FM 106.1 (Milwaukee, WI): Concert Review: Danny Gokey CD Release Party – 3/6
Danny Gokey
CD Release Party
Turner Ballroom
Saturday, March 6, 2010Danny Gokey has been a local hero ever since his debut on American Idol. His raspy voice and devastating story of losing his wife to a heart condition melted our hearts. Even though he isn’t America’s next idol, he is making a huge impact on Country music, and we can all thank Randy Travis for influencing Danny to make country his genre. Danny is the first of Season 8 American Idol finalists to land a tour. We can look forward to seeing his name in lights on the 2010 Sugarland Incredible Machine Tour.
The CD Release party for “My Best Days” had over 1500 fans waiting in line, all hoping to be among the 950 that would make it inside Turner Ballroom on 4th Street, downtown Milwaukee. It was difficult for Danny to turn away so many fans in his hometown. He suggested that a second set be played that night but with a promise to sign CDs for the 950 guests that did make it in, there was just no time for two shows. Before the show began, Danny took the time to sign some autographs and talk with a few FM106ers while Lifetime filmed a documentary. He was completely down-to-earth and easy to talk to. After almost stepping in a hole in the floor, a part of the 150 year old building’s charm, he joked, “I almost ended up in someone’s fish fry downstairs.”
Read the full review: FM 106.1 (Milwaukee, WI): Official Concert Review: Danny Gokey CD Release Party – 3/6
herald-dispatch: Danny Gokey CD Review: Is He Back in the Love Column?
by Angela Henderson
Has there ever been an Idol contestant that I have had more of a love/relationship with than Danny Gokey? I don’t think so…
I absolutely adored him from the get-go last year, and then I did a complete 180 and viciously turned against him, even declaring I would do whatever I could to keep him from the finals. And then I met him and he looked into my eyes with that earnest face that you just can’t deny and then took the stage with that gutwrenching performance of “What Hurts the Most.” It was really hard not to like him after that.
But then he went and recorded a country album, and I don’t like country, which should have placed him back in the hate column. So why am I going to Amazon.com as we speak and ordering the CD?
Because I love it. I know I’m in shock too…
Read the full review: herald-dispatch: Danny Gokey CD Review: Is He Back in the Love Column?
The Miami Herald: Review: Danny Gokey’s “Best Days”
As we know from his posts during American Idol, Howard Cohen is far from being a fan of Danny so this review is actually pretty good.
Danny Gokey, My Best Days (19/RCA) 2.5 stars.
by Howard CohenDanny Gokey sings that these are the best days of his life on the title track single from his post-Idol debut CD and on the evidence of this 10-track, brief at under 40 minutes, CD, the bespectacled widower might be on to something.
On My Best Days, Gokey finds the right balance between neighboring music styles — contemporary country and Christian pop — and has delivered an album that isn’t a contender for Best anything but it feels like the most natural to come from a season eight contestant.
Read the full review: The Miami Herald: Review: Danny Gokey’s “Best Days”
EW: Extended Play, Country Edition: Danny Gokey, Blake Shelton, Easton Corbin
We know that Entertainment Weekly personnel hate Danny on principle, so this is a very good review.
Danny Gokey
My Best Days
Country (19/RCA Nashville)“Nobody wants to be a nobody,” sings Danny Gokey on his post-Idol debut, and that hunger for attention no doubt explains why the growly gospel guy submits to a mall-country makeover here. Yet if My Best Days feels a little impersonal, it’s also stocked with crafty contributions from some of Nashville’s most dependable song doctors, including the guys of Lady Antebellum, whose “It’s Only” mines a dreamy melancholy well suited to Gokey’s rough-honey vocals. Another highlight: “I Still Believe,” a chewy bit of cheeseball inspiration by Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. B- —Mikael Wood
Download These: piano-laced ballad “It’s Only”; hard-grooving “Be Somebody”
via: EW: Extended Play, Country Edition: Danny Gokey, Blake Shelton, Easton Corbin
USAToday Review of Danny Gokey’s ‘My Best Days’ Track by Track
Coming out of American Idol last season, Danny Gokey indicated he didn’t want to limit himself to the Christian-music audience that would have been a natural fit for the former worship leader. Given Danny’s penchant for storytelling and inspirational messages — and his apparent lack of knowledge of contemporary pop-music trends — country was about the only format that made sense for him. No, he didn’t grow up on a farm, or even a small town, and he likely won’t challenge George Strait, Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney for supremacy in the genre. But he did show a fondness for contemporary country, especially the ballads, during Idol and the subsequent tour. So, with My Best Days, Danny finds a home in country. It’ll be an easy place for his fans to find him, and it doesn’t rein him in the way an explicitly Christian career would have. At the same time, it positions him nicely should he have the occasional track that makes sense for a push into AC or Christian territories.
