Brett Young is the debut studio album by American the country pop singer Brett Young, and his fourth album overall. Young is a featured co-writer on 11 out of the 12 tracks on the album, which was produced by Dann Huff and recorded in Nashville. The album was released on February 10, 2017, through Big Machine Label Group. The album was produced by Dann Huff, known for working with crossover-friendly country pop acts like Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban.
Background Young co-wrote 11 of the 12 songs on the album, including the four singles from the album, "Sleep Without You", "In Case You Didn't Know", "Like I Loved You" and "Mercy". Six of these songs had been previously released on his self-titled EP. Young stressed the importance of honesty in his music; according to him, of the 12 songs in the album, 10 of them he had lived, and the other two he can completely relate to. He said that the album is "a very clear picture of me as a person." Young also said: "I really wanted to make sure that I put a lot of myself into these songs so that fans were given a chance to get to know me when they listened. Watching people sing these songs back to us at live shows means so much more knowing that they aren’t just connection to words but also to my genuine life experience. I think vulnerability is important in songwriting and I feel like show that."
Critical reception Laura Hostelley of Sounds Like Nashville reviewed the album positively, and described Young's debut effort as "straying away from the 'bro-country' trend, to mark his own genuine path by not being afraid to be vulnerable in matters of the heart."
Commercial performance Brett Young debuted at number two on the Top Country Albums chart, and number 18 on the US Billboard 200, based on 17,800 copies sold (25,000 equivalent album units when tracks and streams are included). On August 7, 2026, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units in the United States. The album has sold 253,400 copies in the United States as of January 2019.
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Musicians J. Bonilla – programming (tracks 1, 4, 6) Joeie Canaday – bass guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11) Ben Caver – background vocals (tracks 1, 5–7, 10) Paul Franklin – steel guitar (tracks 3, 4, 7) Dann Huff – acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 11), electric guitar (tracks 1–6, 8–11), bouzouki (track 6), electric guitar solo (tracks 1, 6), ganjo (track 4), keyboards (tracks 6, 7), mandolin (tracks 1, 6, 11), percussion (track 7), programming (track 7), slide guitar (track 6), additional electric guitar (track 7) Charlie Judge – keyboards (tracks 1–12), piano (track 12), programming (tracks 2, 9) Rob McNelley – electric guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11), electric guitar solo (track 7) Noah Needleman – background vocals (track 2) Jerry Roe – drums (tracks 2, 9) Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar (tracks 2, 5, 8–10) Aaron Sterling – drums (tracks 1, 3–8, 10, 11) Russell Terrell – background vocals (tracks 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12) Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–5, 7–10), mandolin (track 1), resonator acoustic guitar (track 7) Derek Wells – electric guitar (2, 5, 6, 8–11) Brett Young – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (track 6)
Technical Adam Ayan – mastering Eric Berdon – additional recording (track 12) Mike Griffith – production coordination Jimmy Harnen – executive production Dann Huff – production Laurel Kittleson – production coordination Seth Morton – recording assistance (tracks 5, 8, 10) Sean Neff – editing (tracks 1, 3–8, 10, 11) Justin Niebank – recording (tracks 1–4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12), mixing (all tracks) Chris Small – editing (tracks 2, 9, 12) Janice Soled – production coordination (tracks 2, 5, 8–10, 12) Brianna Steinitz – production coordination Russell Terrell – additional recording (tracks 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Visuals Chapman Baehler – photography Sandi Spika Borchetta – art direction Justin Ford – graphic design Becky Reiser – art direction Taylor Tompkins – hair and make-up Amanda Valentine – wardrobe
Charts
Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for Brett Young Chart (2017) Peak position
Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for Brett Young Chart Year Position US Billboard 200 2017 70 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 7 US Billboard 200 2018 61 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 8 US Billboard 200 2019 161 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 15 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 2020 26 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 2021 57
Decade-end charts +Decade-end chart performance for Brett Young Chart (2010–2019) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 20
Certifications
References