McCreery has plenty of deepening left to do as a performer, but he's off to a good start with this 12-track set about girls, God, family, and small-town life.
The energy of this album sometimes outpaces the singer, who's best when he's deliberate, and whose voice isn't as robust as it could be on these songs.
On Clear as Day, American Idol's latest champ sounds like he's 52, and not just because of the Randy Travis baritone coming from his Opie Taylor mouth.
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.
These are songs calculated to make an impact on the cliché idea of what a country fan is, playing off stereotypes of Jesus loving, hard working, hard loving life in the heartland, but there's no personality here.