Philadelphia Daily News: Gokey goes for gold
By JONATHAN TAKIFF
Philadelphia Daily NewsGOKEY GOES FOR GOLD: With those earnest, powerful pipes, he could have come out of the “American Idol” wringer as another blue-eyed soul singer. But what would that have gotten Danny Gokey? Status as “the next Taylor Hicks”? Uh, pass.
Fortunately, the third-place finalist of Season 8 listened when guest mentor Randy Travis suggested country. On Gokey’s debut, “My Best Days,” (19 Recordings/RCA, B+), it fits perfectly.
Does it help the backstory that Gokey used to be a big-rig driver and church musical director? That his wife died unexpectedly a month before the competition?
All that gives him the gumption to gather and earnestly sing wholesome, sometimes lighthearted twang-rockers and ballads about making each moment count, keeping the faith and never letting love leave your heart.
via: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20100302_Goin__country__political___retro.html
Review: The New York Times: Critics’ Choice: Danny Gokey “My Best Days”
Last year Danny Gokey placed third on “American Idol,” his transcendent moment coming early in the competition, when he covered Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” in a roaring, pained, audacious performance that almost shattered the original.
So Mr. Gokey is a country singer, right? Not exactly. For this onetime church worship leader (an increasingly present and influential subset of “Idol” competitors), the most important word in that song’s title was the first one.
There are no shortage of Christian pop and rock stars, but none have crossed over to the mainstream since Amy Grant in 1991. After his “Idol” success Mr. Gokey faced the opposite problem: he was already something of a household name, and an explicitly inspirational album might limit his audience.
Country music, with its omnipresent religious streak, is the obvious compromise choice, even if Mr. Gokey, who is from Milwaukee, is twangless: even Rascal Flatts sounds Southern by comparison. “My Best Days,” his debut album, is for better and for worse Christian pop squeezed into Wranglers.
An instrumental version of this album, which was expertly produced by the veteran Mark Bright, would be an apt fit for just about any Nashville singer. But Mr. Gokey, knowingly or not, is rebelling against country’s strictures. His voice is wide and raspy, best on shouted, celebratory refrains and roomy ballads, which are few and far between here. Instead there’s wordy country-rock (“My Best Days Are Ahead of Me”) and awkward Southern demi-funk (“Get Away”), neither of which suits him. (The rollicking “Life on Ya” is the best compromise.) His Doobie Brothers vocals on “Be Somebody” are more successful but stymied by mystifying lyrics, seemingly about gangs. And it isn’t until “Crazy Not To,” the 8th song of 10, that he gets around to a proper declaration of love, a curious and unfortunate gap.
Sometimes here Mr. Gokey’s spirituality is overt, as on the Southern gospel-influenced “I Still Believe” and the curiously morbid “It’s Only.” But mainly it’s inspiration by implication, as on the devastating “I Will Not Say Goodbye.” Part of Mr. Gokey’s “Idol” story line was the death of his wife a few weeks before his audition, and this ballad, by far the album’s best song, feels like his first, raw attempt at channeling that hurt. “The sun comes up each day/Finds me waiting, fading, hating, praying”: not explicitly religious, but full of faith nonetheless. JON CARAMANICA
via: The New York Times | Critics’ Choice | Danny Gokey “My Best Days”
JSOnline (Milwaukee, WI): CD Review: Gokey can sing; other songs might help
Danny Gokey
My Best Days
19 Recordings/RCA NashvilleIf the sympathy vote had been the deciding factor on Season 8 of “American Idol,” Danny Gokey would have taken first place in a walk: The Milwaukee native entered his first audition for the show four weeks after his wife, who had recommended he try out, died during surgery.
