Summers gone, the Season 7 tour is complete, and the next and final phase of the Idol year is ushered in. It’s time for the Fall album releases! Besides the perennial post-Idol debuts of the current seasons’s winner and runner-up–this year that would be David Cook and David Archuleta, there’s castmate Kristy Lee Cook’s country debut and the highly-anticipated debut from actress, Oscar winner and Season 3 contestant, Jennifer Hudson. Also on the schedule are releases from a slew of Season fivers, including Kellie Pickler’s sophomore effort, an extended re-release from Daughtry, and holiday albums from Elliott Yamin, Paris Bennett and Mandisa.
Check out the entire schedule, After the JUMP…
- 09/09 – Daughtry, Deluxe Edition – It’s a re-release of the band’s 2006 debut, Daughtry, with some extras–a cover of Foreigner’s “Feels Like a First Time” plus acoustic versions of “Home” and “What About Now”. The bonus DVD contains videos for all five Daughtry singles plus live performances and interviews with the band. The set is designed for the completists and die hard fans in mind. Or for that small circle of peeps in the universe who have yet to purchase the multi-platinum original. Amazon
iTunes
- 09/16 – Kristy Lee Cook, Why Wait – Kristy Lee and her team sped-recorded this disc in 4 days, and it shows with a generic offering that has it’s pleasant moments, but is largely forgettable. “God Bless the USA”, a song she performed and recorded on Idol, is re-recorded for the album. “Cowgirls” a tune she performed on tour, is offered on iTunes as a bonus track. So far, the label hasn’t gone out of it’s way to promote Kristy. But that may change. She’s appearing on Live with Regis and Kelly this week to promote the album and the single, “15 Minutes of Shame” and rumor has it she’ll be opening for Lonestar on an upcoming tour. Amazon
iTunes
- 09/30 – Kellie Pickler, Kellie Pickler – The plucky Ms. Pickler has been hard at work this summer, promoting herself and her single “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” at fairs and concerts all over the country. Kellie co-wrote 5 songs on the new album and describes her songwriting style as “honest.” She says that the CD is “a lot more ‘me’ because we had the time to make it ‘me.'” Amazon
- 09/30 – Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson – The highly anticipated debut from Jennifer is executive produced by Clive Davis and Larry Jackson and features collaborations with an all star cast including Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Stargate, Tank, Timbaland, T-Pain, Robin Thicke and the Underdogs. The single, “Spotlight” is currently #3 on the Hot Hip Hop/R&B Songs and Airplay charts. Amazon
- 10/07 – Elliott Yamin, My Kind of Holiday – An expanded version of last year’s Target exclusive holiday album, this full-length edition will be available everywhere. Amazon
- 10/14 – Mandisa, It’s Christmas – The new full-length Christmas album includes songs from last year’s EP Christmas Joy, plus a few new tunes. Amazon
- 10/14 – Paris Bennett, A Royal Christmas – The set includes both traditional tunes like “12 Days Of Christmas, ” “Little Drummer Boy, ” “Silent Night, ” and “Deck The Halls” plus original tracks, including “Holla Day Shuffle” written by Paris’s mom, Jamecia Bennett. Amazon
- 10/28 – Josiah Leming, Angels Undercover – Despite not making the cut for the Season 7 Top 24, Josiah, a talented singer-songwriter, landed a major label deal with Warner Brothers records. The 10/28 release will be a 5 song EP released to iTunes, in order to build up anticipation for the full-length album due in the first quarter of next year.
- 10/28 – LaKisha Jones, TBA – The single, “So Glad It’s Me” was supposedly released August 25, although I can’t find it on iTunes. There hasn’t been much information released about the CD since the initial press releases. Her label’s website is under construction, and her MySpace hasn’t been updated. You can check out some promotional videos on LaKisha’s You Tube page. The album is yet to be listed on Amazon. I’ll assume the release is still on track until we hear otherwise.
- 11/11 – David Archuleta, TBA – Apart from his successful debut single “Crush”–it rocketed to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released last month–word on the producers and collaborators working with Archie on his debut CD has been hush-hush. What kind of record will Archie make? He explains, “I’m just going to go the pop route and find a nice balance between young stuff and those songs I can be expressive with and connect with well.” A mix of R&B, and those message ballads he loved to sing on Idol? His A&R peeps say, “a youthful, but classic, rhythmic pop record with some pop-rock touches.” As far as I know, the 11/11 release date is still tentative. The folks at Eonline continue to insist that the Davids may release on the same day. Amazon
- 11/18 – David Cook, TBA – Cook’s debut CD, produced by Rob Cavallo, features co-writes with Collective Soul’s Ed Roland, Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida and even American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. Also on board are Cook’s fellow Oklahoma musicians, Neil Tiemann and Andy Skib of Midwest Kings and Zac Malloy from the Nixons. Will David be able to walk that fine line between art and commerce? It’s a tall order for a quickly put-together Idol debut, but Cook promises to deliver a rock record that’s “both eclectic and cohesive and [has] something to say…there’s gonna be some interesting twists and turns.” Expect a yet-to-be-named single to be released early to mid-October. Amazon
- Kelly Clarkson – I keep hearing rumors that her new album is due out in November or December. But, she’s not on any of the Fall lists I’ve found on the internet, and there’s no record release information on her website, and no buzz being generated by her peeps. There’s an Amazon listing with a November 18 date, but I’m thinking her latest effort may be pushed into the coming year. Right now, she’s getting ready to embark on a 2 month long tour with Reba McEntire.
