Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Want a reminder of why Crystal Bowersox should have won American Idol Season 9?

She served one up today.

Crystal just released a five-track EP “Once Upon a Time,” featuring acoustic versions of five pre-Idol songs.

The EP is available for download from Amazon and iTunes. Or if you want a physical copy, featuring cover art of her son Tony, head here.

Crystal also has a new look to her website, and if you sign up for email alerts, you’ll get a free download of a sixth song, “Ohio Flys By.”

Like most everything Crystal records, the tracks on the new EP grow on you with repeated listens. I’m not sure I’m allowed to include the name of my favorite track in this newspaper blog. Let’s just say it’s the third track on the EP.

There’s more new music coming from Crystal. She tweeted last week that she’s “busy in the studio workin’ on my next album.”

Crystal, of course, finished second to Lee DeWyze in Season 9, then released an underrated debut album with a cover track (“Farmer’s Daughter”) that remains one of the best songs ever written and recorded by an Idol contestant.

Now, here’s another of the fine songs on the new EP … “Get Me Out.”