Surely you remember Melinda Doolittle, the girl who seemed to have the top prize on American Idol's sixth season marked as all hers.  The former back-up singer came on board and just blew us away, reducing everyone to just mesmerizing at her abilities—heck, even usually acerbic Simon Cowell couldn't do anything but praise her vocals.  (But what's he got to complain about?  Everybody seemed to agree with him; she was never in the bottom three.)

And then, the surprise was pulled: on the week before the finale, she was eliminated, reducing her to third place—and to watching Jordin Sparks triumph over Blake Lewis.  But of course, losing out on the two top spots on Idol doesn't mean the end for a contestant, especially one who's come so close.  We've seen it time and again—Kimberly Locke, Mario Vasquez, Elliott Yamin, and of course, Jennifer Hudson—so fans probably felt that Doolittle's time is just around.  Indeed, she's been busy, performing in different parts of the country, and now, she's finally set to release her debut full-length album.

Thirteen songs form Coming Back to You, an album that continues to showcase Doolittle's impressive talent and soulful voice.  Recorded with a team of live musicians in both Nashville and New York, the album is a throwback to the old times—a familiar ‘70s swing with a modern jive.  (That's no spin.)  It features the single “It's Your Love”—a track that, personally speaking, captures in one song what we've seen from her for so many weeks on American Idol.  I was listening to it on her e, she was eliminated, reducing her to third place—and t, and I found myself humming along.  Rarely does that happen.

“I'm so excited to be using live instruments and to be singing music that really paints a picture,” Doolittle said.  “I knew my task was to just go in the studio and be me and the music would take care of the rest.”

From what I've heard, it's definitely a task that she's done very well.  The album hits stores on February 3, 2009, and while I realize I'm going beyond with this, I'll personally recommend the album.  Oh, the soul has indeed returned…


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Reality TV Magazine
(Image courtesy of Hi Fi Recordings)