Written By Rick Ellis, Monday, December 8th, 2003

American Idol winner Ruben Studdard releases his debut album tomorrow, and fans will be glad to know that overall, it may be the strongest of any of the releases from alumni of the Fox musical talent show.

The challenge for any release from an American Idol participant is that there is a natural conflict between the desires of the music executives and the needs of the singers. Label execs are pushing for a final product they think of as "radio-friendly." The problem is that most of the contestants have singing talents that don't easily fit into today's radio world, and the results tend to be disappointing to fans. Kelly Clarkson's debut CD may have sold a lot of copies, but it didn't do her any favors in the long run. Justin's CD was a critical and sales disaster and while lots of Clay Aiken's "Claymates" bought his recent debut CD, it wasn't much of a treat for those people who were hoping for something more substantial than a bunch of power ballads.

Thankfully, Ruben Studdard's debut CD is a treat. While there are several attempts to turn him into the next hot radio star, the majority of the project is respectful of his strengths, while opening up his sound for a wider audience.

Here's a track-by-track rundown of what you can expect to hear:

Track One: Sorry 2004
The opening track is the new single, and it's easily the best example of how it's possible to meld a modern R&B sound onto Ruben's classic soul voice. It's a strong ballad, in which he apologizes in advance for all the things he might do wrong in the coming year. It's the type of tune that makes you want to grab your girl late at night, hold her tight and slowly sway the night away.

Track Two: No Ruben
One of the most attractive things about Ruben's rise on American Idol was his ability to just laugh, smile and enjoy every moment of the ride. This tune is a joyful celebration of life, and of what it's like to find yourself a star. It's also a dedication to all of "those on the boulevard" who made his success possible. It's upbeat, positive and a hint of a maturity that will make his next CD even better.

Track Three: How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?
Ruben covers the Bee Gees and it's not just a good fit for his voice, but a treat to those fans who enjoyed watching him tackle the "classics" during his stint on FOX. This version is a straight forward reading of the original version, and makes me wish he would have also included his version of "If You Don't Know Me By Now."

Track Four: Take The Shot
This tune kicks it off with a gospel shout out, before falling into a more traditional hip-hop groove. The end result is the first misstep of the CD, in part because some of the lyrics just seem forced and out of character. The basketball references ("you got the ball, girl, take a shot") are just corny. Studdard also just sounds uncomfortable with some of the lines, such as "It don't matter that you see me all the time in the clubs..It don't matter, 'cause deep down inside a player wants some love."

Track Five: What Is Sexy (featuring Fat Joe)
There are several tracks on the CD that attempt to drag Ruben kicking and screaming onto Top 40 radio, and this is the most successful. While Fat Joe throws in a backbeat of vocals that drives the track, there are still a lot of chances for Studdard to shine. My one big criticism is that the track is constructed in the traditional way. A short snippet of rap, a few hip hop phrases, and a couple of quick, slightly off-color lines to give the big guy some "street cred." It's not that "What Is Sexy?" isn't a bumping track. It's that it's way too pedestrian an effort for a singer of Studdard's talents.

Track Six: What If
Ruben may be a bit new in the business to be cranking out a tune where he asks "What if I was broke....what if I couldn't sing...would you still love me?" Still, the track is a nice mid-tempo tune and a song that is no doubt a lot of fun to watch him singing live.

Track Seven: Superstar
I have to be honest here. I was never a big fan of this version of the song best known for being a big hit for the Carpenters back in the mid-1970's. Ruben Studdard is a big fan of Luther Vandross, and I always felt that while this version is a great example of what Vandross would sound like singing the tune, it wasn't much of a showcase for Ruben. Since the track (which was the b-side of his first single) won him a Grammy nomination, I apparently am alone in this feeling. So I'll just say that it's a solid performance and leave it at that.

Track Eight: Can I Get Your Attention (featuring Pretty Tony)
I was a big fan of Kelly Clarkson (who won the first American Idol), and I was really looking forward to hearing her debut CD. But after a year of tinkering, what hit the stores wasn't a reflection of her amazing voice and ability to purely connect with a song. It was a bunch of tracks that sounded like castoffs from some lost Christina Aguilera CD. That's my reaction to hearing this tune, which is the one clunker on "Soulful." It's the strongest attempt to make Ruben sound "contemporary" and I don't think it's a surprise that it's also the least successful track. His voice is often buried under a flurry of other voices and beats, and it's ultimately just a mediocre song.

Track Nine: For All We Know
While I was momentarily discouraged by the last track, this one makes it up for it all. It's essentially just Ruben, singing a ballad that's sweet, sexy and touching. It's a track that spotlights his upper pure register and I'm sure that when he sings "tomorrow may never come...so love me tonight," more than one woman will hear his call of romance.

Track Ten: Play Our Song
Like track eight, this is attempt to make Ruben sound relevant, and while it's not a disaster, it's not a great tune either. He struggles to sing above the track, and the result is energetic, if not all that interesting. There are a lot of sings in which someone is waiting for the "DJ to play our song," and all I can say is that this is just one more.

Track Eleven: Don't Quit On Me
What's the name of this song? Don't worry, you'll hear it repeated about two hundred times in the course of the song. This is a bit of an odd tune, in that Ruben sounds strong, the beat-filled track drives the tune, but it all just doesn't quite jell in the the end. After listening at least ten times to this song, I can't tell you exactly why it doesn't satisfy. I just know that it isn't the success I was expecting.

Track Twelve: After The Candles Burn
There are some tunes that just put out a sweet, simple message. Come here. Take off your clothes. This is what we've been waiting for all our lives. "After The Candles Burn" just oozes the promise of a hot, sexy evening of love, as Ruben promises to make love until "after the candles burn."

Track Thirteen: Flying Without Wings (bonus track)
This was his first single, and the tune he sang when he won American Idol. It's a soulful, optimistic tune about finding that thing that makes your soul soar.

Track Fourteen: We Have Not Forgotten (featuring Fred Hammond) (bonus track)
While most fans know that Studdard was strongly influenced by Al Green, Donny Hathaway and Luther Vandross, they may not be aware of his strong gospel roots. He was a fixture in his local church choir, and that love comes across in this tune, which was written by gospel great Fred Hammond. It's a track that is Christian without being preachy, and it somehow manages to sound both contemporary and spiritual at the same time. In the same way that the best of the soul singers from the past brought their gospel roots to their pop hits, Ruben gives a nod to his roots in this spectacular final track. It's hard to imagine many other modern R&B artists willing to include such a straightforward shout out to the church on their CD's. But it's an indication that, unlike some of his fellow TV contestants, Ruben Studdard is demanding to be heard in his own way.