Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nick Fradiani’s new EP, “Where We Left Off,” came out Friday.

And that seems to suit fans of the Season 14 American Idol winner just fine.

Twelve hours after its release, that EP — “Where We Left Off” — was sitting at number 17 on iTunes alternative albums chart.

And it was 99 on the site’s overall albums chart.

It was also drawing rave reviews from fans on Nick’s Facebook page. Here’s a sampling.

Sue McCollum: “You’re the perfect example of hard work and determination paying off! Loving everything about the new EP.”

Brenda Richard: “I can’t stop listening! sooooooo good!”

Laura Lacoco Nigro: “I listened to this entire CD and I can truly say it is amazing!!! Love every song on it!!”

And my favorite …

Lisa Rego: “Love, love , love this cd. My husband came home and thought I was NUTS…I’ve been blasting it since I got it. I didn’t hear the phone and I really don’t care at this time–he was calling and thought something happened. Oh well, he got one amazing dinner out of it.”

You’ll recall that Nick was signed to the Big Machine record label post-Idol and released an album called “Hurricane.” By big label record standards, it was not a commercial success.

This time around, Nick said he wrote the entire EP with just one or two other writers. He also produced it with the help of Nick Abraham, a member of the pre-Idol Beach Avenue band both Nicks were a part of.

“There were some elements in there that I liked,” he told fanside.com about “Hurricane.” “But this new EP is me trying to rebrand myself as what I think I am, which is kind of alternative pop. I like to use real instruments. I don’t want there to just be synth and falsetto vocals and all that stuff.

“I’m trying to bring elements of music I listened to when I was young that I loved, and whether or not that’s considered pop right now, I’m not sure,” he added. “but I’m in the process of rebranding myself and I think this is the start of it.”

Prime examples of the “Where We Left Off” Nick — the impassioned “Scared” with its hand claps and a cappella moments. And “Outlaws” with its soulful rock edge.

And don’t forget, Nick will be touring to support his new music. Stops in this area include the Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington D.C. on Nov. 4 and World Cafe Live in Philly on Nov. 30.

You can check all the tour dates on his Facebook page.

And check out this fabulous live acoustic version of “Outlaws.”