"Just Like You" by Allison Iraheta
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Just last issue I was lamenting the way “American Idol” albums always sound for a debut.  Like Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, 17-year-old Allison Iraheta, the fourth-place contestant in this year’s “Idol” competition was signed to 19 Recordings, the record label owned by ‘Idol’ executive producer Simon Fuller and her debut album came out just after Allen and Lambert’s.  She collaborates with some of the same people the others do; Kara DioGuardi lends her songwriting hand to a song, and Max Martin helms a couple of the productions.

This time, though, it seems they got a lot more right.

Like Allen and Lambert, Iraheta can sing, but unlike the other two, she seems more comfortable with the productions and the music feels better executed on her debut, "Just Like You."  Her voice definitely doesn’t sound like that of a 17-year-old; not only does she sound more mature but she also has good singing instincts.  The result is a cohesive, energetic album that has echoes of similar rockers like P!nk, but rises a bit above the fluff.

It helps that she has the strongest single of the trio with “Friday I’ll Be Over U,” a pop-rock truffle that delights throughout.  The energetic singing, paired with some nice production and unusual chord changes, keeps you moving throughout.  The sample of “Rock & Roll,” a sports favorite, livens up “Robot Love” a bit.

One of the nicer mid-tempo rockers is “Pieces,” where she shuns her lover’s help when she’s falling apart, with a nice melody and great emotional singing from Iraheta.  “D is for Dangerous” plays off the Sesame Street, Sue Grafton letter labeling that in this case again plays up the angle of hurting.  

All of the uptempo tunes have a lot of personality to them, making them quite enjoyable and unique on the album. “Holiday” is has a tinge of revenge to it, a woman who’s enjoying life better now.  “Beat Me Up” adds a synth beat to it and picks up the pace a bit, giving it a more dance edge to it, with the stereotypical hand claps, but the song itself is fun and great to listen to.  The lyrics, of someone turning to a man because he’s hitting all the right buttons, is one of the more positive songs, paired with one of the more positive-lyric songs on the album.  Quite nice.

The ballads are where she sounds the most like P!nk, not that it’s a horrible thing.  Iraheta carries a power ballad quite nicely.  “Trouble Is” keeps it simple with synth strings and piano leading into a simple melodie and instrumental backing that lets her voice shine above the music, and the backing vocals are layered beautifully.  Of the ballads, this one’s my favorite.

Working with the same producers as P!nk, with a similar singing style, the biggest downside is she’s molded in P!nk’s image instead of defining her own image, and at times, if you had P!nk songs and Iraheta songs on random, you might get a bit confused as to who sang what.  This isn’t unusual for a launching pad, but it’s one of the pitfalls of ‘Idol’-dom - look for the commercially viable angle and jump on it.

Thankfully, Iraheta is a potent singer who can carry a song, and this is a solid debut for her singing abilities.  She has time to grow; at this point it’s important to show off what she can do, and this album does that.  It’s a promising first effort that, despite its flaws, is still worth pursuing.