| Eric Paslay | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 4, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–14 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 40:36 | |||
| Label | Capitol Records Nashville | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Eric Paslay chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Eric Paslay | ||||
| ||||
Eric Paslay is the debut studio album by American country music artist Eric Paslay. It was released on February 4, 2014 by Capitol Records Nashville. [1] The album includes the singles "Never Really Wanted", "Friday Night", "Song About a Girl" and "She Don't Love You". [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Country Weekly | A [4] |
| The Oakland Press | [5] |
| Roughstock | [6] |
| USA Today | [7] |
The eponymously titled album Eric Paslay garnered critical acclaim from five music critics. At USA Today , Brian Mansfield rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of four, stating that he held back some excellent material for himself on which "His sweet-as-Southern-tea debut finds common ground between radio-friendly and flat-out brilliant, incorporating a sense of both spirituality and '80s pop." [7] Tammy Ragusa of Country Weekly graded the album an A, writing that the album "hosts a heap of winners." In addition, Ragusa says that "The gifted songwriter has done an incredible job of showcasing his ability to create a collection that leans away from lyrical trends and toward depth and texture [...] reveal[ing] the complexity of an accomplished artist, and retains the purity of solid country music." [4] At The Oakland Press , Gary Graff rated the album three out of four stars, calling this "A strong debut from an established name on the scene." [5] Steve Leggett of AllMusic rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, noting how Paslay on the release "keep[s] it simple and catchy", but this means that the music "doesn't change the landscape of contemporary country, but it sure recognizes it, and that's Paslay's songwriting strength." [3] At Roughstock, Matt Bjorke rated the album a perfect five stars, saying that the release "showcases an artist who deserves to be placed on the same songwriting field as singer/songwriters like Rodney Crowell, John Hiatt, Jackson Browne and JD Souther with a little bit of The Band thrown in for good measure." [6] Also, Bjorke states that "There isn’t a bad song to be found on Eric Paslay and it truly is an early contender for the best Country Album of 2014." [6]
All tracks are written by Eric Paslay, with additional co-writers as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Keep On Fallin'" |
| 3:19 |
| 2. | "Friday Night" | 2:47 | |
| 3. | "Less Than Whole" | Kenny Alphin | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Country Side of Heaven" |
| 4:15 |
| 5. | "Never Really Wanted" | Walt Aldridge | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Here Comes Love" | Anthony Cappolino | 3:05 |
| 7. | "Like a Song" | Jason Delkou | 2:48 |
| 8. | "Good with Wine" | 3:40 | |
| 9. | "She Don't Love You" | Jennifer Wayne | 4:27 |
| 10. | "Song About a Girl" |
| 3:49 |
| 11. | "Deep as It Is Wide" | 4:27 | |
| Total length: | 40:36 | ||
The album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 31, and No. 4 in the Top Country Albums chart, selling 11,000 copies in the US. [8] As of February 2015, the album has sold 54,300 copies in the U.S. [9]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [10] | 31 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [11] | 4 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Country Airplay | US | CAN Country [12] | CAN | ||
| 2011 | "Never Really Wanted" | 48 | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | "Friday Night" | 6 | 2 | 47 | 8 | 53 |
| 2014 | "Song About a Girl" | 18 | 12 | 85 | 25 | — |
| "She Don't Love You" | 15 | 14 | 77 | 28 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
