Josh Gracin is the self-titled debut album of American country music singer Josh Gracin. It was released in the United States on June 15, 2004 on Lyric Street Records, reached number eleven on the Nielsen Soundscan album chart and sold 57,048 the first week.[1] It garnered a Gold certification and has sales of 703,000 copies as of December 2010,[2] one of only three by new male country singers introduced in four years to earn a gold album.[3]
Content
The tracks "I Want to Live", "Nothin' to Lose", and "Brass Bed" (which was re-titled "Stay with Me (Brass Bed)" upon release to radio) were all released as singles, peaking at number four, number one, and number five, respectively, on the country charts.[4] "Nothin' to Lose" was originally recorded by its co-writer, Marcel, on his 2003 album You, Me and the Windshield.
The album was recorded while he was still serving in the Marine Corps, recording it when on leave, during holidays and weekends.[5]
Aaron Lathan of AllMusic commended producer Marty Williams for crafting an album that while mostly "a basic musical country stew," contains tracks that complement Gracin's vocal performance, saying "There is nothing daring or adventurous in the music or with Gracin himself, but that's just fine [...] it's remarkable that he was able to focus and record a consistent and pleasant debut."[6] Brian Mansfield of USA Today highlighted "I Want to Live" and praised Gracin's delivery but felt he chose by-the-numbers country tracks for the album, concluding that, "[T]he rest of the songs could have been recorded by any already-forgotten singer at any time during the past five years."[7]
Dan Dugmore - steel guitar on "Nothin' to Lose", "No One to Share the Blame" and "The Other Little Soldier". lap steel guitar on "Turn It Up," Dobro on "I Would Look Good with You"
Paul Franklin - steel guitar, lap steel guitar on "Endless Helpless Hoping"
