Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Pretty good week for Kris Allen, right?

I mean, he returns to American Idol, makes a plea for Haiti relief and performs “Let It Be.”

(Go here for photos from the performance; here for the pre-show interview with Kris about his trip to Haiti.)

To top it off, his “Live Like We’re Dying” single hit a new high on the Billboard Hot 100.

It took a long time getting there, but the song has cracked the top 20 for the first time, moving up from 21 to 19.

Hey, another piece of good news for Idol fans, iTunes is running a $7.99 album special featuring albums from past contestants.

The debut albums from Adam Lambert and Kris are there. So, too, are the first post-Idol albums from David Cook and David Archuleta, the Danny Gokey album that comes out Tuesday and the Katharine McPhee album released last month.

Others worthy of a listen that have been too overlooked include Brooke White’s “High Hopes & Heartbreak,” Michael John’s “Hold Back My Heart” and Blake Lewis’ “Heartbreak on Vinyl.”

That ends my plug for the iTunes sale. Hey, when you stumble upon a good deal, you should spread the word, right?

Here’s the rundown of Idols on the Billboard charts this week:

Kris Allen: “Live Like We’re Dying” is also number 14 on the pop songs chart, up one notch from a week ago. Kris’ album could use a boost from an iTunes sale. It dropped from 127 to 154 on the Billboard 200.

Kelly Clarkson: “Already Gone” isn’t gone from the charts. It’s still number 42 on the Hot 100 (down from 40), number four on the adult contemporary chart, number seven on the adult pop songs chart. I read somewhere that “All I Ever Wanted” will soon be released as Kelly’s fourth single from Kelly’s fourth album.

Daughtry: A reader alerted me to the fact that Daughtry’s second album has gone platinum. And it’s indeed a fact. Good going, guys. Of course, the band’s debut CD has surpassed 4 million in sales.

This week, “Life After You” moves up two spots on the Hot 100, from 48 to 46. That second album is 57 on the Billboard 200, down three spots. The debut album rests at number 179 on the same chart.

Adam Lambert: “Whataya Want From Me” is turning out to be Adam’s most successful single to date, reaching a new high of 28 on the Hot 100, a three-spot advance. Adam’s album is 54 on the Billboard 200, four spots higher than a week ago.

Kellie Pickler: A status quo week for Miss Pickler. “You Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You” clings to the number 14 spot on the country songs chart for the second straight week; that marks its peak. Her album is 31 on the country album chart.

Ruben Studdard: Looks like his latest single, “Don’t Make ‘Em Like You No More,” peaked at number 32 last week on the R&B singles chart. This week, the song takes an 11-spot tumble to 43.

Carrie Underwood: “Play On” continues to do well. It’s the highest ranked Idol album on the Billboard 200 at 20 (up from 23 last week) and is still number five on the county album chart.

“Temporary Home,” the latest single, climbs one notch to number seven among country singles; its still number 54 on the Hot 100.