Idol Chatter & Voice Views

After a slow first nine months of 2013, iTunes is heating up with new releases from former singing show contestants.

Yesterday, Kellie Pickler’s fourth album hit digital download sites.

Melinda Doolittle of Season 6 of American Idol released a new EP on Tuesday.

Melinda has released a seven-track effort called “You’re the Reason,” clearly going for a more current sound than her first post-Idol album, “Coming Back to You.”

That album, released way back in February 2009, featured a bluesy, old soul sound on many of its top tracks.

That flavor is missing on “You’re the Reason,” but Melinda’s fine vocals aren’t. They’re especially evident on the ballad, “I Believe in Love.”

The seven tracks also include a pair of versions of the title song, plus “Never Giving Up,” an inspirational tune about overcoming obstacles that Melinda released as a single last month.