Idol Chatter & Voice Views

We’ve waited 23 months since his American Idol elimination for a debut album from season seven’s Jason Castro.

But the wait is almost over. His oft-delayed album comes out next Tuesday.

And you don’t even have to wait that long to hear the eight tracks on the base album.

Jason announced a listening party on AOL.com Monday, meaning you can head here for a sneak listen.

The sound is pure Jason, sorta laid back, sorta whimsical, but better than I expected.

“That’s What I’m Here For” and “You Can Always Come Home” are particularly good.

And remember Jason’s brilliant performance of “Hallelujah?” It’s here, very similar to the Idol version, minus any unnecessary musical clutter that too often finds its way onto the CD version of such songs.

The eight tracks seem pretty skimpy. But fear not. There’s a 14-track extended version already available for pre-order from amazon.com. The deluxe CD will also be available at Jason’s live shows, including one in West Chester, Pa., on May 16.

Speaking of season seven Idols, Carly Smithson’s band, We Are the Fallen, will release their debut album, “Tear the World Down,” on May 11.

That’s the cover art at right. Pre-orders for the album are being taken here. And here’s a link to the track list for the album.

We Are the Fallen is currently touring with Him. In fact, the tour kicked off in Philly last month and featured a Monday night date in Pittsburgh.

I wasn’t a big fan of Carly during season seven of Idol, but she gets my vote for the shrewdest post-Idol move.

Rather than going the independent route with a solo album she joined three former members of Evanescence — Ben Moody, John LeCompt and Rocky Gray — and wound up with a Universal Records label deal.

The album’s first single, “Bury Me Alive,” is already available.

Speaking of which, here’s the video for that song.

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