Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Elliott Yamin, third-place finisher from American Idol Season 5, released his third album on Tuesday.

And the folks who have heard “Let’s Get to What’s Real” — like Blinded by Sound and Soul Tracks — are giving it rave reviews.

If the rest of the album sounds like the snippet of “Downtown” in the promo video posted below, I’m likely to do the same.

This is the first new music U.S. fans have gotten from Elliott since 2009’s “Fight for Love.” And both it and his 2007 post-Idol debut album were pretty well received by critics who tend to be pretty critical of any new music coming from Idol alum.

Says Elliott of “Let’s Get to What’s Real” and its 11 tracks: “This album is something that I needed to do, for me. It feels right, and it feels like who I am as an artist. I wanted to make something raw and soulful and organic, so I went wherever the music moved me.”

For more on the album, head to Elliott’s website.

Meanwhile, here’s the aforementioned promo clip and the first single from the album, “Three Words.”

Promotional video

“Three Words” video