Idol Chatter & Voice Views

On American Idol, James Durbin begged fans to “give metal a chance.”

Anyone listening to his sophomore album, “Celebrate,” might wonder where the metal went.

To say the album, released Tuesday, has less of a rock edge would be an understatement.

On “Fool for You,” James sings about a girl who would like him better if he were Bruno Mars. Well, there are times on the album when it sounds like James is trying to be Bruno.

Not that the album isn’t without highlights. Lead single “Parachute” is ridiculously catchy and deserves to be a hit.

And James serves up a nice little trio of songs in succession near the end of the album with “Live Right Now,” “You’re Not Alone” and the power ballad “Forget It.”

But metal fans aren’t going to find a whole lot to shout out loud about.

The change in direction wasn’t an accident. James said he co-wrote the songs with guys who had written charting pop songs as well as charting rocks songs.

“This record represents me in a way my first record doesn’t,” James told Examiner.com. “These are my feelings and my stories.”

James finished fourth back in Season 10 of Idol, when he auditioned in part to provide a better life for his wife and son.

People reports that James and his wife Heidi are expecting a second child in November.

If you haven’t seen the video to “Parachute,” here it is.