Almost a year after the Kris Allen coronation ceremony that shattered devoted Glamberts and Lamb Skanks across our sparkly nation, we've reached the point where seven American Idol contestants from season nine's Top 10 have released singles. We're still waiting for entries from Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud (of the popular Twitter hashtag #SignMattGiraud) and Megan Joy Corkrey (whose Myspace singles don't seem finalized yet) to follow suit. In the meantime, let's rank what we've heard and figure out the whole "Who was the real winner?" thing.
5. Michael Sarver "Cinderella Girl"
Did you know M-Sarv had a single out? I was in the dark. The tenth place finisher and consummate oil rigger produced two tracks our consideration (including the sleepy "You Are"), but "Cinderella Girl" is the more successful record. With crunchy guitars and well-varnished production, "Cinderella Girl" touts all the wife-lovin' and right-livin' you can muster. Forgive that gross "ring my bell" line and some lingering maudlin lyrics, and you have hit material on your hands. Props to Giselle, the hamster he namedrops in verse one.
4. Anoop Desai "My Name"
Judging by his excruciating performance of "Beat It" during last year's Michael Jackson Week, you wouldn't expect danceable material to pop up on Desai's debut disc. But hear this: "My Name" is a Bollywood-infused, club-ready jam for summer 2010. Desai sounds mysteriously like Kevin Lyttle (of the hit "Turn Me On"), but there's a very distinct rhythm and production here, and that's more than I expect from any sixth-place finisher. Instantly replayable.
3. Adam Lambert "Whataya Want From Me"
Adam Lambert's post-Idol disc For Your Entertainment has been well-received, but the titular first single barely sounded like him, allowing him no room to trill and yelp like America once preferred. "Whataya Want From Me" gives us back the bleary-eyed balladeer of "Mad World," and with a stronger hook to boot. It's also salient to note that Lambert is answering his critics, skeptics, and those who expect him to represent a demographic for which he doesn't want to claim responsibility. It's a tactful reply -- perhaps more tactful than any of his performances on Idol, which sometimes turned his incredible range into a gimmick.
2. Allison Iraheta "Friday I'll Be Over U"
She's not burning holes in the charts the way Lambert and Kris Allen have in the past few months (those two have charted Top 20 singles on Billboard's Hot 100), but fourth-place finisher Iraheta's quirky, punchy track "Friday I'll Be Over U" entrenches her within 2010's pop landscape with a distinctly teenage bite. The video's also adorable. Wish that black-and-white skirt she's wearing didn't so closely resemble the album art from Norah Jones's Not Too Late, but I can forgive.
1. Kris Allen "Live Like We're Dying"
It's a minor chart hit and nearly unassuming, but the Idol winner's "Live Like We're Dying" is a believable, strongly sung pop tune with just the right hooks, chorus, and verses for an eighth-grade class trip. And come on: Is that not the Idol gold standard? Kris Allen's voice may not have the theatricality or range of Adam Lambert's, or even the edgy ebullience of Allison Iraheta's, but he does possess a certain comfort level and jocularity that we've preferred in recent pop stars like Michael Buble. Plus: Now we know how many seconds are in a day.
Not listed: Danny Gokey's "My Best Days are Ahead of Me," Scott MacIntyre's tracks from his new album Heartstrings, Megan Corkrey's two as-yet-unreleased singles