Idol Chatter & Voice Views

We now have a firm release date for Colton Dixon’s debut album.

The guy who finished seventh on Season 11 of Idol will release “A Messenger” on EMI-CMG/Sparrow Records on Jan. 29.

Nice timing, I’d say, because that’s two weeks into the new American Idol season, meaning the focus will be back on all things Idol.

From the day he stepped on the Idol stage, Colton made it clear he wanted to record a contemporary Christian album after the show.

His debut includes 11 tracks, and he has a co-write on 10 of those songs. The lone exception is a stripped down, acoustic version of “Let Them See You,” which was written by Scott Wilbanks, touring keyboardist for Third Day.

Speaking of Third Day, Colton will be a special guest on 46 of the band’s tour dates in 2013, beginning with a Feb. 21 show in Fairfax, Va.  A complete list of those dates is not yet available at coltondixon.com.

A week before that, Colton will perform with Season 11 Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez at a Valentine’s Day concert in Manilla.

As for the album, pre-orders begin Jan. 15.