Critical reception

Geoffrey Hines of The Washington Post

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

wrote, "The impressive debut album by Clint Black mastermind James Stroud, reveals a young man still casting about for his own style but nonetheless bringing a handsome, personal tenor and a sure rhythmic instinct to every song he tries. Offering a more promising for this youngster are the five songs he co-wrote himself; they boast the sort of lyric detail and musical build that bring out the best in his voice." Mary Jo DiLonardo of The Cincinnati Post

The Cincinnati Post

The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Distributed in Northern Kentucky as The Kentucky Post, it was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Since the 1980s, its editorial stance was usually conservative. The Post published its final...

gave the album three and a half stars out of five and wrote, "Already risking comparisons to Garth Brooks and Clint Black, Walker has a strong voice, rugged cowboy looks (a "must" for videos) and a good crop of songs." Joe Breen of The Irish Times

The Irish Times

The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...

said, "Best newcomer award goes to Clay Walker whose eponymous album sounds like it's worth checking out. Better value will be hard to find this year."

Dave Molter of the Observer-Reporter

Observer-Reporter

The Observer-Reporter is a daily newspaper covering Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania, with some overlap into the South Hills of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. The newspaper is published by the Observer Publishing Company in Washington, Pennsylvania....

gave the album two and a half stars and wrote, "Walker's voice is clear, if not distinctive and he has the kind of chiseled good looks that might me him rise above the heard." Mia Carlson of the Lewiston Morning Tribune gave the album a favorable review and wrote, "It sounds like Giant records has put a lot of faith in this young Texan. Definitely worth a few more listens." Carlson also praised Walker's song writing as well as James Stroud's production. Jon Rawl of the Post and Courier gave the album three stars and wrote, "This album proves he may be a Walker, but he hits the ground running." Rawl also wrote, "Clay Walker sounds like a seasoned professional on this debut album."

Personnel

• Eddie Bayers
  Eddie Bayers
  Eddie Bayers is an American session drummer who has played on 150 gold and platinum albums. He received the Academy of Country Music 'Drummer of the Year Award' for eight straight years, and has three times won the Nashville Music Awards 'Drummer of the Year'...
  
   - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  
• Larry Byrom
  Larry Byrom
  Larry Byrom is an American guitarist who has written, recorded, and toured with acts like Steppenwolf, Ratchell, Neil Young, Steve Winwood, Peter Frampton, Eddie Rabbit and Tanya Tucker.- References :...
  
   - acoustic guitar
• Jimmy Carter - bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Stuart Duncan
  Stuart Duncan
  Stuart Duncan is a bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo. Born in Quantico, Virginia and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band, he has been a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band since 1985, and is a much-in-demand session musician...
  
   - fiddle
  Fiddle
  The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
  
  
• Paul Franklin
  Paul Franklin (musician)
  Paul Franklin is an American multi-instrumentalist, known mainly for his work as a steel guitarist. He began his career in the 1970s as a member of Barbara Mandrell's road band; in addition he toured with Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed. He has since become a prolific session musician in Nashville,...
  
   - steel guitar
  Steel guitar
  Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
  
  
• Sonny Garrish - steel guitar
• Dann Huff
  Dann Huff
  Dann Huff is an American musician, session musician, singer-songwriter and producer. For his work as a producer in the Country music genre he has won several awards including the Musician of the Year award in 2001 and 2004 at the Country Music Association Awards and the Producer of the Year award...
  
   - electric guitar
  Electric guitar
  An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
  
  
• Jana King - background vocals
• Steve Nathan - piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  
• Bobby Ogdin - piano
• Larry Paxton - bass guitar
• Matt Rollings
  Matt Rollings
  Matt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
  
   - piano
• Brent Rowan - electric guitar
• Leland Sklar
  Leland Sklar
  Leland "Lee" Bruce Sklar is an American musician, singer-songwriter and film score composer. A prominent bass guitarist, Sklar has contributed to thousands of albums as a session musician...
  
   - bass guitar
• Joe Spivey - fiddle
• Lonnie Wilson - drums
• Curtis Wright
  Curtis Wright
  Curtis Blaine Wright is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1989 with the single "She's Got a Man on her Mind" on a branch of MCA Records, before recording a solo album in 1992 on Liberty Records...
  
   - background vocals
• Curtis Young - background vocals

Charts, certifications and procession

The album peaked at No. 8 on Top Country Albums on 1/29/94 and at No. 52 on The Billboard 200 on 1/22/94.

Weekly charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	8
U.S. Billboard 200	52
U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers	2
Canadian RPM Country Albums	1
Canadian RPM Top Albums	47

End of year charts

Chart (1993)	Year-end 1993
US Billboard Top Country Albums	72
Chart (1994)	Year-end 1994
US Billboard Top Country Albums	18

Certifications

Country	Certification
United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...	Platinum
Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...	Platinum

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...	US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	CAN Country
1993	"What's It to You What's It to You "What's It To You" is the debut single of American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, it was also Walker's first Number One single... "	1	73	1
	"Live Until I Die Live Until I Die "Live Until I Die" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in October 1993 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Background:Walker... "	1	107	1
1994	"Where Do I Fit in the Picture Where Do I Fit in the Picture "Where Do I Fit in the Picture" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in February 1994 as the third single from his self-titled debut album. It peaked at #11 in the United States and reached #6 in Canada.-Critical reception:Logan... "	11		6
	"Dreaming with My Eyes Open Dreaming with My Eyes Open "Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is the title of a song written by Tony Arata and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film The Thing Called Love... "	1		1