Idol Chatter & Voice Views

And fans might be surprised by the up-tempo, county-pop flavor of “Southern Belle,” which hit iTunes Monday.

But they need not fear. Scotty says he isn’t about to abandon his traditional country sound.

“This is probably about as far left as we’ll go,” he tells Rolling Stone Country earlier this month when he debuted the song.

It’s the first release off his upcoming third album, which will likely be released early next year.

And don’t expect a whole lot of crazy from the guy whose wholesome approach to his craft made him an early favorite when he won Season 10 of American Idol.

“I’m an old soul,” he says in that Rolling Stone interview, which you can read here. “What makes me different is that I’m normal when so many things are crazy out there. I’m just an average Joe that loves to play country music and play baseball. I try to translate that through my music.”

As for the new song, it was number 19 on iTunes’ county singles chart 24 hours after its release and still at number 32 Wednesday evening.

And fan response on Scotty’s Facebook page has been mostly positive.

Freda Charles: “Awesome Man with an AWESOME VOICE.”

Shirley Ann Hill: “Got It On Repeat On Google And You Tube!! Love That #VelvetVoice Scotty!!”

Kim Bevans: “I love this new song.”