Kimberly Caldwell
Without Regret
1. Desperate Girls and Stupid Boys
2. Heart Like Mine
3. Naked
4. Hotter Without You
5. Say Love
6. Mess of You
7. If You’re Gonna Fall
8. Taking Back My Life
9. Going Going Gone
10. Frozen
11. Human After All
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Several delays, multiple photo shoots and eight years later, we finally have “Without Regret,” a debut album from Kimberly Caldwell.
I wish I could say American Idol’s seventh-place finisher from season two has a smash hit on her hands.
But that would be ignoring the fact that she’s already released the album’s best two tracks as singles, and they made barely a ripple on the Billboard charts.
Then there’s this: Between the rasp in her voice and the pop-rock style she embraces, Kimberly is bound to be compared to Pink. Unfavorably, of course.
Get past that, and this is a decent debut album.
The clunkers (“Say Love”) are few and far between; most of the songs grow on you with repeated listens.
Except “Desperate Girls and Stupid Boys.” One play and you’ll be hooked on that song; it was number five on my list of best Idol songs of 2010.
Like that single, Kimberly is at her best here when she’s belting out hard-charging rockers — “Mess of You,” “Going Going Gone” and “Hotter Without You” among them.
Best among the ballads: “Naked” and “Frozen”; Kimberly co-wrote the latter along with two other tracks.
But indicative of all those delays — Kimberly performed “Going Going Gone” off her “upcoming album” at the Philly Thanksgiving parade … in November 2009.
So even if “Without Regret” doesn’t strike gold, give Kimberly an A+ for perseverance.
Download worthy: “Desperate Boys and Stupid Girls,” “Mess of You,” “Hotter Without You”
Grade: C+
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