What I Do

{{for|the album by George Canyon|What I Do (George Canyon album)}}

{{Infobox album

| name = What I Do

| type = studio

| artist = Alan Jackson

| cover = Whatidoalanjackson.jpg

| alt =

| released = September 7, 2004

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Country

| length = 44:42

| label = Arista Nashville

| producer = Keith Stegall

| prev_title = The Very Best of Alan Jackson

| prev_year = 2004

| next_title = Precious Memories

| next_year = 2006

| misc = {{Singles

| name = What I Do

| type = Studio

| single1 = Too Much of a Good Thing

| single1date = June 21, 2004

| single2 = Monday Morning Church

| single2date = October 11, 2004

| single3 = The Talkin' Song Repair Blues

| single3date = March 21, 2005

| single4 = USA Today

| single4date = August 22, 2005

}}

What I Do is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released on September 7, 2004, and produced four singles for Jackson on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Too Much of a Good Thing" and "Monday Morning Church" both reached #5, while "The Talkin' Song Repair Blues" and "USA Today" both reached #18, making this album the first of Jackson's career not to produce any #1 hits.

The Wrights, a duo composed of Adam and Shannon Wright (the former of whom is Jackson's nephew) are featured as background vocalists on "If Love Was a River", which they also co-wrote. Adam Wright also wrote the track "Strong Enough".

Critical reception

{{Music ratings

| MC = (80/100) [http://www.metacritic.com/music/what-i-do/alan-jackson/critic-reviews Critic reviews at Metacritic]

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}} {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r707658}}

| rev2 = BBC Music

| rev2Score = (favorable) [https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3zxm BBC Music review]

| rev3 = Blender

| rev3Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4Score = B+ {{cite journal|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,695281,00.html|title=What I Do Review|last=Marino|first=Nick|journal=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 17, 2004|page=78|access-date=April 26, 2013|archive-date=July 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708234646/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,695281,00.html|url-status=dead}}

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

| rev5Score = {{rating|3|4}}

| rev6 = The New York Times

| rev6Score = (favorable) {{cite web |title=Mamas, Trains, Prisons and a Wink (Published 2004) |website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/arts/music/20choi.html?_r=0}}

| rev8 = Robert Christgau

| rev8Score = {{rating-Christgau|cut}} [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=alan+jackson Robert Christgau Consumer Guide]

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9Score = {{rating|3|5}} {{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alanjackson/albums/album/6399437/review/6591117/what_i_do |title=Rolling Stone review |access-date=February 3, 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723232958/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alanjackson/albums/album/6399437/review/6591117/what_i_do |archive-date=July 23, 2008 }}

| rev10 = The Village Voice

| rev10Score = (positiv) [https://archive.today/20130630133816/http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-11-16/music/world-turns-once-more/1/ The Village Voice review]

| rev7 = People

| rev7Score = {{rating|4|4}}

}}

Giving the album all four stars, People magazine said on the album that Jackson "continues to sound more and more like Merle Haggard, which is tantamount to approaching perfection."Novak, Ralph (September 28, 2004). [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20145440,00.html "Picks and Pans Review: Alan Jackson (What I Do)]". People. 62 (12):51. Retrieved April 26, 2013.

Track listing

{{Track listing

| collapsed =

| title1 = Too Much of a Good Thing

| note1 =

| writer1 = Alan Jackson

| length1 = 3:08

| title2 = Rainy Day in June

| note2 =

| writer2 = Jackson

| length2 = 4:40

| title3 = USA Today

| note3 =

| writer3 = Jackson

| length3 = 3:26

| title4 = If Love Was a River

| note4 = background vocals: The Wrights

| writer4 = Adam Wright, Shannon Wright

| length4 = 3:54

| title5 = If French Fries Were Fat Free

| note5 =

| writer5 = Jackson

| length5 = 4:16

| title6 = You Don't Have to Paint Me a Picture

| note6 =

| writer6 = Jackson

| length6 = 3:45

| title7 = There Ya Go

| note7 =

| writer7 = Dan Hill, Keith Stegall

| length7 = 3:13

| title8 = The Talkin' Song Repair Blues

| note8 =

| writer8 = Dennis Linde

| length8 = 2:58

| title9 = Strong Enough

| note9 =

| writer9 = A. Wright

| length9 = 4:04

| title10 = Monday Morning Church

| note10 = background vocals: Patty Loveless

| writer10 = Brent Baxter, Erin Enderlin

| length10 = 3:23

| title11 = Burnin' the Honky Tonks Down

| note11 = background vocals: Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys

