American Idle

Carrie Underwood has been on a press tour of New York City all week, and continued plugging her new album, “Play On,” with a stop at Good Morning America.

There she played two of her hit songs from the album, “Cowboy Casanova” and “Last Name,” the latter of which is getting some decent buzz.

Underwood continues to be a force in the music business, in spite of her fellow Idols (Adam Lambert included) who are having, shall we say, difficulties making it happen.

That’s the thing about this business; it’s make-or-break, and sometimes, it’s just about getting a break, as opposed to not getting one at all.

You can have all the talent in the world, ergo Taylor Hicks, but it doesn’t mean anything unless you have the right representation and the right music.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that Underwood is fairly attractive, blonde and appeals to a certain demographic that frankly, doesn’t actually care about what somebody sings. That’s the reality, I suppose.

In all actuality, Underwood is very talented and she has staying power, as is the case with “Last Name.” Listen to it below:

She’ll be on other shows as the week rolls on. In the meantime, support our blog and buy her new album below!

Well, folks, the track list for the highly anticipated and new Adam Lambert album has finally been released. What a trippy album cover!

1 Music Again 3:16 – Rob Cavallo, Justin Hawkins of the Darkness
2 For Your Entertainment 3:35 – Claude Kelly/Dr. Luke
3 Whataya Want from Me 3:47 – Pink, Max Martin
4 Strut 3:29 – Adam Lambert, Kara DioGuardi
5 Soaked 4:33 – Muse
6 Sure Fire Winners 3:32 – Rob Cavallo
7 A Loaded Smile 4:04 – Adam Lambert, Linda Perry
8 If I Had You 3:48
9 Fever 3:26 – Lady Gaga
10 Sleepwalker 4:25 – Aimee Mayo, Chris Lindsay, Ryan Tedder
11 Aftermath 4:26
12 Broken Open 5:03
13 Time for Miracles Bonus Track 4:43 – Writers: Alain Johannes & Natasha Shneider; Producer: Rob Cavallo

As expected, Rob Cavallo was a large part in the songwriting process, as was Lady Gaga.

Why, even Pink and Idol’s own Kara DioGuardi get in on the fun, adding their wisdom and pen to several songs on “For Your Entertainment.”

What Lambert fans will find with this album is that it’s not a rocker joint; it’s actually more dance-y tunes, and things you might find in a club as opposed to a sold-out arena.

That’s the type of thing Lambert was known for before he became famous–and infamous–with his success on Idol.

So, in a way, it’s more of the same with a bit of the new thrown in for good measure.

And, don’t run out to buy the 2012 soundtrack, because his new single “Time For Miracles” is the last track on the album.

Also, his first official single off the album, “For Your Entertainment” is available on iTunes today. If Today.com had a way in which I could sell the download, I would. But there isn’t a way, so find it on iTunes. This album link below might be it; I’m not sure. Anyway, enjoy!

Adam Lambert opened up what should be an interesting month, American Idol-wise, as his new single from the 2012 soundtrack “Time For Miracles” was released to the general public today.

Of course, Sony had their way about everything and so nobody gets to see any real snippet of the video, unless you know how (Hint: MySpace).

But what we do have for you is a preview of the song below. It’s not the greatest in terms of quality, but for now, it will have to do.

You can catch 2012 in theatres starting today, and Lambert's new album, "Time For Entertainment" is coming in early 2010.

So, the question remains: despite losing Idol to Kris Allen, will Lambert be the next breakout star from the Idol alumni? I'd bet yes.

Here’s the video preview. Sounds a little rockerish, a tad Aerosmith, and somewhat Lambert. Not a bad start, if you ask me.

Remember Danny Noriega?

Well, the headline grabber from American Idol season 7 is back in the news, and this time, he actually has a song.

No, really, I’m not joking here. Noriega, who is more known for his video blogs and diva attitude, is seen above belting out his new single “Inside My Head.”

Some are saying that the song is a retread of a David Archuleta song that was dropped from Archie’s last album.

Either way, it’s amazing, frankly, that Noriega actually put out a single, let alone an album. In my view, that now puts him ahead of Jason Castro, another season 7 alum who can’t get his crap together.

So we’ll see if this actually sets Noriega off in a decent direction now, or if this is too little and too late.

American Idol 8 winner Kris Allen may not have the musical chops of say, an Adam Lambert or an Allison Iraheta, but he’s doing–as Randy Jackson would say–his thing.

