American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers (CD - 2005)

The week AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 4 arrived in stores during May 2005, the hit talent show whittled its contestants down to the final three. These frontrunners--Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, and Vonzell Solomon--kick off the collection, easily displaying the charm, emotion, and vocal talents that propelled them into the last rounds of the competition.

In the spirit of AMERICAN IDOL, the tracks speak to each of the trio's strengths and span a spectrum of styles. Underwood captures the balance of pathos and grit in Martina McBride's "Independence Day," Bice nails the intersection of inspiration and hopelessness on Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be," and Solomon hits all the soulful notes of the Emotions' "Best of My Love." The rest of the disc proves that the fourth year, while fraught with more turmoil than usual, was stocked with as many potential superstars as any other go-around. Constantine Maroulis, whose own band (Pray for the Love of Betty) released its debut a week prior to this disc, injects swing into the standard "My Funny Valentine," while Jessica Sierra almost matches Bonnie Tyler's unbridled passion on the 1980s hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart." minimize