Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hey, for Idol fans, the next two weeks are a big deal.

Daughtry’s long-awaited second album hits stores Tuesday. Season six winner Jordin Sparks will be back with album number two next Tuesday. Brooke White, from season seven, releases her post-Idol debut Tuesday on iTunes and next Tuesday in stores.

To celebrate the occasion, I figured Idol Chatter would take a look back at the first releases from all three artists. They follow.

And please come back Tuesday to share your opinion of the new albums from Daughtry and Brooke.

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Daughtry
“Daughtry”

1. It’s Not Over
2. Used To
3. Home
4. Over You
5. Crashed
6. Feels Like Tonight
7. What I Want
8. Breakdown
9. Gone
10. There and Back Again
11. All These Lives
12. What About Now

Lots of fans were shocked when Chris Daughtry was eliminated from Idol in season five, finishing fourth.

No matter. Chris won when it counted — post-Idol album sales.

He recorded the music that would become “Daughtry” while that year’s Idol summer tour was still going on. The album was released in November 2006.

More than two years later, it has sold more than 5 million copies and is still hanging near the top 100 on Billboard’s Hot 200 albums chart.

The album earned the band an American Music Award (favorite pop-rock album) in 2007 and four Grammy nominations in 2008.

Want hits? “It’s Not Over” and “Home” (which became the farewell song for eliminated Idols in season six) cracked the top five on the Billboard 100. Both hit number 1 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary chart, along with “Feels Like Tonight.”

The result: The band’s second album is one of the most highly anticipated Idol albums of 2009.

Free listen: Daughtry’s MySpace

Reviews:

AllMusic.com: Gives Daughtry 3.5 stars out of 5
Entertainment Weekly: Gives Daughtry a B

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Jordin Sparks
“Jordin Sparks”

1. Tattoo
2. One Step at a Time
3. No Air (with Chris Brown)
4. Freeze
5. Shy Boy
6. Now You Tell Me
7. Next To You
8. Just for the Record
9. Permanent Monday
10. Young and In Love
11. See My Side
12. God Loves Ugly
13. This Is My Now

Jordin Sparks wasn’t the favorite to win Idol in season six. That designation would have gone to Melinda Doolittle or LaKisha Jones.

But Sparks walked away with the title and a challenge — proving Idol fans could still pick a winner after the debut album flops from season five finalists Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee.

No problem. With the addictive single “Tattoo” leading the way, Jordin’s debut has sold more than 1.5 million copies since its release in November 2007.

“Tattoo” made the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. The followup single “No Air,” a duet with Chris Brown, did even better, peaking at number three on the charts.

Those aren’t the only highlights on the album. Make sure to check out should-have-been-a-single “Shy Boy” and “See My Side.”

Free listen: Jordin’s MySpace

Reviews:

AllMusic.com: Gives Jordin 3.5 stars out of 5
Rolling Stone: Gives Jordin 3.5 stars out of 5
Entertainment Weekly: Gives Jordin a B+

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Brooke White
“Songs From the Attic”

1. Free
2. The Way Things Used To Be
3. Dream On
4. Come To My Rescue
5. In Love
6. Like I Do
7. Change
8. Yellow
9. Let It Go
10. Follow Me
11. Keep Running

Brooke released this independent album in October 2005, more than two years before she appeared on Idol.

It’s a bit hit-and-miss — the video for the single “Free” is more fun than the song — but Brooke displays the unique sound that made her a favorite on Idol season seven.

And when it hits, wow. The cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow” is among my favorite tracks on an Idol-related CD and became a song she would sing on the Idol tour in 2008.

Compared to Jordin, who doesn’t have a writing credit on her debut CD; Brooke wrote or co-wrote eight of the 11 tracks on this album.

Among the best of those: “Change,” “Follow Me.”

Free listen: Brooke’s MySpace for “Free” and “Yellow”

Review:

AllMusic.com: Gives Brooke 3 stars out of 5