Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So many Idol albums were released in 2009, I wondered who from the show was left to grace us with new music in 2010.

I shouldn’t have feared. Looks like the season two Idols are coming to the rescue.

Clay Aiken is preparing for a March 12 show in Raleigh, N.C., where he will debut material from his fourth album, to be titled “Tried and True.” (To the reader who commented below, I don’t count Christmas albums.)

In fact, he recently auctioned off five VIP packages for the show on ebay, with all the proceeds going to the National Inclusion Project, which works on behalf of children with disabilities.

The season two runner-up apparently still has lots of dedicated fans. One of those VIP packages sold for $9,100. The others all fetched between $6,000 and $7,200.

We last heard from Clay in 2008, when he released “On My Way Here.” The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, but failed to yield a major hit.

Clay’s new album will be on Universal Music’s Decca Records. The most recent report I’ve been able to find indicates a spring release.

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Kimberly Caldwell, the blond beauty from season two of Idol, has released “Mess of You,” the first single off her upcoming album. The video also came out last week. Check it out here. Or you can check out the snippet at the bottom of this blog.

The music has more of an edge than I would have expected from Kimberly.

But, hey, I like the song. Can’t wait to hear the album. It’s called “Without Regret,” and it’s due out April 6.

You can hear two more songs — “Going, Going Gone” and “Heart Like Mine” — from the album on her MySpace. Here’s the link.

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Josh Gracin recently debuted a new single on his MySpace entitled “Over Me.”

Remember Josh? He’s the former Marine who finished fourth on Idol in season two. He might also be the best male country voice featured on the show.

His debut album, released in 2004, produced three top 10 singles. Josh recently signed with a new label, Average Joe’s, and is apparently working on an album of songs he’s written according to this recent interview.

As for “Over Me,” it isn’t available for download there, so you’ll have to go to MySpace to hear the song.

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Now, the sneak peak at the “Mess of You” video.

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