Life at Best

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Life at Best | type = studio | artist = Eli Young Band | cover = lifeatbest.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|2011|08|16}} | recorded = | studio = Dark Horse Recording (Franklin, TN) Wrucke's House (Nashville, TN) | genre = Country | length = {{Duration|m=50|s=19}} | label = Republic Nashville | producer = {{flatlist| * Frank Liddell * Mike Wrucke }} | prev_title = Jet Black & Jealous | prev_year = 2008 | next_title = 10,000 Towns | next_year = 2014 | misc = {{Singles | name = Life at Best | type = Studio | single1 = Crazy Girl | single1date = March 7, 2011 | single2 = Even If It Breaks Your Heart | single2date = January 23, 2012 | single3 = Say Goodnight | single3date = August 27, 2012<ref>{{cite news|last=Wyland|first=Sarah|title=Eli Young Band's Crowds Get Loud|url=http://blog.gactv.com/blog/2012/08/04/eli-young-bands-crowds-get-loud/|access-date=August 5, 2012|newspaper=Great American Country|date=August 4, 2012}}</ref> }} }} {{Music ratings | rev1 = Allmusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic" /> | rev2 = ''Country Weekly'' | rev2Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="cw" /> }}

'''''Life at Best''''' is the third studio album by American country music group Eli Young Band. It was released on August 16, 2011 via Republic Nashville. The album includes the number one singles "Crazy Girl" and "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" as well as "Say Goodnight", which peaked at number 22 on the Country Airplay Chart. According to HITS Daily Double, the album sold 348,000 copies as of February 2014. A "15 Years Deluxe" reissue was released on May 15, 2026.

==Reception== ===Critical=== Giving it four stars out of five, Steve Morley of Country Weekly said that the album "rings with roots-rock guitars and meaty, often melancholy themes".<ref name="cw">{{cite web|url=http://www.countryweekly.com/reviews/life-best-eli-young-band|title=''Life at Best'' review|last=Morley|first=Steve|date=August 10, 2011|work=Country Weekly|access-date=August 17, 2011}}</ref> A less favorable review came from Andrew Leahey of AllMusic, who thought that it was a "step backwards" because he did not consider its songs as memorable as those on ''Jet Black & Jealous''.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/album/life-at-best-r2228839/review|title=''Life at Best'' review|last=Leahey|first=Andrew|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref>

==Track listing== {{Track listing | total_length = 50:19

| title1 = Even If It Breaks Your Heart | writer1 = {{hlist|Will Hoge|Eric Paslay}} | length1 = 3:40

| title2 = Crazy Girl | writer2 = {{hlist|Lee Brice|Liz Rose}} | length2 = 3:20

| title3 = Every Other Memory | writer3 = {{hlist|Chris DeStefano|Catt Gravitt|Josh Kear}} | length3 = 4:44

| title4 = On My Way | writer4 = {{hlist|Scooter Carusoe|Jon Jones|James Young}} | length4 = 3:26

| title5 = Skeletons | writer5 = {{hlist|Mike Eli|Sean McConnell|Young}} | length5 = 3:21

| title6 = I Love You | writer6 = {{hlist|Brice|Kyle Jacobs|Jones|Chris Thompson}} | length6 = 3:20

| title7 = The Fight | writer7 = {{hlist|Natalie Hemby|Tim Putnam}} | length7 = 4:25

| title8 = My Old Man's Son | writer8 = {{hlist|Lance W. Adkins|Eli|Blu Sanders}} | length8 = 3:42

| title9 = Recover | writer9 = {{hlist|Eli|Young|Jacobs}} | length9 = 2:58

| title10 = The Falling | writer10 = {{hlist|Eli|Ryan James}} | length10 = 3:38

| title11 = War on a Desperate Man | writer11 = {{hlist|Eli|Sanders}} | length11 = 4:06

| title12 = Say Goodnight | writer12 = {{hlist|Katrina Elam|Melissa Peirce|John Paul White}} | length12 = 3:08

| title13 = How Quickly You Forget | writer13 = {{hlist|Eli|Hemby|Daniel Tashian}} | length13 = 3:40

