Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Many a musician has benefited from the Idol bump, but this is ridiculous.

It’s well documented: Perform in front of millions on American Idol, and your music gets a bump on the Billboard music charts the following week.

It’s worked for many past Idols and for many artists with absolutely no affiliation to the show.

Well, Adam Lambert performed on American Idol last week. He didn’t get a bump on the Billboard charts this week. He got a rocket ship type of boost.

His “Whataya Want From Me” single surged from 23 to 10 on the Hot 100. Prior to his Idol appearance, the single had barely cracked the top 20.

His album, soared from 77 to 35 on the Billboard 200 after being mired in the 60s and 70s for a month. That’s the highest the album had been on that chart since early February, right after Adam appeared on the Oprah show.

I’m not sure I can explain the magnitude of the Idol bump. Given all the publicity he’s received, everyone had to know Adam had released an album and a single.

Of course, he did turn in a brilliant rendition of “Whataya Want From Me” on Idol. Especially compared to the disaster of a post-Idol “For Your Entertainment” performance at the American Music Awards last year.

In other Idol music news, Jason Castro’s album shows up on the charts for the first time this week. With a pretty respectable debut considering the fact that he was on Idol two years ago.

Kris Allen: “Live Like We’re Dying” holds steady at number 30 on the Hot 100. It’s number 11 among adult contempoary singles.

Jason Castro: Look at Jason. He debuts at number 18 on the Billboard 200, even though none of the singles from his first album have caught on yet.

Kelly Clarkson: In its second week on the charts, “All I Ever Wanted” moves from 99 to 96 on the Hot 100. It’s the fourth single of Kelly’s album by the same name.

Daughtry: “Life After You,” the second single off the band’s second album, takes a tumble, dropping from 51 to 61 on the Hot 100. But it’s number four among adult pop songs.

That second album is number 74 on the Billboard 200, a five-spot drop from a week ago.

Danny Gokey: The season eight contestant’s debut album is still hanging in the top half of the Billboard 200 after seven weeks, checking in at number 98, down six spots. It’s number 19 on the county album chart, down from 17.

Meanwhile, after being stuck at 29 or 30 on the country singles chart for more than a month, his first single, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” moves up to 26.

Blake Lewis: Oh, well, at least Blake made it to the top of the charts. That was last week. This week, “Heartbreak on Vinyl” drops to number eight on the dance club play chart.

Kellie Pickler: The season five contestant’s second album drops out of the top 40 on the country album chart 80 weeks after its release.

Carrie Underwood: “Temporary Home” is dropping quickly after peaking at number one among country singles and number 41 on the Hot 100. This week it’s number 73 on the latter chart, down 18 spots. It drops out of the top 30 on the country singles chart.

Carrie’s latest album is 38 on the Billboard 200, down from 35, and slips one spot, from six to seven, on the country album chart.