Quick question: you a Jason Castro fan?  Well, then, August is the month you should be waiting for.  Oh, wait, that's next month already!

Because that's when the dreadlocked dark horse from American Idol's seventh season will be releasing his debut single, with the album coming shortly after.  You might want to recall that he signed up with Atlantic Records last April, almost a year since he ended his run on Idol (and watched David Cook win in the process).
"If you fell in love with Jason on the show, this is exactly the record you'd want him to make," Atlantic's A&R head Pete Ganberg said.  "It's introspective, playful and very much a combination of his influences, which range from Jeff Buckley to Jack Johnson."

There aren't many details regarding his release, but there'll be 14 tracks on it.  Castro's co-written 11 of them, and one of the contributors is new Idol judge (and "artistry!" expert) Kara DioGuardi.

"I'm really excited about the music we've written," Castro said.  "I'm ready to get out there and show it to the world."

And while we're at it, perhaps I should mention Idol's latest winner, Kris Allen?  Sure?  Okay.  There's something interesting I've heard as he gets his album ready, all while touring.  Anyway.  He's set to bring us a record which sounds a bit like Jason Mraz and John Mayer, with a bit of urban sensibility.

"Each writing session has been a learning experience," he said.  "I think that we are trying to figure it out and that it's going the right way, and I'm really excited about that.  I can't wait."

He isn't recording yet, but it seems many are interested to have Kris record their material.  Songwriters David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry), Salaam Remi (Nas, Amy Winehouse), and Claude Kelly (Akon, Leona Lewis) have submitted their material, and it's all for the picking.  Now, that's a pretty lofty situation.




- Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Reuters
(Image courtesy of Fox)