| writer11 = Billy Burnette, Shawn Camp

| length11 = 4:53

| title12 = To Do What I Do

| note12 = Live

| writer12 = Tim Johnson

| length12 = 3:00

}}

Personnel

Monty Allen – background vocals
Eddie Bayers – drums
Stuart Duncan – fiddle, mandolin
Mark Fain – bass guitar
Robbie Flint – steel guitar
Paul Franklin – steel guitar, lap steel guitar
Dave Gaylord – fiddle
Lloyd Green – steel guitar
Danny Groah – electric guitar
Alan Jackson – acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – harmonica
Dave Kelley – mandolin
Patty Loveless – background vocals on "Monday Morning Church"
Brent Mason – electric guitar, six-string bass guitar
Monty Parkey – piano
Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
Matt Rollings – piano
Bruce Rutherford – drums
Tom Rutledge – acoustic guitar
John Wesley Ryles – background vocals
Tony Stephens – acoustic guitar
Richard Sterban – background vocals on "Burnin' the Honky Tonks Down"
Bruce Watkins – acoustic guitar, banjo
Roger Wills – bass guitar
Glenn Worf – bass guitar
Adam Wright – background vocals on "If Love Was a River"
Shannon Wright – background vocals on "If Love Was a River"

Chart performance

What I Do debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling 139,000 copies, becoming his third #1 album, and #1 on the Top Country Albums, becoming his seventh #1 country album. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in October 2004.

=Weekly charts=

scope="col"\| Chart (2004) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{{album chart\|Australia\|7\|artist=Alan Jackson\|album=What I Do\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 8, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardCanada\|2\|artist=Alan Jackson\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 8, 2020}}
{{album chart\|Norway\|10\|artist=Alan Jackson\|album=What I Do\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 8, 2020}}
{{album chart\|Billboard200\|1\|artist=Alan Jackson\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 8, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardCountry\|1\|artist=Alan Jackson\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 8, 2020}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (2004) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Billboard 200{{cite web\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2004/top-billboard-200-albums\|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004\|work=Billboard\|access-date=November 8, 2020}} \| 157
scope="row"\| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite web\|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2004/top-country-albums\|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2004\|work=Billboard\|access-date=November 8, 2020}} \| 28
scope="col"\| Chart (2005) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite web\|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2005/top-country-albums\|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2005\|work=Billboard\|access-date=November 8, 2020}} \| 35

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (2004)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2004/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004|work=Billboard|access-date=November 8, 2020}}

| 157

scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2004/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2004|work=Billboard|access-date=November 8, 2020}}

| 28

scope="col"| Chart (2005)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2005/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2005|work=Billboard|access-date=November 8, 2020}}

| 35

Sales and Certifications

class="wikitable"
Region !Provider !Certification !Sales/Shipments
United States \| style="text-align:center;"\|RIAA \|Platinum{{cite web\|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=3&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=alan%20jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25 \|title=Gold & Platinum - February 16, 2010 \|publisher=RIAA \|access-date=February 16, 2010}} \|1,000,000+

class="wikitable"

Region

!Provider

!Certification

!Sales/Shipments

United States

| style="text-align:center;"|RIAA

|Platinum{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=3&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=alan%20jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |title=Gold & Platinum - February 16, 2010 |publisher=RIAA |access-date=February 16, 2010}}

|1,000,000+

References

External links

{{Metacritic album}}

Category:2004 albums

Category:Alan Jackson albums

Category:Arista Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Keith Stegall