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Picked up Danny Gokey’s album “My best Days” this weekend. here is a little mini-review for those interested.

Personally, I love the album, I am a Danny Gokey fan and I like his voice. His voice is well suited for country music. That said, I have to be brutally honest here, there are a few gems on this album, but unless you are a Gokey fan or a big country music fan, there is little reason for you to buy this album. it is not going to be a huge crossover success ala Carrie Underwood. it is more in line with former Idol singers like Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, and Josh Gracin.

As I said, I like the album, and there are a few songs I really think could be successful for him, but bottom line - you could hear the same thing on hundreds of other country albums by myriad other singers in the country genre. There really is no huge breakout song or anything wonderously unique to grab the casual listener. This is just an album of mainstream country that does not transcend or push the boundaries of the genre in any direction.

Here are the nuggets that do exist in the album however:
1. I Will Not Say Goodbye - this is an homage to Danny’s wife, and anyone who knows the story or has lost a loved one will connect with this song. In my opinion this should be the next single released. It is a heart felt ballad and is Danny at his best. A truly wonderful song.

2. Get Away - this is the only true rollicking “country-rock” song on the album. it is a fun song and is very much in the Trace Atkins/Toby Kieth style of music. It stands out from the rest of the album and that is a good thing.

3. My Best Days are Ahead of Me - Nice upbeat tempo, and Danny sounds great. Just a cool feel good song.

4. Life On Ya - Another fun song that is just catchy enough to get you tapping your toes and singing along. Not sure it is good enough to be a charting single, but it is a fun song to listen to and sing along to in the car.

The rest of the album is a mish-mash of standard “new Country” songs that would be filler on albums all across the genre. Not bad songs by any means, Danny sounds great, but they are not great songs that would stand alone. I would rate a trio: “Like It’s A Bad Thing”, “It’s Only”, and “Be Somebody” as above average but not earth-shattering in any sense, and then the final three songs as MEH filler: “I Still Believe” (written by Kara DioGuardi by the way), “Tiny Life”, and “Crazy Not To”.

A good, not great, debut album for Danny. I like it, and recommend it to any and all Danny Gokey/Country Music fans; but would advise all others to listen to some of the songs online before buying it. Bottom line: I see middle of the road success along the lines of Bucky or Josh, maybe a little behind Kellie P.