Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Regardless of who wins American Idol Wednesday night, we’ll have to wait months for a debut album.

But music has already been released by a couple of Season 11 Idol contestants you might remember — Jason “Wolf” Hamlin and Johnny Keyser.

Wolf was the guy who closed out the San Diego audition episode. The guy who showed up with a “git-fiddle” handmade by his dad, who died in 2010, then wowed the judges with a rendition of “Folsom Prison Blues.”

Wolf didn’t survive Hollywood on Idol, but back in early February he released a four-track EP as Wolf Hamlin and The Drifters.

He calls his genre outlaw country. And his single “Long Road” is nothing short of brilliant. I’ve embedded it below for your listening pleasure.

You can pick up the EP or the single on iTunes. And you can keep up with “Wolf” on his Facebook page.

Then there’s Johnny Keyser, the good-looking guy from Florida who was featured in commercials leading up to Idol’s Season 11 premiere. Commercials during which Jennifer Lopez pronounced that he’d be a star.

Not on Idol. He was booted in Vegas. Then he was one of the three guys considered for a 13th male spot in the finals. The spot that ultimately went to Jermaine Jones.

Well, last week Johnny released a seven-track EP, called “From Where I Stand.” The EP includes a cover of “A Change Is Gonna Come,” but the other six songs are originals, most of which were co-written with fellow Season 11 contestant Amber Caparas.

I’m embedded one of those — “Selah” — below. It and “Early Morning Rain,” another of those co-writes, are standouts on a solid EP.

And no doubt, Johnny has a heck of a voice. Makes one wonder what might have happened if he got that wild card spot.

The EP is available from iTunes; physical copies will be released later this week. You can listen to all the songs and order the CD from Johnny’s website.

Johnny Keyser singing “Selah” accompanied by Amber Caparas.

And, now, “Long Road,” by Wolf Hamlin and The Drifters