A.M. (Chris Young album)

A.M.
Studio album by Chris Young
Released	September 17, 2013 (2013-09-17)
Recorded	2013
Genre	Country pop[1]
Label	RCA Nashville
Producer	James Stroud
Chris Young chronology
Neon (2011) A.M. (2013) I'm Comin' Over (2015)
Singles from A.M.
"Aw Naw" Released: May 13, 2013 "Who I Am with You" Released: January 20, 2014 "Lonely Eyes" Released: August 25, 2014

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".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
American Songwriter	[7]
Country Weekly	B+[8]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Aw Naw"	Chris DeStefano Ashley Gorley Chris Young	3:09
2.	"Hold You to It"	Shane McAnally Josh Osborne Young	3:18
3.	"Lonely Eyes"	Johnny Bulford Jason Matthews Laura Veltz	3:39
4.	"Goodbye"	DeStefano Gorley Young	3:46
5.	"A.M."	DeStefano Gorley Young	2:55
6.	"Nothin' but the Cooler Left"	Michael Carter Brandon Kinney Cole Swindell	3:00
7.	"Who I Am with You"	Marv Green Paul Jenkins Jason Sellers	3:11
8.	"Text Me Texas"	Rhett Akins McAnally Osborne	3:28
9.	"We're Gonna Find It Tonight"	Akins DeStefano Young	2:52
10.	"Forgiveness"	Casey Beathard Scooter Carusoe	3:31
11.	"Lighters in the Air"	Monty Criswell Shane Minor Young	4:09

Personnel

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

• Shannon Forrest – drums
• Paul Franklin – steel guitar
• Kenny Greenberg – electric guitar
• Tony Harrell – Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, piano
• Aubrey Haynie – fiddle, mandolin
• Wes Hightower – background vocals
• Mark Hill – bass guitar
• Brent Mason – electric guitar
• Steve Nathan – Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, piano, Wurlitzer
• Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
• Chris Young – lead vocals

Chart performance

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]

Weekly charts Chart (2013) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] 10 UK Country Albums (OCC)[16] 2 US Billboard 200[17] 3 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[18] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position US Top Country Albums[19] 43 Chart (2014) Position US Top Country Albums[20] 41

Singles

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

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. 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. "Critic Reviews for A.M." Metacritic. CBS Interactive. September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
7. Zimmerman, Lee (September 10, 2013). "Chris Young: A.M.". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
8. Paxman, Bob (September 17, 2013). "A.M. by Chris Young". Country Weekly. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
9. 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.
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.