Idol Chatter & Voice Views

OK, I’m officially worried.

I just read that Crystal Bowersox’s first single will not be a song she wrote.

It will be a song called “Hold On,” penned by Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and former Idol judge Kara DioGuardi.

Anyone who has listened to Crystal’s pre-Idol music knows she’s a talented songwriter as well as a brilliant singer.

It was her originals that convinced me she was Idol-worthy long before she appeared on the TV screen in season nine.

The good news here comes courtesy of the Toledo Blade, which is reporting that two pre-Idol songs — “Holy Toledo” and the brilliant “Farmer’s Daughter” — will be on the album.

The bummer about “Hold On” being the first single comes courtesy of VH1, where Crystal recently performed a four-song acoustic set that the station has promised to stream on its website sometime soon.

The writer of the VH1 article assures us the song is a “devastating breakup ballad that’s both radio friendly and Bowersoxy.”

But he adds this: “One only hopes the album mix stays true to Crystal’s acoustic troubadour sensibilities, because the track could very well sound like a Nickelback song if it gets overproduced with generic fuzzy guitars and schmaltzy strings.”

Ah, yes, the Idol album touch.

It pretty much destroyed Kris Allen’s debut album, in my opinion.

And I still cringe every time I hear the pop schmaltz included on Bo Bice’s first post-Idol CD.

Crystal’s first album is due out Dec. 14. A release date for the single still hasn’t been announced.

For those who can’t wait, a single performed by Crystal and Melissa Etheridge called “I Run for Life” is already available on iTunes. Proceeds benefit the fight against breast cancer.