Idol Chatter & Voice Views

James Durbin with his wife Heidi at the American Idol series finale earlier this year. (AP Photo)

The Season 10 American Idol standout has announced that his third album, “Riot on Sunset,” will be released July 15.

James released “Smackdown,” a first single from the album, and an accompanying music video earlier this year.

A fourth-place finisher on Idol the year Scotty McCreery won, James frequently urged viewers to “give metal a chance.”

But after a moderately successful debut album, “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster,” in 2011, James went the pop-rock route on his second album, “Celebrate,” in 2014.

James, now 27, has vowed a return to rock on the new set of songs, funded in part through a Pledge Music campaign.

James has also announced a 13-date summer tour, with stops planned in the western and midwestern U.S. The tour kicks off July 18 in Portland, Oregon.

In a Facebook message to fans, James says a second leg of the tour will follow.

You can also keep up with James on his revamped website. On Twitter, he’s @DurbinRock.