Scotty McCreery had a reliable barometer to determine if a song was good enough to make his new 'Clear as Day' album: his mom. In an interview with Dan Van Media, the 'American Idol' winner says Judy McCreery was instrumental in determining which of the more emotional tracks made the cut.

“Mama cried on a couple of them so we told all the guys to label them," McCreery explains. "When they sent me songs and demos I would email them back and say, 'Well, it passed the Mama crying test so it must be a good one.'"

"Hopefully it will have the same effect on you guys out there," he says. He adds that the 12 songs are a good mix of “rockin' songs where they will be loud and upbeat and then some intimate songs … some of them will make you cry.”

Fans will find out if Mama truly does know best when 'Clear as Day' hits stores on October 4. Last week, the 17-year-old revealed the complete track listing of the album and talked about a number of the new songs in an interview with Taste of Country.

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