‘American Idol’ stars ready to release albums
While the fourth season of “American Idol” fourth season doesn’t start until January, five of the show’s offspring prepare to roll out albums during a five-week span starting Nov. 2.
The timing sets up the “Idol” discs as ideal stocking stuffers for millions who follow the highly rated Fox show.
The timetable and scorecard:
“ Season Two winner Ruben Studdard’s “I Need an Angel,” a set of original and traditional gospel tunes, is due Nov. 2. The title track, written and produced by R. Kelly, goes to radio Oct. 4. Studdard’s 2003 “Soulful” debut sold 1.7 million copies.
“ Season Two runner-up Clay Aiken’s traditional Christmas album, to include “Joy to the World” and “Winter Wonderland,” is due Nov. 16 and will coincide with a TV special and tour. His “Measure of a Man” CD sold 2.6 million copies.
“ Season Three winner Fantasia is still in the studio recording her as-yet-untitled debut, due Nov. 23, with such collaborators as Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott and Jazze Pha. Her “I Believe/Summertime” single has sold 338,000 copies, though it has been a radio-airplay disappointment.
“ Season One winner Kelly Clarkson has co-written songs for a still-untitled pop-rock album arriving Nov. 30. Her “Thankful “debut sold 2 million copies. The single “Breakaway,” from “The Princess Diaries 2,” is rapidly climbing airplay charts.
“ Season Three runner-up Diana DeGarmo’s maiden effort is expected Dec. 7. Her “Dreams/Don’t Cry Out Loud” is the nation’s top-selling single, with 175,000 copies sold (with virtually no radio airplay).
The Idols enjoy celebrity status, but will the glut end up voting one or more off the chart?
Record mogul Clive Davis, who’s supervising all five projects at his J and RCA labels, sees no problem.
“To lump them together is a serious blunder,” he says. ” ‘American Idol’ deserves enormous credit, but we’re not using it as an umbrella.
“We’re treating the artists as individuals. The momentum you get from the show, the immediate identity and the emotional attachment of a sizable number of people … is a huge advantage. But the artists have to earn the rest.”
DeGarmo, who has worked under the guidance of such producers as David Foster, is tapping into talents beyond the limits set by the show, Davis says. And Fantasia, he says, “is a young Mary J. Blige or Aretha. We have to be true to her talent. The material is being custom-crafted to her. It’s very powerful.”
Even without the support of radio, which has bypassed most “Idol” singles, Davis expects hefty sales and an enthusiastic public response for each album.
“There is life after ‘American Idol,’ ” he says. “There is a career beyond the souvenir.”