Idol Chatter & Voice Views

“Constantine”
Constantine Maroulis

1. Girl Like You
2. Several Thousand
3. Everybody Loves
4. Child, You’re the Revolution
5. Right to My Head
6. Favorite T-Shirt
7. Sister, Sister
8. Fading Into You
9. I Though It Was Something
10. So Long
11. Heaven Help the Lonely
12. Midnight Radio
I really did not expect to enjoy “Constantine,” the 2007 album from Constantine Maroulis, the sixth-place finisher on season four of Idol.

Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t listened to it since picking it up at a bargain price during Circuit City’s going-out-of-business sale earlier this year.

But Constantine has been all over the news lately, showing up on “The View,” declaring how he helped break the barrier for other rockers on Idol, signing up for another year with the Broadway show “Rock of Ages” and then getting punched out at a party, apparently over Paula’s departure from Idol.

Wow. Talk about a busy week.

And then there’s that bit about a Tony Award nomination for best actor for his role as Drew, a bartender/aspiring rocker in “Rock of Ages.”

Who would have figured what the future held for Constantine back when he was appearing on a soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful?”

Bottom line: I figured it was time to give Constantine a spin on the CD player.

Bottom line: Not half bad.

Classic: Hardly.

Rock album: Nope. Too many na-na-nas and ooh-oohs. The closest Constantine comes to rocking is on “Child, You’re the Revolution” on the fourth track, and he never comes back.

But the CD is sprinkled with catchy pop-rock tunes, songs like “Girl Like You,” “Favorite T-Shirt” and “Heaven Help the Lonely.”

And if there’s any doubt about Constantine’s vocal skills, take a listen to the stripped-down “So Long.”

Constantine’s Web site is touting the announcement of shows he’ll be doing at Joe’s Pub in New York this fall. “A Night at the Rock Show” will feature Constantine’s unique interpretations of some of the greatest rock songs of all team,” the site reads. How much you wanna bet “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Constantine’s signature performance from Idol, will be part of the show?

You can never tell how frequently these Web site bios are updated, but there’s also mention of a second Constantine CD being released sometime in 2009.

If not, Constantine fanatics can always pick up the 22-track cast album for “Rock of Ages.” You can listen to a sample of all 22 songs — and the CD is littered with remakes of rock classics — on the “Rock of Ages” Web site.

Grade for “Constantine:” C

Here are links to other reviews of the album:

Entertainment Weekly: Gives “Constantine” a D+
AllMusic.com: Gives “Constantine” 4 stars out of 5