	CAN
2008	"Voices"	37	—	—
2009	"Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)"	1	33	74
	"The Man I Want to Be"	1	48	81
2010	"Voices" (re-release)	1	53	86
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Notes and References

1. Web site: Nashville Star's Chris Young Releasing New Album on Sept. 1. https://web.archive.org/web/20090712025550/http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1614996/nashville-stars-chris-young-releasing-new-album-on-sept-1.jhtml. dead. July 12, 2009. June 30, 2009. CMT. August 8, 2009.
2. Web site: Thompson Square Debuts Strong on Album Charts . Roughstock . February 16, 2011 . February 19, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110222163131/http://www.roughstock.com/blog/thompson-square-debuts-strong-on-album-charts . February 22, 2011 .
3. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 2009. Billboard. December 19, 2020.
4. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2010. Billboard. December 19, 2020.
5. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 2010. Billboard. December 19, 2020.