Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Keith Semple, from Season 9 of The Voice, released his latest EP on Friday.

The music isn’t quite country, isn’t quite rock and isn’t quite pop, he said in a recent interview on the Matthew Aaron Show.

Instead, Keith refers to it as a “weird” and “original” fusion of the three that he thinks could catch on.

“Anytime Anywhere,” a five-track collection, hit iTunes Friday. The catchy title track and its accompanying video were released earlier this year.

The EP marks the veteran singer’s first major release since his Top 20 finish on Season 9 of The Voice.

The Chicago resident traveled to Nashville to record the EP; there’s even a rollicking song on it called “Taking My Chances on Tennessee.”

And you can certainly hear the country influence on a pair of ballads, “Take Me Home Tonight” and “The First Time,” on which Keith sings about trailer parks and red dirt roads.

Another highlight is the EP ending “Falling Short.”

“With this EP, I have everything taken care of from a musical standpoint for the first time in the sense of quality and sound,” Keith said in the interview. “It’s marketable. It’s catchy. I want the world to hear it and I’m going to try my damnedest to get the world to hear it.

“I’m totally in love with the music and that’s what really matters, regardless of how well this does.”

The approach seems to be working with fans. Some of the feedback on Twitter …

* Jenn Crouch: “I STILL can’t listen to Take Me Home without crying!!! #BESTWEDDINGSONGEVER!”

* Butterfly Princess: “It’s awesome!! “The First Time” brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations on the successes you are achieving.”

* Sonya: “I am totally loving my new ep … You are so awesome… Not enough words to express just how awesome it is PRICELESS”

A native of Ireland, Keith had released two pre-Voice albums with his band Semple. He’s also a former member of the Chicago-based group 7th Heaven.

You can follow Keith through his website and Facebook page. On Twitter, he’s simply @keithsemple.

See also:
2016 albums, singles and videos from former Voice contestants (so far, of course)
2015 in Review: Top 15 Voice songs
2015 in Review: Top 5 Voice albums
2015 in Review: Top 5 Voice videos