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MTV News talked to producer Kevin Rudolf about what it was like to work with Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert in the studio. Rudolf is set to work with Kris Allen in October.

Rudolf had a hit in 2008 with “Let it Rock” and has produced songs for Cobra Starship and Lil’ Wayne.

Rudolf loves him some Allison Iraheta:

“I think Allison is, like, probably one of the most talented singers out in the world right now,” Rudolf gushed. “She’s one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with. Ever. She’s awesome.”

“I even told the label, ‘I would just, like, quit half of what I’m doing and work just on this

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, because she’s so good.’ Such a great voice! I just want to make sure she gets great records and special attention and, you know, the songs and material that she deserves to have.”

“I don’t write bubblegum pop. Even if I write something that’s poppy I always try to do something with integrity and that’s real and has heart. We did a cool record. It has a little bit of a wink to it, but it’s smart. To me, she’s like the new Janis Joplin or Pat Benetar.” No surprise, then, that Rudolf described his collaboration as an “updated 2010 version” of Benetar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

Rudolf worked with Adam Lambert on a “discoish” song for a few hours before the Idols hit the road in July. Now that the tour has wrapped up, they plan to go back into the studio to finish the song.

“He’s so cool, so open. … His voice is incredible. He can do anything he wants. It’s just a matter of choosing the right direction and homing in and saying, ‘This is my sound.’ ”

“We started a song that was … kind of like an updated, futuristic-rock, disco-ish thing…I’m gonna do some more stuff with him.”

Rudolf believes the Idols have more freedom to take risks than your average recording artist:

“[The 'Idol' albums are] so fun to work on, because they have the attention of the world, which means they don’t really have to conform as much as a lot of other artists, format-wise. They don’t have to be cookie-cutter,” Rudolf said. “People will listen [no matter what]. So if you do something that’s great, that blows people away. You’re skipping that step of, ‘Well, we’re not sure if it’s this [genre], we’re not sure if it’s [that genre],’ which a lot of people [in the industry] say. You can do anything you want.”

Anything he wants within a very short window of opportunity. Idol albums are nearly always cookie cutter. The Idols record while they tour, then only have a few short weeks when they get back to LA to finish up the record. It would be awesome if the 2009 Idol releases managed to buck the trend…