Kimberley Locke
came in third in the 2003
American Idol
, behind winner
Ruben Studdard
and second-place finisher
Clay Aiken
. Unlike
Nikki McKibben
, the third-place contestant in the first
who was virtually written out of
AI
history once that season finished,
Locke
was able to release an album of her own, with
One Love
appearing in May 2004, about a year after her
journey ended.
lands part way between
Kelly Clarkson
's
Thankful
and
Measure of a Man
. It's a polished mainstream
pop
album, with hints of
Clarkson
dance-pop
in the rhythms of a few tracks, but its heart is much closer to the MOR
adult contemporary
of
Aiken
, even if it's never quite as square as the cheerfully, defiantly bland
.
is a good singer, and she comes across better on record than either
Clay
or
Ruben
, never sounding as thin or strained as either singer. That may not be a fair comparison, however, since both had to rush out their albums in a matter of months while
was allowed to take her time, but regardless, she comes across well throughout the album, even outshining
on their duet,
"Without You."
She also has some solid tunes here, particularly the opener,
"8th World Wonder,"
and, in general, it's hookier than
, if not
. The one problem with
is that even if the material is professionally written and produced, there isn't much that's outright memorable. Instead, it's a pleasant collection of background music, delivered with an appealing earnestness by
. While that might not make for the most noteworthy of albums, it is a nice listen, and
acquits herself well with this good-natured debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine