Scotty McCreery’s album, Clear as Day came out today and the verdict on the Season 10 winner’s debut is mixed. Slapped together in a few short months, post-Idol debuts nearly always contain at least some generic elements. I always give that first effort a pass–it’s nearly impossible to pin down an artist’s individuality on such a slap-dash production schedule. I’m keeping those thoughts in mind as I read these reviews. The very last item is a video of Scotty describing Clear as Day track by track for Billboard.
Album Review: Scotty McCreery – ‘Clear As Day’: Clear As Day has been rumored to be more traditional based country music, and although the subject matter is still traditional, the songs have a modern spin that will both please the portion of the 122.4 million “American Idol” voters that rocketed McCreery into success, and also aide him in picking up some new fans. Although the album is pretty predictable in song choices and material, the fact that Scotty sings a little bit higher on most songs than his voice has previously showcased, may mean that this could be the first step he needs to break out of the mold that he is just another Josh Turner, and propel him into success like his American Idol predecessors Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler CountryMusicIsLove
Scotty McCreery, ‘Clear As Day’ – Album Review – Scotty McCreery fans will not be disappointed with his debut album. ‘Clear as Day’ shows growth without losing that loveable, Opie Taylor-like quality that endeared McCreery to millions of Americans during his ‘American Idol’ run. McCreery should be proud of his debut effort, but he should also be taking notes as he learns the ins and outs of the music business. The next time around, he’ll have plenty more time to be sure all the elements are more in line with who he is as a singer and a person. – TasteofCountry
Listen Up: The American Idol winner’s debut album is strictly paint-by-numbers country, with some mildly interesting colors occasionally dabbed inside the lines. It’s entirely possible to craft an engaging album using muddy trucks, Mama, the Bible, small-town virtues and desire for girls as inspiration. USAToday
Scotty McCreery’s ‘Clear as Day’: A track-by-track review – I’m not likely to finish listening to George Jones’ He Stopped Loving Her Today or even, say, Ronnie Dunn’s Cost of Livin’ and think, “Boy, some Scotty McCreery music would sure sound good right now.” That said, Clear as Day draws deeply from country music traditions, offering its own take on time-honored storytelling themes of God, mama and coming of age. It’s an album of summer romances, Friday night football and memories of first kisses that are fresh in the mind. And that deep, honest delivery of Scotty’s reflects an awareness of the genre’s history that goes back farther than the singers he would’ve heard on the radio growing up. So I think of Clear as Day less as a starter kit and more as a solid foundation from which a young singer can grow. – IdolChatter
Teen Idols make their big debuts – McCreery’s disc is clearly the stronger of the two, and it’s no surprise. He’s a more natural performer and seems unfettered by NashVegas trappings or mainstream radio cynicism. Country music just seems to be an extension of who he is. The songs are age-appropriate, heartfelt and sincere. (He turns 18 this month.) – HoustonChronicle
Album Review: ‘American Idol’ Scotty McCreery’s ‘Clear As Day’ – McCreery gathered tunes from many of Nashville’s finest songwriters here. While every tune is well crafted, like the first two singles, they are so generic in their embrace of a small town America and country “values” that the album could have come with a calendar from the ‘50s and a slice of apple pie. There’s even a mom who thanks God for “dirty dishes.” Calling June Cleaver. – HitFix
Review: McCreery Shows Promise and Flaws on New CD – This talent shows on “Love You This Big, ” his debut hit introduced on “Idol.” He sounds like he’s quietly singing the lyrics to one person, even as crowds raise their hands and sing along. This ability to quietly express emotion also comes across on the album’s title cut, “Clear As Day, ” based on young love blossoming in a parking lot after a football game. But the latter also illustrates McCreery’s limitations: Just how big is the audience for a tragic ballad that mentions exchanging class rings? – Associated Press
Review: “Idol” Scotty McCreery aims for the mushy middle – The path Scotty McCreery would take after being crowned king of “American Idol’s” 10th season couldn’t have been clearer. Like Carrie Underwood before him, the 17-year-old winner would renounce any pop crossover temptations, record contemporary country with a slightly traditional twist, and declare to his handlers, “Music Row, take the wheel.” Not surprisingly, then, McCreery’s debut album, “Clear as Day, ” pretty much follows the template you’d expect. With one very slight wrinkle, though: He sings high. – Reuters
Scotty McCreery – Clear As Day – Eighteen-year-old Scotty McCreery won the 10th season of American Idol with a surprisingly deep voice and a more formidable smirk. His debut – a ho-hum jaunt through an America full of dog-eared Bibles, rugged pickup trucks and girls “hot as July, sweet as sunshine” – works overtime playing up his wide-eyed charm. Of the ballads, the least icky is the title track, a tear-jerker about a car accident à la “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” The bright spot here is the rollicking Keith Urban co-write “Walk in the Country, ” where McCreery sneers, “I’m so sick of all them TV shows.” – Rolling Stone
GAC Album Review: Scotty McCreery’s Clear As Day – Like a lot of the artists he covered on American Idol, such as George Strait and Alan Jackson, Scotty’s debut album, Clear As Day, strikes a strong neo-traditionalist stance. Producer Mark Bright’s work lives up to his surname with a sound that is crisp and polished, yet rooted in traditional country. Songs like Scotty’s first single and coronation piece from the American Idol finale, “I Love You This Big, ” draw on shiny acoustic guitars, thick electric Telecaster guitar tones and sweeping pedal steel. Scotty’s deep vocal sounds somewhere between Dierks Bentley and Josh Turner as he sings, I’ll spend the rest of my life explaining what words could not describe but I’ll try, after a nod admitting his youth and relative inexperience with love. – GACTV
Scotty McCreery Talks ‘Clear As Day’: Video Track-By-Track
