Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Editor’s Note: Warning to all fans of Danny Gokey. You might want to jump to the middle of this blog. I’ve marked the spot. You won’t like the intro. Pretty much guaranteed.

Here’s my problem with Danny Gokey’s debut album, “My Best Days.” It’s a little matter of authenticity.

Danny Gokey is not a country artist. I mean, check out what he told American Idol at the start of season eight.

Given a choice of any song to sing on Idol, he would have chosen a gospel song by Marvin Sapp.

Ask who he’d like to perform with if he could chose anyone, he picked singing salsa with Marc Anthony.

Asked to name his musical influences, he listed seven, including Mariah Carey, Lauren Hill and Dark Latin Groove. Nary a country artist among them.

Check out the songwriting credits on the rather skimpy selection of 10 songs on Danny’s debut album. You won’t see his name once.

Listen to the lyrics of those songs. Two have Danny playing the part of raucous rebel.

Blake Shelton? That’d be believable. Danny Gokey? The gospel guy with the funky glasses? Give me a break.

It’s as though someone at 19 Entertainment said, “Gee, you know what. Danny sang ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ pretty well. And country music is popular right now. Let’s go country with Gokey.”

Which really irks me, because it’s not as though season eight didn’t have its share of legitimate country artists. They just didn’t get nearly the airtime or over-the-top reviews from the judges that Danny did.

I mean, Kara and Paula were gaga over Gokey even when some of his early performances were only mediocre.

Editor’s note: Danny Gokey fans should start reading here.

Having said all of that, “My Best Days” is a decent country-pop album.

That’s not surprising. Danny had the guiding hand of Mark Bright producing it. That name might not be familiar, but he’s the guy who produced “Carnival Ride,” “Play On” and several songs on “Some Hearts” for Carrie Underwood.

And Danny was handed a selection of songs with which it would be hard to miss, especially given his vocal portfolio, which includes a touch of soul, a hint of grit and tons of passion.

I’ve had the lead single, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” stuck in my head since I bought Danny’s album on Tuesday. And I’m not at all annoyed that it’s stuck in my head. It’s a great song; so is Danny’s vocal on it.

In the number two hole, we’re served up “Like That’s a Bad Thing,” which is nearly as addictive.

And if a couple of the songs on the album don’t seem to fit the Danny Gokey we came to know on Idol, others certainly do. Like the ballad “It’s Only” and its let’s-help-the-downtrodden message.

And closing the album with “I Will Not Say Goodbye” was a stroke of genius. The reference to Danny’s deceased wife is clear; it might be his most passionate performance among the 10.

Bottom line: There’s plenty here to delight fans of Danny Gokey. I won’t be surprised if the album debuts near the top of the Billboard 200.

But forgive me if I’m more excited about upcoming releases from Josh Gracin and Bucky Covington. And for the fact that I hold, oh, let’s say, Miranda Lambert’s “Revolution” in much higher regard.

Their country music isn’t country by convenience.

Grade: B-

Other reviews:

AllMusic.com: Gives Danny 2 stars out of 5
EW.com: Gives Danny a B-
Miami Herald: Gives Danny 2.5 stars out of 5
Philly.com: Gives Danny a B+