A.M. (Chris Young album)

A.M. is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Chris Young. It was released on September 17, 2013, via RCA Nashville.[2][3] Young co-wrote six of the album's eleven tracks.[4][5] The album includes the singles "Aw Naw", "Who I Am with You" and "Lonely Eyes".

A.M.
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2013 (2013-09-17)
Recorded2013
GenreCountry pop[1]
LabelRCA Nashville
ProducerJames Stroud
Chris Young chronology
Neon
(2011)
A.M.
(2013)
I'm Comin' Over
(2015)
Singles from A.M.
  1. "Aw Naw"
    Released: May 13, 2013
  2. "Who I Am with You"
    Released: January 20, 2014
  3. "Lonely Eyes"
    Released: August 25, 2014

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
American Songwriter     [7]
Country WeeklyB+[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[6]
Roughstock     [9]

A.M. garnered generally positive reception by music critics. At AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine told that the release was "steeped in modern vernacular," and showed Young "brightening up his sound by leaning on cheerful, chipper pop hooks and a production so gleaming it shows his reflection; he has even chosen to smile on his album cover for the first time ever."[1] Lee Zimmerman of American Songwriter wrote that "In the hands of a wannabe, the aforementioned songs might sound somewhat cloying, but given Young’s rugged vocals and apparent reservoir of conviction, the emotions ring true."[7] At Entertainment Weekly, they felt that Young "survives on his fourth album, but too often he falls into the "bro country" trap currently plaguing the genre."[6] Bob Paxman at Country Weekly stated that it "disproves the popular belief that nothing good ever happens in the a.m. There’s plenty of good stuff here."[8] At Roughstock, Matt Bjorke said that "Everything about A.M. screams star-making and with a hard core collection of fans who already help him headline venues across The USA, Chris Young's only destined for bigger things because of A.M.."[9] In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin placed "Lonely Eyes" at number 4 on his top 10 list of Young's best songs.[10]

Track listing

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aw Naw"3:09
2."Hold You to It"3:18
3."Lonely Eyes"
3:39
4."Goodbye"
  • DeStefano
  • Gorley
  • Young
3:46
5."A.M."
  • DeStefano
  • Gorley
  • Young
2:55
6."Nothin' but the Cooler Left"3:00
7."Who I Am with You"3:11
8."Text Me Texas"
3:28
9."We're Gonna Find It Tonight"
  • Akins
  • DeStefano
  • Young
2:52
10."Forgiveness"
3:31
11."Lighters in the Air"
4:09

Personnel

edit

The following list is adapted from the A.M. liner notes.[11]

Chart performance

edit

The album debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, and No. 3 at Billboard 200 with 53,000 copies sold.[12][13] The album has sold 267,000 copies in the US as of October 2015.[14]

Singles

edit
Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US Country Airplay US CAN Country
[21]
CAN
2013 "Aw Naw" 4 3 45 5 50
2014 "Who I Am with You" 8 2 48 6 72
"Lonely Eyes" 4 2 50 5 65

Certifications

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A.M. – Chris Young". AllMusic. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Dukes, Billy (July 11, 2013). "Chris Young Unveils 'A.M.' Track Listing and Album Art – Exclusive Premiere". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  3. ^ Whitaker, Sterling (July 11, 2013). "Chris Young Reveals 'A.M.' Track Listing and Album Art – Exclusive Premiere". The Boot. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  4. ^ Wyland, Sarah (July 12, 2013). "Chris Young Reveals A.M. Cover Art & Track Listing". Great American Country. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  5. ^ "Chris Young Reveals A.M. Album Cover & Track Listing". That's Country. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c "Critic Reviews for A.M." Metacritic. CBS Interactive. September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Zimmerman, Lee (September 10, 2013). "Chris Young: A.M.". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Paxman, Bob (September 17, 2013). "A.M. by Chris Young". Country Weekly. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Bjork, Matt (September 15, 2013). "Album Review: Chris Young - A.M." Roughstock. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  10. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (July 24, 2017). "Chris Young's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  11. ^ A.M. (liner notes). Chris Young. RCA Records. 2013. 88883-73264-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Keith Caulfield (September 25, 2013). "Jack Johnson Scores Fourth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200". Billboard.
  13. ^ Matt Bjorke (September 25, 2013). "Country Album Chart News: The Week of September 25, 2013: Justin Moore, Chris Young lead 5 country artists in all genre Top 10". Roughstock. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
  14. ^ "Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015.
  15. ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  16. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
  17. ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Top Country Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  20. ^ "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  21. ^ "Chris Young Album & Song Chart History – Canada Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  22. ^ "American album certifications – Chris Young – A.M." Recording Industry Association of America.