After a tragic loss, ‘American Idol’ finalist Danny Gokey offers hope with a terrific ‘My Best Days’

Former “American Idol” finalist Danny Gokey starts his new CD by singing how he’s old enough to look back on lots of past mistakes, but “young enough to look at the future and like what I see … my best days are ahead of me.”
It’s a striking start to a CD that is startling for not just Gokey’s nice, country-flavored music and honest, heart-tugging lyrics, but also for its hopefulness.
The 10-song package is called “My Best Days,” and anyone who knows anything about Gokey knows that optimism and hopefulness could be things easily missing in his soul and in his music.
Just two years ago, Gokey lost his beloved wife Sophie at age 27 during a heart operation. She had encouraged him, before her untimely death, to audition for “Idol.”
He did, made it almost all the way in a run that had many Americans rooting for him and also praying for him, and now, with his new CD, Gokey shows his strong measure of faith, and a gift for delivering catchy songs, with this terrific new CD.
(Gokey, by the way, is coming to Lancaster’s Chameleon Club on Friday, Oct. 15. I heard about this at this past Sunday’s country-music FallFest, a place where Gokey’s music would fit right in some year soon).
If you like bright, guitar-led, thought-provoking lyrics with a country bent, I think you’ll think “My Best Days” is a great CD.
The good songs abound: from the opener, “My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me,” a slide-guitar-led uptempo number that showcases Gokey’s easy-to-take, light voice; to “I Still Believe,” a song that has a nice pretty mandolin, lyrics of hope and, it seems to me, a strong faith in and reliance on God; on down to my personal favorite, “Life On Ya,” which has a lot of wisdom from the song’s grandma on down to a growing little boy learning life’s lessons; and “Crazy Not To,” a nice little ballad.
I had been warned that the finale, “I Will Not Say Goodbye,” is a tough song about Gokey trying to carry on after the loss of his wife. This is not a song that will get you down, however, but rather will lift you up, reminding us how it’s God alone who will get us through the things we don’t want in our lives.
“My Best Days” would be a nice addition to your CD box or iPod. It’s also a nice addition to the world of music, and a very Christian-flavored one at that.