Below he performed at the q102 radio Bosom Ball to help benefit breast cancer in Cincinnati, Ohio, and this was his latest single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” which he performed during his sound check.

It’s a rollicking tune for sure, but where is the audience? Are things as bad for Allen as they might seem?

Is Kris Allen the next Taylor Hicks, destined to play shopping malls to screaming teenagers? Things could be worse, but that’s where I see Allen playing in the not-too-distant future if he can’t write anything better than this (and this single is actually written by The Script).

Chris Daughtry has been a hitmaker, one of very few American Idols with such distinction, in fact.

But the reason–and it’s probably one other Idols should look toward if they plan on following his massive footsteps–is because of Daughtry’s work rate.

That’s obvious after listening to his latest single, “Life After You,” which like his other fare, is another likely chart-topper.

He played it for current Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, and from the sounds of the audience, it was a winner.

Daughtry very simply could be the hardest working person in show business, and he seems to love what he does. Not bad for a guy who was playing dive bars with his band before Idol.

Also, considering this is Daughtry’s latest single off his new album tells you that the guy isn’t going away anytime in the near future.

First you saw official snippets of Katharine McPhee’s new music video off of her highly anticipated new album “Unbroken,” and now comes the real thing!

K-Mac has had, shall we say, a less than successful music career to date, but hey, anyone can get a break now and then, right?

This video for her new song “Had It All” has me at a loss for words, really. Whose idea was it to make K-Mac a blonde? That’s the first real foible in the video.

Also, the intro is on the cheesy side. The lyrics are basically an encapsulation of her career in music. Did I mention the song was cheesy, too?

Well, it is. And I don’t think this song will do much for McPhee’s future in singing.

Carrie Underwood continues to be a chart-topping country diva with “Cowboy Casanova,” her hot single.

Now comes word that her album, upon which her new single is the lead song, will be called “Play On” and it will hit on November 3, reportedly.

Of course, anyone with a knowledge of release dates knows it can be bumped up or pushed back, so we’ll just say November is her target release date and leave it at that.

It remains to be seen if Underwood’s newest album will enjoy the success of her last, but it’snever a good idea to count her out.

Her track list is below, with the songwriters in parentheses. Carrie also helps write her songs, so that’s a plus.  

 1. Cowboy Casanova (Mike Elizondo, Brett James, Carrie Underwood)
2. Quitter
3. Mama’s Song (Kara Dioguardi, Martin Frederiksen, Luke Laird, Carrie Underwood)
4. Change (Katrina Elam, Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins)
5. Undo It (Kara DioGuardi, Martin Frederiksen, Luke Laird, Carrie Underwood)
6. Someday When I Stop Loving You (Hillary Lindsey, Steve McEwan, Gordie Sampson)
7. Songs Like This (Martin Dodson, Jerry Flowers, Tom Shapiro)
8. Temporary Home (Luke Laird, Zac Maloy, Carrie Underwood)
9. This Time
10. Look At Me
11. Unapologize
12. What Can I Say (featuring Sons of Sylvia-formerly the Clark Brothers) (David Hodges, Steve McEwan, Carrie Underwood)
13. Play On (Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird, Carrie Underwood)

Some may not have much to do after the Idols Tour 09 is over, like Michael Sarver. But others are finding their own way, and the road less traveled? It’s making all the difference, as the old saying goes, for Megan Joy.

The Utahn has been busy doing a local convention since she’s returned to Salt Lake City, and she’s also starring in a local commercial, so who says you can’t have success after Idol?

Of course, let’s all remember it’s really early and most, if not all, stars haven’t put out an album yet!

But here’s Megan Joy singing at a convention for a company she is allegedly an employee of, called SendOutCards.

David Cook continued what seems like his endless tour on Saturday night, this time ending up in Ottawa, Canada.

Considering that Cook has always had some of the most rabid fans of all the former American Idols, you know you’re in for a show when Cook takes the stage.

Usually, the show comes from the fans, too, who have been known to throw bras and other assorted things onstage while ransacking his tour buses afterward.

Ah, it’s all part of Cook’s charm, right? Anyway, here’s Cook singing Bon Jovi’s “Livin On A Prayer,” which is obviously not a David Cook song but is entertaining with a capital E.

And, it’s an acoustic version to boot. Listen below: