Scotty McCreery was undeniably an old school country boy on AI, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t questions about the kind of music he would release after the show. Traditional country isn’t exactly pervasive at country radio these days, nor is there an established market in country music for male teenagers. How many songs are out there that fit a traditional country-leaning 17 year old guy and how would Scotty bear up in a marketplace that has recently seen a surge from 30-something males like Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, and Jake Owen and the 26 year old Chris Young?
Scotty answers with an album that mixes songs about family and small town life with songs exploring young love and attraction with a little more candor than you might expect, and a mix of production choices that range from rootsy to orchestral. Although Scotty’s traditional country style remains obvious in his voice, Clear As Day is more of a contemporary country album whose best moments show Scotty staking out his place on the country scene as a young man with a special knack for channeling the earnestness and sense of humor he used to navigate AI into his songs.
What are those best moments? They start around the midpoint of what turns out to be a backloaded album. The energy of Clear As Day takes a noticeable step up with the first chords of “Walk In The Country”, and Scotty sings as if he’s finally getting to cut loose. Even his voice seems to open up from a technical standpoint. Scotty shows some good-natured hillbilly pride delivering lyrics that work just as well as a humorous reflection on how much American Idol/Hollywood made him miss home as they do as a way of asking a girl out on a date or a way of inviting his mainstream AI fans to go country with him. The guitar work may not come from the song’s co-writer Keith Urban but it is just as infectious as the song.
Scotty brings that same cheekiness and flirtiness to the album’s most pleasant surprise: “Write My Number On Your Hand”. What’s surprising about the song is the way it combines Scotty’s most old school country delivery (think Roger Miller) with contemporary beachy production that recalls some of Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band’s big hits, and also how Scotty delivers lines like “River drenched bikini sittin pretty on her hips” and “I was wantin to kiss her like an old bullfrog” without sounding like a lewd dirtbag. This might be Scotty’s strongest vocal on the whole album as well as his best interpretation for how well he expresses the awkwardness and fun of the courtship game.
Scotty also does really well on a couple of songs exploring more expected themes like the flush of young love and homesickness. His voice sounds rich and joyful on “Better Than That”, a catchy uptempo outburst of happiness built on a sweet melody that recalls 90s country/pop. It would be even stronger if the chorus were a little more sophisticated lyrically but it’s still a great fit for Scotty because it lets him channel the unfettered enthusiasm only a kid can really get away with having.
Scotty’s age is an asset in a totally different way on Clear As Day’s best ballad: “Back On The Ground”. On its face, the song is a typical midtempo ballad with a nice piano hook about how much somebody relishes being able to get home to his mama and talk about things he couldn’t wait to escape when he was younger. But lyrics like “Ain’t it funny how it all comes back around/I remember when I couldn’t wait to get out of her hair and ditch this town…Now it’s any reason to get back home/I’m just slowing down and getting my feet back on the ground” have special poignancy when Scotty sings them because of his journey from Garner high school student to national recording artist who is still trying to be a Garner high school student. Scotty gets a little choked up when he sings about taking that extra cup of coffee and it really conveys his recognition that he may not be allowed that time in the foreseeable future. Although the production of the chorus goes a little harder than it needs to, Scotty delivers the song’s lyrics with the sensitivity you would expect from somebody who is living them.
The backloading of Clear As Day doesn’t mean the front half is full of duds. Although I would have made “Walk In The Country” the 1st track, “Out Of Summertime” has a rootsy beginning and makes a strong introductory statement about the album as an age-appropriate contemporary but traditional country song. It would make a solid single choice despite some oversinging. “Clear As Day” is a well written story that pairs an acoustic guitar, fiddle, and mandolin to Scotty’s voice for somberly delivered verses whose ominous tone isn’t explained until the very end. The song would have been even better if the chorus didn’t push as hard, which leads Scotty to push his voice hard at the expense of his phrasing. The main weakness of the front half of the album is the fact that it has three consecutive midtempo power ballads, two of which are Scotty’s first two singles and the weakest album tracks. To be fair to “The Trouble With Girls”, it makes a little more sense as an album track when you consider there are several other songs that tap into the idea of a young guy who is kind of helpless in the presence of girls he’s attracted to. But it is overly orchestrated and the production is not a good match for Scotty’s performance.
“Water Tower Town” is the one of 2 uptempo country rockers on the album and filled with “hurray small town” cliches. It’s easy to imagine what a fun concert performance it will be for Scotty’s fans but big declarations like “crime stays low” and “your word’s your word” make the song seem like a sheltered whitewashing of what small town life is really like. The song doesn’t really build anything off the idea of the “water tower” either, it’s just a line on repeat.
Scotty does better with the other country rocker, “You Make That Look Good”. The song starts out inauspiciously with “I’m just a country boy/I drive a 4 by 4” but instead of turning into the zillionth country song about how great it is to be a backwoods truck-driving hick, it turns out the song is about the lady in this guy’s life making his beat up truck, his old porch, and other unappealing things look good just by being there. It’s the kind of easygoing, “man, I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into” song about being in love you might expect to hear from Blake Shelton. Scotty’s comfort level singing this song shows he can play on the same turf as his older colleagues and appeal to adult male fans.
That leaves 2 family-oriented tracks built on the backbone of faith: “Dirty Dishes” and “That Old King James”. “Dirty Dishes” is a sweet and sappy snapshot of a harried mom who finds a moment to see the blessings in her crazy busy family life while “That Old King James” is a very pretty song that maps a family Bible’s journey through 3 generations of a family. Neither really covers any new ground as a country song but they both fit Scotty’s perspective on life right now. Scotty connects especially well with “That Old King James”, singing it almost like a reminder to himself without beating religiosity over anybody’s head. “That Old King James” especially suits his personality because it shows the self-awareness of a son who’s mature enough to know he’s probably given his mama some headaches.
*****
There’s a 2 way challenge Idol grads face when they make their debut album: they need to satisfy the fans who voted for them on the show while also expanding their fanbase outside the bubble to gain a foothold in their home genre. How does Scotty do? He follows in the tradition of country Idol grads in making an album that totally reflects his AI personality, and there are definitely a few songs aimed right at the teenage girl/mother/grandmother demographic. Clear As Day probably leans more on the contemporary country side of things than one might expect, taking cues from the positive responses to Scotty’s performances of “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?” by Thompson Square, “Amazed” by Lonestar, and “The River” by Garth Brooks.
As far as gaining new fans, Clear As Day has the potential hit singles to distinguish Scotty from Josh Turner and Chris Young while proving he fits in seamlessly among country radio’s core male acts. The album probably won’t be considered an artistic revelation and Scotty can and should still grow as vocalist. But Scotty and Clear As Day do their job and should quiet skeptics who think Scotty’s just an AI novelty and imitator.
Singles, please: “Walk In The Country” (smash!), “Back On The Ground” (it’s relatable, well written, and nobody else on the country scene could sing it with the authenticity Scotty does), either “Write My Number On Your Hand” or “You Make That Look Good” (I won’t cry if “Out Of Summertime” is a single either)
Skip: “The Trouble With Girls, ” ILYTB, “Water Tower Town” (sorry!)
My secret dream: A performance of “Walk In The Country” featuring Scotty, Keith Urban…..and the Muppets. I know it sounds crazy but I have it all mapped out in my head and it’s crazy AWESOME.
