Hope in Front of Me | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 23, 2014 | |||
Genre | Blue-eyed soul, Christian pop | |||
Length | 41:47 | |||
Label | BMG | |||
Producer | Josh Crosby, Bernie Herms, Aaron Sprinkle, Keith Thomas | |||
Danny Gokey chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hope in Front of Me | ||||
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Hope in Front of Me is the second studio album from the Christian musician Danny Gokey. It was released on June 23, 2014, by BMG Records. The album was produced by Josh Crosby, Bernie Herms, Aaron Sprinkle, Keith Thomas.
The lead single from the album is "Hope in Front of Me", released on February 18, 2014. In August, it peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart (lasted 3 weeks) and No. 27 on the Adult Contemporary chart of Billboard . "More Than You Think I Am" and "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" were subsequently released as singles, both placing in the top 20 on the Christian Songs chart and with the latter earning Gokey's highest chart peak to date (No. 2).
Gokey rose to national attention when he competed on American Idol , where he advanced to the final three before being eliminated. [1] Shortly before competing, his wife died unexpectedly. [2] After his Idol appearance, he released the country music album My Best Days . Hope In Front of Me, his second album, is his first one in the Christian music market. The album was produced by Josh Crosby, Bernie Herms, Aaron Sprinkle and Keith Thomas. [3]
Gokey co-wrote nine of the eleven songs and his lyric has been referred to as being akin to Phil Collins. [4] The music is similar to the likes of Mark Schultz, Jonathan Thulin, Phil Stacey and Colton Dixon, [5] [6] and is in the vein of blue-eyed soul and dance-pop, [5] [7] with some elements of praise & worship. [5] It also features "a country-pop sound that showcases his vocal range and tone". [8]
The lead single from the release is "Hope in Front of Me". On January 23, its official lyric video was released and the next day it was released to Christian radio airwaves. The single was available on digital retailers on February 18. As of the charting week of June 21, it charted on various Billboard Christian genre charts, including a Hot Christian Songs placement at No. 14. [9] On June 24, its official music video was premiered during special live stream concert celebrating album release at Gokey's official website and right after released at Gokey's YouTube channel. In late August, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Christian Airplay chart. [10] It also topped Billboard Christian AC Songs chart for the week ending of September 20. [11]
The second single, "More Than You Think I Am" had its official lyric video released on December 5, and officially released to Christian radio airwaves on January 9, 2015. [12] It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart [13] in July.
"Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" was released on January 8, 2016, as the album's third and final single. [14] An extended play featuring five versions of the song was released in May 2016. [15] The song reached number 2 on the Hot Christian Songs, earning Gokey his highest-charting single to date, and was his second chart-topper on Christian Airplay.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
365 Days of Inspiring Media | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Alpha Omega News | A− [16] |
CCM Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christian Music Review | 4.8/5 [4] |
Cross Rhythms | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Jesus Wired | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New Release Tuesday | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hope in Front of Me was met with a generally positive reception from critics. Grace S. Aspinwall of CCM Magazine rated the album four stars out of five, commenting how "Gokey shines on his second full-length album". [8] At New Release Tuesday, Caitlin Elizabeth Lassiter rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, noting the lyricism for being "well written and thought provoking" and the vocals are "strong and impressive" on a "solid project" that's "a very enjoyable listen." [18] Piet Levy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave a moderately positive review of the album remarking how Gokey "does get sappy" and said while "if you wanted to be mean, you could call him 'Hokey Gokey' and you wouldn't exactly be off-base", yet "there's no denying Gokey's comfort level with this kind of material". [7] Levy opined in reference to Gokey's previous, country-themed album that Gokey as a country artist was a concept destined to fail, "But five years later on 'Hope in Front of Me,' he's finally returning to the inspirational blue-eyed soul style that took him to third place. It's the album he should have made all along." [7]
At Christian Music Review, Amanda Brogan rated the album a 4.8 out of five, indicating how the release "has a beautifully optimistic tone throughout." [4] Rob Snyder of Alpha Omega News graded the album an A−, saying that "A couple of the tracks have an interesting retro-70s sound." [16] At 365 Days of Inspiring Media, Jonathan Andre rated the album four out of five stars, calling it "a poignant, powerful and prolific album". [5] Jessica Morris of Jesus Wired rated the album seven-and-a-half stars out of ten, highlighting how "the powerful vocalist delivers a solid and encouraging album in this highly anticipated release." [6] Indicating in an eight out of ten review from Cross Rhythms, Tony Cummings recognizes, "Maybe Danny covers too many musical bases for some people's tastes but there's no doubting that he is a fine singer and possibly could even crossover to the pop scene with the right song." [17] Felicia Abraham, reviewing the album at Charisma , writes, "Known for his soulful sound, Gokey pushes his vocal boundaries and collaborates with an impressive group of singers and producers [on Hope in Front of Me]". [19]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Hope in Front of Me" | Danny Gokey, Bernie Herms, Brett James | 3:37 |
