Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Carrie Underwood fans will be in for a host of treats over the next week, and not just the release of her fourth album, “Blown Away,” on Tuesday.

A new album means lots of promotional appearances, and Carrie has a packed schedule this week.

It starts Monday morning when Good Morning America airs an exclusive interview. That night, Carrie will appear on David Letterman, and fans will also be able to catch her on the Live On Letterman webcast concert series.

On Tuesday, when the new album comes out, Carrie will be back on Good Morning America for an outdoor concert on Times Square, followed by another online performance that evening on IHeartRadio.

And, of course, Carrie will be a featured guest on this week’s American Idol results show.

Other appearances scheduled so far include The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 9; Jimmy Kimmel Live! on May 10, Dancing With The Stars on May 15, and she’s scheduled to perform at the Billboard Music Awards on May 20.

If you haven’t heard “Blown Away,” you don’t have to wait until Tuesday. You can already listen to the entire album — not just song snippets — on iTunes.

Personally, I’m blown away by the title track and “Two Black Cadillacs,” the second and third songs on the album.

The former’s about a girl abused by her father; the latter is about a vengeful wife and mistress — not the type of tunes we’re used to hearing on a Carrie Underwood album.

“It starts off a little heavier, a little dark, a little more ominous,” Carrie told Billboard.com in a live Q&A earlier this week. “But we definitely lighten up after that. Don’t worry after you listen to the first three songs. It does get happier.”

She also told Billboard she doesn’t want anyone trying to draw parallels between those “darker” songs and her life.

“My life is wonderful,” she said. “But it’s so much more fun to play a character and write about something else.”

During the interview, Carrie also talks about the pinch-me moments she has every day, about why the song “Thank God for Hometowns” means so much to her and about what she’d do if she had the keys to the White House for a day. Go here to listen.

And keep checking back. I’ll post a roundup of “Blown Away” reviews when enough of them are in and photos from that Good Morning America performance on Tuesday.

Now, “Blown Away” …