Idol Chatter & Voice Views

And then a funny thing happened.

The critics prefer Lauren Alaina over Scotty McCreery.

Seriously. Reviews are starting to pop up for Lauren’s debut album, “Wildflower,” which hit stores and online sites Tuesday.

And, generally, they’re very good. In contrast, Scotty tended to get glowing reviews from county music sites and far less than glowing reviews from everyone else.

Here’s what we have so far.  Follow the links for the full review.

AllMusic.com: Gives Lauren 3 stars out of 5 compared to 2 for Scotty.  “Alaina is earnest, pouring her heart into generic celebrations of the New South, name-dropping Alan Jackson and Jason Aldean, diesel trucks, John Deeres, Sunday mornings, a mother’s love, country boys in blue jeans and T-shirts, everything outside of sweet tea that makes small southern towns great.”

HitFix: Gives Lauren a B+ compared to a B- for Scotty.  “Even though she’s only 16, her voice is self-assured and she is totally able to sell what she’s singing here. Though she doesn’t have the range and clarity of Carrie Underwood, she has a bit of her growl and sass.”

UsWeekly: Gives Lauren 3.5 stars (out of who knows how many); did not review Scotty. “The season 10 runner-up’s powerhouse vocals — showcased on heartfelt coming-of-age tales  and feisty Southern-fried anthems — establish the 16-year-old as a major one to watch on the country scene.”

GAC (Great American Country): Gives Lauren a generally positive review.  “Wildflower,” produced by Byron Gallimore, is a cohesive collection that captures this moment for Lauren.

Taste of Country: Gives Lauren 3 stars out of 5 compared to 3.5 for Scotty.  “‘Wildflower’ is the musical equivalent of puppy love. It comes on strong but doesn’t stand the wear and tear of time and repeated listens.

USA Today hasn’t graded the album yet (Scotty got 2 stars out of 4), but Brian Mansfield provides a splendid track-by-track look at the album here.