2. | "More Than You Think I Am" | Gokey, Herms, Tim Nichols | 4:04 |
3. | "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" | Herms, Randy Phillips, Matthew West | 3:53 |
4. | "Better Than Gold" | Gokey, Herms, Drew Ramsey | 4:17 |
5. | "One Life" | Gokey, Marcus Hummon, Keith Thomas | 3:36 |
6. | "This Is What It Means" | Gokey, Stephanie Lewis, Thomas | 4:15 |
7. | "Love Will Take You Places" | Gokey, Blake Bollinger, Ben Stennis | 3:36 |
8. | "Take It to the Limit" | Gokey, Josh Crosby, Aaron Sprinkle | 3:44 |
9. | "Pretty Beautiful" | Ben Caver, Megan Connor, Brian White | 3:07 |
10. | "Because of You" | Gokey, Jeff Pardo, Molly Reed | 3:17 |
11. | "It's Not Over" | Gokey, Lewis, Thomas | 4:21 |
Total length: | 41:47 |
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, which makes this Gokey's first chart-topper. It also debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard 200. [20] It sold 7,000 copies in the US in its debut week.
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [21] | 40 |
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [22] | 1 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [23] | 10 |
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
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US Christian Albums (Billboard) [24] | 43 |
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [25] | 25 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [26] | 31 |
"Home" is a 2007 song by American rock band Daughtry from their self-titled debut album. The song had been climbing up the U.S. charts for a few weeks before the song was announced as the second single from the album. The song was covered by Irish musician Kian Egan that served as the lead single from his debut album also titled Home.
Daniel Jay Gokey is an American singer and former church music director. He was the third-place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. After his placing on the show, Gokey signed to 19 Recordings and RCA Nashville at the beginning of a career in country music, releasing the single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me.” His debut album, My Best Days, was released in March 2010.
"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" is a song written by Marv Green and Kent Blazy, and recorded by American Idol season 8 finalist Danny Gokey. It was released in December 2009 as the lead-off single from his debut album My Best Days, which was released on March 2, 2010, via RCA Nashville.
My Best Days is the debut studio album from American Idol season eight finalist Danny Gokey. The album was released on March 2, 2010, by RCA Records Nashville. The track "It's Only" was originally scheduled to be the first single, but it was withdrawn and replaced with "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me." Both it and the album's second single, "I Will Not Say Goodbye," have made Top 40 on Hot Country Songs.
"I Will Not Say Goodbye" is a song written by Lari White, Chuck Cannon and Vicky McGehee, and recorded by American Idol season 8 finalist Danny Gokey. It was released in June 2010 as the second single from his debut album My Best Days, which was released on March 2, 2010 via RCA Nashville.
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Welcome to the New is the eighth studio album from contemporary Christian music band MercyMe, which was released on April 8, 2014 by Fair Trade Services and Columbia Records, and the producers are David Garcia and Ben Glover.
"Hope in Front of Me" is a song co-written and recorded by American gospel singer Danny Gokey for his second studio album of the same name (2014). Gokey wrote the song with Brett James and its producer, Bernie Herms. It was released to Christian radio on January 24, 2014 and to digital retailers February 18, 2014 through BMG Rights Management as the record's lead single. "Hope in Front of Me" serves as Gokey's debut release on the BMG label and his first single in almost three years.
"More Than You Think I Am" is a song co-written and recorded by American contemporary Christian singer Danny Gokey for his second studio album, Hope in Front of Me (2014). Gokey wrote the song with Tim Nichols and the track's producer, Bernie Herms. It was released to American Christian radio in November 2014 and official impacted the format on January 9, 2015 through BMG-Chrysalis as the album's second single. The song experienced moderate success on the Billboard Christian charts.
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"Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" is a song written by Bernie Herms, Randy Phillips, and Matthew West and originally recorded by Contemporary Christian-Worship trio, Phillips, Craig and Dean for their twelfth studio album, Breathe In (2012). It was later recorded by American singer Danny Gokey for his second studio album, Hope in Front of Me (2014), with production by Herms. Gokey's rendition was released to Christian radio January 8, 2016 through BMG-Chrysalis as the album's third single. The song reached number two on the Billboard Christian Songs chart, earning Gokey his highest-charting single to date.
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