Thanks for posting this, Jonny. As mentioned, this was being discussed on the AI boards, but I didn't know how to find the info on Amazon to verify it for us.
There's an interesting article about Carrie on Billboard's home page today. (I'll send you their latest chart updates tomorrow when they come out.) Here's an excerpt of the real news from the article:
Fourth season "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood is eyeing a fall release for her 19 Recordings/Arista debut album. "Right now we're figuring out songs," the 22-year-old Checotah, Okla., native tells Billboard.com. "I know we're going to go in [the studio] very soon. I'm not sure exactly when, but the album should be out this fall."
In the meantime, Underwood's recording of "Inside Your Heaven," written by Andreas Carlsson for "American Idol" and produced by Desmond Child, will receive retail release June 14, backed with a cover of Martina McBride's "Independence Day."
Underwood plans to mainly record country music, but hopes her album will appeal to a broad audience. "I definitely want to stick to my country roots," she says. "There'll be two different audiences involved. There'll be the country people, who are really embracing me right now and standing behind me, and I am so thankful for that. Then there are the people who don't necessarily like country music but watched the show and liked me."
Teaming again with Bice, with whom she performed the modern pop standard "Up Where We Belong" during the finale, is also a possibility. "I would love to," she says. "After our duet on the show, we got a lot of good feedback. I would definitely like to work with him later on. We're completely different genres, so it's not like we're going to be competing against each other at all in the market or anything."
[My note: Does Bo get a say in this, or will Little Miss Winner demand that he work with her again? Just curious. Anyway, after Carrie says that she and Bo won't be competing in the marketplace, Billboard reports the following. Back to the excerpt...]
Recalling a scenario that played out two years ago after Ruben Studdard narrowly won the second "Idol" competition over Clay Aiken, Underwood and Bice will find themselves competing in the retail market later this month. Just a week after Underwood's single is released, Bice will issue a retail version of "Inside Your Heaven" coupled with a cover of the Ides Of March's "Vehicle" via RCA Records.Both contestants sang the song during the final performance episode of the "Idol" season and their respective versions were delivered to U.S. radio stations after the finale. Over the last seven days, Underwood's single has gotten significantly more airplay, receiving more than 300 spins at top 40, country and adult contemporary stations, according to Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Bice's recording has scored less than 40 spins, the majority on top 40 outlets.
[My note: Reason #1: The "heaven" song is not authentic to Bo's style, but it suits Carrie perfectly. Reason #2: She's the winner of the contest. Reason #3: Record producers "incentivize" radio stations to play their product, meaning that they basically pay to have their stuff played. Again, Carrie's the winner. She gets the big promotion blitz for the first year. Despite the fact that Bo will get a contract, like Clay before him, Bo will have to make it mostly on his own.]
I take it you aren't a Carrie fan? :-)
[My note: Does Bo get a say in this, or will Little Miss Winner demand that he work with her again? Just curious. Anyway, after Carrie says that she and Bo won't be competing in the marketplace, Billboard reports the following. Back to the excerpt...]
It just struck me as funny. Please take this in the spirit of fun I felt when posting it. :-)
Agreed. What people are buying says more than what they're being force-fed on the radio.
Just checked Amazon.com again: Bo's CD is holding steady at #3. Kelly's "Breakaway" has slipped to #12. And Carrie's CD has risen to #14.