Katharine McPhee (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Emanuel Kiriakou (guitar, keyboards, programming); Josh Alexander (acoustic guitar, keyboards, drum programming); Sharon Jackson, Peter Kent, Belinda Broughton (violin); Doug Petty (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Walter Afanasieff (piano); Babyface (keyboards, drum programming); Marti Frederiksen (drums, percussion, background vocals); Gregg Bissonette (drums); James Fauntleroy, Denaine Jones, Sharon Youngblood, Suzie Benson, Kara DioGuardi, Steve Russell (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: The Underdogs; Serban Ghenea.

Recording information: Brandon's Way Recording, Los Angeles, CA; Capitol studios, Los Angeles, CA; Chalice Studios; Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Cryptic Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Hovercraft Studios, Virginia Beach, VA; Poppy Studios, Monrovia, CA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Andrew Southam.

Arrangers: Walter Afanasieff; Emanuel Kiriakou.

Although Katharine McPhee placed as runner-up to Taylor Hicks in the fifth season of AMERICAN IDOL, the young singer's drop-dead-gorgeous looks and appealing contemporary pop sensibility had clearly earned her a devoted audience. That audience anxiously awaited an album from McPhee, and was rewarded in January 2007 with her self-titled full-length debut.

McPhee alights on an interesting sound that blends edgy urban R&B with a pre-teen brand of radio-ready pop (the album's opener, "Love Story," is a good example). Like her IDOL predecessor Kelly Clarkson, McPhee assimilates the influence of different genres into a highly commercial format, covering her bases all the while: the album features plaintive ballads, dancefloor jams, and bouncy pop. The result is a sharp, mainstream pop album that casts a wide net, one that will ensnare both old fans and new. minimize