| title14 = Life at Best | writer14 = {{hlist|Eli|Young}} | length14 = 2:51 }}{{Track listing | headline = 15-year anniversary deluxe edition bonus tracks | title15 = Go Outside and Dance | note15 = Unreleased Track | length15 = 2:32 | writer15 = {{hlist|Adam Hood|Brent Cobb}} | title16 = Room Goes Dark | note16 = Demo | length16 = 3:13 | writer16 = {{hlist|Eli|Mando Saenz|Young}} | title17 = Me and Jack | note17 = Demo | length17 = 3:23 | writer17 = {{hlist|Eli|Bryan Tyler|Young}} | title18 = Crazy Girl | note18 = Acoustic | length18 = 3:08 | writer18 = {{hlist|Rose|Paslay}} | title19 = Say Goodnight | note19 = Radio Edit | length19 = 2:57 | writer19 = {{hlist|Elam|Peirce|White}} | title20 = The Fight | note20 = Single Edit | length20 = 3:54 | writer20 = {{hlist|Hemby|Putnam}} }}

==Personnel== Adapted from the ''Life at Best'' liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Life at Best|others=Eli Young Band|publisher=Republic Nashville|year=2011|type=booklet|id=B001585602}}</ref>

;Eli Young Band *Mike Eli – guitar, lead vocals *Jon Jones – bass guitar, background vocals *Chris Thompson – drums, percussion *James Young – lead guitar, harmonica, background vocals

;Production *Eric Tonkin – assistant engineer *Nick Kallstrom – assistant engineer *Mark Dobson – digital editing *Mike Wrucke – mixing *Richard Dodd – mastering

;Additional musicians *Eric Darken – percussion *Fred Eltringham – percussion *Kree Harrison – background vocals *Natalie Hemby – background vocals *Greg Leisz – steel guitar *Tony Obrohta – guitar *Russ Pahl – steel guitar *Oran Thornton – guitar *Michael Webb – Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards *Mike Wrucke – guitar, steel guitar, harmonica, mandolin, background vocals

==Chart performance== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Chart (2011–12) ! Peak position |- {{album chart|Australia|75|artist=Eli Young Band|album=Life at Best}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|6|artist=Eli Young Band|access-date=April 7, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardCountry|3|artist=Eli Young Band|access-date=April 7, 2021}} |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Chart (2011) ! Position |- | US Top Country Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2011/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2011|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301174545/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2011/top-country-albums|archive-date=March 1, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> | style="text-align:center"|55 |- ! Chart (2012) ! Position |- | US Top Country Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2012|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124214554/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/top-country-albums|archive-date=November 24, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> | style="text-align:center"|33 |} {{col-end}}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Single ! colspan="4"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Certifications (sales threshold) |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="45"| US Country <ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=eli young band|chart=Country Songs}} |title=Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |accessdate=August 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/628q51XQN?url=http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/Rihanna/chart-history/658897?f=793&g=Singles |archivedate=October 2, 2011 }}</ref> ! style="width:45px;"| US Country Airplay <ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=eli young band|chart=Country Airplay}} |title=Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |accessdate=November 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/628q51XQN?url=http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/Rihanna/chart-history/658897?f=793&g=Singles |archivedate=October 2, 2011 }}</ref> ! width="45"| US <ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=eli young band|chart=all}}|title=Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=August 17, 2011}}</ref> ! width="45"| CAN <ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=eli young band|chart=Country Songs}} |title=Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Canadian Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |accessdate=October 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/628q51XQN?url=http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/Rihanna/chart-history/658897?f=793&g=Singles |archivedate=October 2, 2011 }}</ref> |- | 2011 ! scope="row"| "Crazy Girl" | 1 | — | 30 | 66 | * CAN: Gold{{Certification Cite Ref|region=Canada|type=digital|title=Crazy Girl|artist=Eli Young Band}} * US: 5× Platinum{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=single|title=Crazy Girl|artist=Eli Young Band}} |- | rowspan="2"| 2012 ! scope="row"| "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" | 1 | — | 29 | 56 | * US: 3× Platinum{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=single|title=Even If It Breaks Your Heart|artist=Eli Young Band}} |- ! scope="row"| "Say Goodnight" | 31 | 22 | 110 | — | |- | colspan="7" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |- |}

==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Eli Young Band|title=Life at Best|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2011|certyear=2024|accessdate=June 14, 2024}} {{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=yes|noshipments=yes}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:2011 albums Category:Eli Young Band albums Category:Republic Records albums Category:Albums produced by Frank Liddell