Clear as Day

Clear as Day is the debut studio album by season ten American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. The album was released on October 4, 2011 in the United States.[1] Clear as Day also became the first debut album from an American Idol winner to reach number one on the US Billboard 200 since Ruben Studdard's Soulful in 2003, selling 197,000 copies in its first week.[2][3]

Clear as Day
Studio album by Scotty McCreery
Released	October 4, 2011
Recorded	May - July 2011
Genre	Country
Length	40:49
Label	Mercury Nashville 19
Producer	Mark Bright
Scotty McCreery chronology
Clear as Day (2011) Christmas with Scotty McCreery (2012)
Singles from Clear as Day
"I Love You This Big" Released: May 25, 2011 "The Trouble with Girls" Released: August 30, 2011 "Water Tower Town" Released: April 9, 2012

McCreery broke records as the first country act to debut at number one with their first studio album, and at 18 years old, the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with their debut release.[2] The album had since been certified platinum on January 6, 2012.[4]

Background

Scotty McCreery began working on his album soon after he was crowned the winner of the tenth season of American Idol. McCreery described the album as having "some old country influences and elements" that he grew up with, such as Hank Williams, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard, but "it also has a contemporary feel with fun up-tempo songs."[5] He said the title track, "Clear as Day", is one of his favorites on the album and he loves the message behind the song.[6] The album includes a cover of a song by Keith Urban, "Walkin’ the Country", released when he was in the band The Ranch.[7][8]

Singles

• "I Love You This Big" was released as the debut and coronation single by Scotty McCreery.[9] It debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number 15 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
• "The Trouble with Girls" was released as the second single from the album, which premiered on radio on August 30, 2011,[10] and released onto iTunes and Amazon.com on September 1, 2011. It debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and had since reached number 55.
• "Water Tower Town" was released as the third single from the album for country radio on April 9, 2012. McCreery subsequently reworked the lyrics as "Bojangles Town" for a series of TV advertisements about the Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits restaurant chain.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
USA Today	[14]

Upon its release, Clear as Day received generally mixed reviews from most music critics.[15] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 51, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "Mixed or average reviews".[15]

Jerry Shriver of USA Today gave the album 2 stars out of 4, saying that the album was "strictly paint-by-numbers country, with some mildly interesting colors occasionally dabbed inside the lines."[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave it two stars out of five, saying that although some of the songs had "signs of life" to them, "the songs and production demand that all energy come from young Scotty, who amiably sleepwalks through the tunes, expecting his 'aw shucks' smile will translate onto record. That it doesn’t is not necessarily on his shoulders -- it’s better to place the blame on the machine, here run by producer Mark Bright."[12] Rolling Stone critic Caryn Ganz also gave the album two stars out of five, stating that "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."[13] Chris Willman, writing for Reuters, gave it a mixed review, singling out "The Trouble With Girls" as having "sweetly playful lyrics" but adding that "the sappy music seems to have been written for a different set of words, as if McCreery were supposed to be singing about Jesus taking the wheel, not chick magnetism."[16]

Melinda Newman, writing for HitFix, gave it a B- rating, saying "McCreery has a voice meant for country. It’s deep, resonant, and for someone so young, he also had a good command of nuance...the sound is so clean and clear, if it were a floor, you could eat off it...there is no attempt whatsoever to make any song here palatable for a country crossover to pop — and that is a compliment."[17] Joey Guerra, writing for the Houston Chronicle, gave it a positive review, noting that "there are a surprising and refreshing number of uptempo numbers, and the entire thing clearly establishes his persona, unlike so many post-Idol debut efforts." Additionally, he said that of the two albums being released by the 2011 American Idol finalists (referring to Lauren Alaina's debut album, which would be released a week after Clear As Day), "(Clear As Day) 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.".[18]

Chart performance

Clear as Day debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 197,000 copies. McCreery became the first country act to debut at number one with their first studio album. At 18-years old, McCreery also became the youngest man to debut at the top of the chart with their debut release breaking Omarion's record, who was 20 when O debuted at number one in 2005.[19]

As of April 2013, the album had sold 1,166,000 copies in the United States.[20]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Out of Summertime"	Tim Nichols, Jonathan Singleton	3:42
2.	"I Love You This Big"	Ester Dean, Brett James, Jay Smith, Ronnie Jackson	4:06
3.	"Clear as Day"	Casey Beathard, Phil O'Donnell, Adam Wheeler	3:56
4.	"The Trouble with Girls"	Phillip White, Chris Tompkins	3:49
5.	"Water Tower Town"	Cole Swindell, Tammi Kidd, Lynn Hutton	2:44
6.	"Walk in the Country"	Keith Urban, Vernon Rust	2:59
7.	"Better than That"	Chris DeStefano, Jess Cates, Craig Wiseman	3:10
8.	"Write My Number on Your Hand"	Thomas Rhett, Jeremy Stover, Jamie Paulin	2:59
9.	"Dirty Dishes"	Neil Thrasher, Michael Dulaney, Tony Martin	3:36
10.	"You Make That Look Good"	Rhett Akins, Lee Thomas Miller	3:01
11.	"Back on the Ground"	Thrasher, Beathard, Martin	3:19
12.	"That Old King James"	White, Mark Nesler	3:29
Total length:			40:49

