Idol Chatter & Voice Views

About this time, we’d normally be listening to the new album from this year’s winner of American Idol, rushed to market just in time for the holiday season.

Not in 2013.

Candice Glover is releasing a new single, “Cried,” next week.

Next Tuesday, she’ll release a ballad called “Cried,” her first since being crowned the winner of Season 12.

Meanwhile, as previously reported, her oft-delayed debut album has been pushed back to February.

You’ll recall that album, “Music Speaks,” was originally scheduled for release in July, just two months after the show ended.

Then it was pushed back to Oct. 8, only to be delayed once again.

On Facebook, at least one of her fans bemoans Idol’s failure to strike “while the iron is hot.”

The unfortunate truth is, Entertainment/Interscope Records probably hasn’t struck with Candice’s debut album because the iron has never been hot for American Idol Season 12, in spite of the undeniable talent displayed by the South Carolinian and a couple of her closest competitors on the show.

This is just conjecture on my part, but Idol’s plummeting ratings probably made rushing Candice’s album to market in just two months a bad gamble. And the summer tour fizzled, with several dates canceled because of poor tickets sales, so it didn’t generate the normal buzz an Idol winner would enjoy coming off the road.

Entertainment/Interscope is likely hoping Idol can generate buzz with a reconfigured judging panel and a new season hitting the air in January. Candice’s new release date of Feb. 18 conveniently comes about a month into that new season.

Meanwhile, Candice fans are giving rave reviews to the new single, which you can listen to below.

Check out these comments from Facebook:

Anne Ray: “I got all those goosebumps going on! WOW!”

Bernie Frausto: “Great vocals Candice … you’re an angel. I love your music.”

Samantha Jenkins: “BEAUTIFUL song girl you GOT THIS ! GO get them!”

Raminder Hayre: “I can never multitask when I listen to your music… I rewatched nearly all of AI the other day… you’re just so captivating.”

And, now, the single: