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.