Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jake Worthington, the Season 6 runner-up on The Voice, released his debut EP on Friday.

Twenty-four hours after it hit iTunes, the self-titled project was at number 30 on the country albums chart.

Jake was 17 when he auditioned for Season 6, turned three chairs and, of course, found a home on Team Blake.

He’d also auditioned in Season 5, but failed to make the show. To say his second-time-around went better would be an understatement. He found himself standing in the finals alongside eventual winner Josh Kaufman and Christina Grimmie.

The five-song debut EP comes about a year and a half later, and Jake has gone for a classic country sound.

The EP starts with the catchy, up-tempo “Don’t Let the Redneck Fool Ya” about a girl who’s much wiser than her appearance might indicate. And Jake sounds particularly good on a pair of ballads, “This Damn Memory” and “That’s When.”

“The songs all have a meaning for certain particular things in my life whether I’ve gone through the actual circumstance or I watched someone I love weather through the storm,” Jake told nashinsiders.com.

As for the time that passed before the release, Jake said the recording process went pretty quickly.

“The long process was more so getting the funds and finding the right process and path to take for the EP and my career,” he said in an interview you can read here. “Luckily, I found and came in touch with some great guys and gals who believe in me and have the same idea on what they want to say through my music and our success.”

The next trick will be getting the music heard in a genre where pop-country and bro-country seems to rule, he added.

But his throwback style is certainly popular with his fans.

Alicha: “This is what country music sounds like! This EP is perfection!!”

Kevin Waldron: “Got it and can’t stop playing it This is country music the way it is supposed to be. Stay true to yourself Jake.”

Ray Grace: “Damn, dude, this album is what the genre needs right now! Love it! #realcountry”

Jake, who hails from LaLaPorte, Texas, is having a CD release show tonight in New Braunfels.

You can keep track of upcoming shows on his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @JDW_Music.