Personnel

• Mark Bright - string arrangements
• Perry Coleman - background vocals
• Eric Darken - percussion
• Carl Gorodetzky - string contractor
• Wes Hightower - background vocals
• Mike Johnson - pedal steel guitar
• Charlie Judge - string conductor, string arrangements, keyboards, programming, squeezebox, synthesizer
• Paul Leim - drums
• Greg Leisz - banjo, acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar
• Scotty McCreery - lead vocals
• Brent Mason - electric guitar
• Destinee Monroe - background vocals
• Paris Monroe - background vocals
• Gordon Mote - piano
• The Nashville String Machine - strings
• Jimmy Nichols - piano
• Tim Pierce - electric guitar
• Jerry Roe - drums
• Matt Rollings - Hammond B-3 organ
• Leland Sklar - bass guitar
• Jimmie Lee Sloas - bass guitar
• Joe Spivey - fiddle
• Neil Thrasher - background vocals
• Ilya Toshinsky - acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, mandolin
• Jennifer Wrinkle - background vocals
• Jonathan Yudkin - cello, contrabass, string arrangements, viola, violin

Charts

Weekly Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart[21]	4
New Zealand Albums Chart[22]	32
South African Albums Chart[23]	19
UK Country Artist Albums Chart[24]	5
US Billboard 200[21]	1
US Billboard Top Country Albums[21]	1

Year-End Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[21]	57
US Billboard Top Country Albums[21]	12

Chart (2012)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[21]	32
US Billboard Top Country Albums[21]	8

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)	Position
US Billboard 200[25]	191

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Sales	Certifications
		US Country [26][27]	US [28][29]	CAN
2011	"I Love You This Big"	15	11	21	US: 915,000[30]	US: Platinum[31]
	"The Trouble with Girls"	17	55	—	US: 836,000[32]	US: Platinum[33]
2012	"Water Tower Town"	38	—	—	US: 49,000[34]

Certifications

Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)[35]	Platinum

References

1. Dukes, Billy (August 11, 2011). "Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Announce Release Date and Title of New Albums". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
2. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/466103/idols-scotty-mccreery-makes-history-at-no-1-on-billboard-200
3. Mansfield, Brian (November 9, 2011). "Kelly Clarkson stays in top 10 for a second week". Idol Chatter. USA Today. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
4. "American single certifications – Scotty McCreery – Clear As Day". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
5. Shetler, Scott (August 12, 2011). "SCOTTY MCCREERY, LAUREN ALAINA ANNOUNCE ALBUM TITLES, RELEASE DATES". PopCrush. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
6. Hensel, Amanda (August 13, 2011). "Scotty McCreery's 'Clear As Day' Demo Reportedly Discovered Online". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
7. Hensel, Amanda (2011-08-27). "Scotty McCreery's 'Clear as Day' Album to Include a Keith Urban Track". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
8. Nicholson, Jessica (September 1, 2011). "CW Exclusive: Scotty McCreery Reveals Title of Keith Urban Song on New Album". Country Weekly. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
9. Dukes, Billy (August 29, 2011). "Scotty McCreery's New Single 'The Trouble With Girls' Debuts Tomorrow". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
10. Mansfield, Brian (August 30, 2011). "Scotty McCreery debuts new single, 'The Trouble With Girls'". Idol Chatter. USA Today. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
11. http://tasteofcountry.com/scotty-mccreery-bojangles-commercial/
12. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Clear as Day - Scotty McCreery". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
13. Ganz, Caryn (October 4, 2011). "Scotty McCreery Clear as Day". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
14. Shriver, Jerry (October 3, 2011). "Listen Up: Albums from McCreery, Indigo Girls". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
15. "Clear as Day Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
16. Willman, Chris (October 3, 2011). "Review: "Idol" Scotty McCreery aims for the mushy middle". Reuters. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
17. Newman, Melinda (October 3, 2011). "Album Review: 'American Idol' Scotty McCreery's 'Clear As Day'". HitFix. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
18. Guerra, Joey (October 3, 2011). "Teen Idols make their big debuts". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
19. "'Idol's' Scotty McCreery Makes History at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
20. Mansfield, Brian (April 21, 2013). "'Idol' sales: Scotty's new single, more". Idol Chatter. USA Today. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
21. "Chart listing for Clear as Day". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
22. "Scotty McCreery Discography". charts.nz. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
23. "South African Top 20 Albums Chart". RSG (Recording Industry of South Africa). Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.
24. "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
25. "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
26. "Scotty McCreery Makes Historic Start, Lauren Alaina Bows On Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
27. "Chart Highlights: Kelly Clarkson Debuts on Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
28. "'Idols' Scotty McCreery & Lauren Alaina Top Hot 100 Debuts, Adele Still No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
29. Kelly Clarkson's 'Know It All' Debuts on Hot 100, Rihanna's 'Cheers' Rises
30. "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Retrieved 21 February 2014.
31. "American single certifications – Scotty McCreery – I Love You This Big". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
32. "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Retrieved 21 February 2014.
33. "American single certifications – Scotty McCreery – The Trouble with Girls". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
34. Mansfield, Brian (April 4, 2012). "'Don't You Wanna Stay' passes 2 million downloads". Idol Chatter. USA Today. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
35. "American album certifications – Scotty McCreery – Clear as Day". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.