Scotty McCreery omniibus thread

[Miguel]

Early reviews:

Reuters:

"Idol" Scotty McCreery aims for the mushy middle

...Will Scotty be beamed up to whatever obscure place Lee DeWyze currently remains marooned, or have a chance to find himself and grow into a keeper? Even after hearing his debut album, the answer's still opaque as night.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/0...XA20111003

Associated Press:

McCreery Shows Promise and Flaws on New CD

...What McCreery does well shines as clear as day throughout his new album. But are the songs strong enough to transform a good cover singer into singular artist? Not quite yet. "Clear As Day" isn't a disappointment, but neither is it the kind of remarkable debut that established recent country stars like Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum — or, more to the point, former "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wire...d-14655977

USA Today:

Scotty McCreery,Clear as Day
* * (out of four) COUNTRY
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. Luke Bryan did just that recently. McCreery trods similar territory, but the hooks just aren't there.

Rolling Stone:

* * (out of five)
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."

All Music Guide:

Winning American Idol on the strength his dopey grin and cornball down-home appeal, Scotty McCreery delivers his debut, Clear as Day, just five months after taking home the big prize, the quickest turn around in Idol history. Forget whatever this portends about the health of the television show or the power of Scotty’s personality: it does suggest that McCreery is the easiest of all Idols to fit within the pre-existing machinery of the music industry. Possessing no distinct persona outside of the good guy next door, McCreery can sing any generic Nashville number, and so he does on Clear as Day, singing songs about sweet tea, pecan pies, country, football, the King James bible, mom, water towers, and, of course, love. Songs this basic need flair, either in the writing or the performance departments, to distinguish themselves, and there are moments with flashes of life, both coming courtesy of writer Rhett Akins, whose “You Make That Look Good” and “Write My Number on Your Hand” have some pep and sturdy country roots. Apart from that, 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.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/clear-as-d...355/review

In other Scotty news, "Scotty aims for slice of normal in Garner"

Normal being kissing the cross and asking the lord to not let these girls tempt him.

Though they hope "Water Tower Town" will be released as a single, Scotty's current single - and the one he's likely to perform a lot this week - is "The Trouble With Girls," about a smitten young man who just can't figure out females. Scotty filmed the video for the song - with a bunch of his fellow students as extras - at Garner High on Saturday.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/02/1...z1ZmsExcIH