His third-place finish, behind Adam Lambert (wow) and Kris Allen (yawn), was probably a bittersweet result, but he sounds upbeat on his first album, “My Best Days,” in stores Tuesday.
Read the full review: JSOnline | CD Review: Gokey can sing; other songs might help
Blog review: Zap2It: ‘American Idol’: Stream Danny Gokey’s debut album
By Andrea Reiher
Check out “American Idol” finalist Danny Gokey’s debut album.
“My Best Days” officially drops on Tuesday, March 2, but you can get a sneak peek of Danny Gokey’s album on the Rhapsody website (via CMT).
We gave it a spin and actually enjoyed it, which surprised us. We were not Danny’s biggest fans last year on “Idol.”
Our favorite song on the album is the driving “Get Away.” It’s a rocky-country song and Danny’s raspy voice sounds great on it. There’s also a power ballad called “I Will Not Say Goodbye” that is quite good. We could easily hear either of those songs being played on country radio stations.
It looks like Danny may have found his niche in country music, which is great for him. If it worked for Carrie Underwood, then why not?
via: http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2010/02/american-idol-stream-danny-gokeys-debut-album.html
Reuters: Billboard singles reviews – Danny Gokey ‘My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me’
February 13, 2010 by Owlki
Filed under Album, Danny Gokey, Review
ARTIST: DANNY GOKEY
SINGLE: MY BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD OF ME (19/RCA Records)
Danny Gokey placed third on the 2009 season of “American Idol” and inked a deal in Nashville to pursue a country music career. He’s off to a great start with this buoyant single that showcases his strong, soulful voice and upbeat persona. Written by veteran Music Row writers Marv Green and Kent Blazy, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” is so far the feel-good country song of 2010, with its soaring melody, sing-along chorus and positive message. As “Idol” viewers know, Gokey’s wife died shortly before the 29-year-old artist’s audition for the show, and he infuses this song with an emotional weight generally rare in one so young. His performance teems with vulnerability, hope, strength and resiliency. It’s a perfect marriage of artist and song that should serve as a strong launch pad for this talented “Idol” alum.
via: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61B5CF20100212
CMT Blog: Danny Gokey Encourages Happiness in New Video
January 28, 2010 by Owlki
Filed under Danny Gokey, Review
By Samantha McDonald
“My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” is an uplifting piece by Danny Gokey, a Top 3 contestant on last year’s season of American Idol. He begins the video by singing alone in an empty warehouse while scenes of happy life moments and inspirational quotes flash across the screen. I particularly identify with the statements, “Life is too short to be anything but happy” and “The biggest mistake you make is being afraid to make one.” I especially appreciate how the video progresses, with Gokey walking through the city and ending up on a hill overlooking the Nashville skyline at night. I have now lived in Nashville for four years and recognize its rich musical culture and vast opportunity, specifically for people like me who are just entering the working world and trying to make our dreams come true.
via: CMT Blog: Danny Gokey Encourages Happiness in New Video
Roughstock: Ones To Watch: The Class of 2010
January 14, 2010 by Owlki
Filed under Danny Gokey, Review
by Matt Bjorke
Last Year we selected eight artists for our “Ones To Watch: The Class of 2009” feature and while 7 of the artists did hit the charts that year, only Love and Theft managed to break-out. Sure, Joey + Rory managed to maintain a high profile all year but their fellow Can You Duet friends Caitlin & Will parted ways after their single and EP failed to grab attention to folks outside of the industry (or viewers of the Can You Duet program). This year, we’re expanding the list to include 11 artists. Some of these artists are on smaller labels and some are on larger labels.
Each artist featured here will continue to be featured in the friendly confines of Roughstock as the year goes along. They represent some of the best artists that mainstream country music has to offer and here’s hoping more than one or two actually breakthrough in a big way.
…
Danny Gokey (19/RCA)
Who He Is: Most people know Danny from this third place finish on the eighth season of American Idol (2009). Gokey’s first single “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” is currently at radio.
Where He Is From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Why We Should Care: While Danny may be a pop-leaning artist, his voice recalls Kenny Rogers at times with a soulful rasp that is working well in Nashville these days. Gokey, who is passionate about singing songs with good messages of hope and redemption, will release his debut album My Best Days this coming spring.
via: http://www.roughstock.com/blog/ones-to-watch-the-class-of-2010/
