It’s been a minute since I last wrote about Kimberly Caldwell.

In case you’re less than familiar and/or new ’round these parts, Caldwell was the throaty seventh place runner-up of American Idol: Season 2. More importantly, she was (and remains) my favorite American Idol contestant, second only to the inimitable Kelly Clarkson.

Back in ‘the day’ (freshman year of high school to be exact), I was known as the one with her pictures of her plastered all over my binders Well, those that weren’t already covered in Britney and Utada pictures. When she got voted off, I cried and cried for days on end. Stunningly, it would still take two years for me to formally whip my hair out of the closet.

After seven years of waiting, Caldwell released her much anticipated debut single “Mess of You” last February, Caldwell announced plans to release her debut album, Without Regret, in April of 2010. I even got the chance to interview her! Then the album got pushed back to June, and then December, and now it’s apparently coming out in April of this year.

In the meantime, she’s back with a brand new beat: “Desperate Girls and Stupid Boys,” a hook-filled electro-pop rock anthem produced and penned by Tommy Henriksen, BC Jean and Zac Maloy.

Much in the same vein as Kelly Clarkson’s “I Do Not Hook Up” or P!nk‘s “Stupid Girls” and “U + Ur Hand,” Caldwell’s rowdy rock affair is a formal declaration of war against fuckery of all varieties: Boozers, users, losers, and all the other riffraff that threatens to ruin (or enhance?) your fun while you’re just trying to have a good time with your friends in the club. Worst!

So instead, why not join Kimberly in taking that party over and dancing until you die? Sounds about right to me!

“Desperate Girls and Stupid Boys” is without a doubt the most fun, radio-friendly cut Caldwell’s recorded to date–perhaps even catchy enough to garner some serious mainstream interest! Will she? Who knows.

At the very least, I’m still rooting for her…eight years and counting.

“Desperate Girls and Stupid Boys” was released on December 3. (iTunes)

Warning: This post may or may not have been inspired by the fact that I’m still riding high off of just having seen The Runaways. CH-CH-CHERRY BOMBBBB.

In between her shoot schedule on the set of Gossip Girl, 16-year-old Taylor Momsen has been hard at work recording with her band, The Pretty Reckless.

Below is the group’s debut single, “Make Me Wanna Die,” which was released on the soundtrack to Kick-Ass.

Honestly, it’s not half bad. Momsen’s got a much deeper voice than I anticipated, and yes, she can actually carry a tune. I like the gruff styling–think Kimberly Caldwell, or perhaps a degree of Pink.

You can also watch a video behind-the-scenes of the track’s recording right here. God, she loves that eyeliner. I do too!

Click here to preview and purchase “Make Me Wanna Die” on iTunes.

Photo credit: Matt Beard.

For seven years after her all-too-soon exit from American Idol’s second season in 2003, the promise of new music from Kimberly Caldwell cemented itself in the form of a permanent “Coming Soon!” on her official website. Though she would occasionally release snippets and full songs for fans on her MySpace, a definitive announcement was never made.

Over the past few years, Kimberly was quite busy in the studio, testing out sounds and covering songs with some of the industry’s most noteworthy musicians. “I’d been in the studio for years with Dianne Warren, the legendary songwriter—she’s unbelievable. She had kind of been mentoring me, you know, showing me the ropes and stuff in Hollywood.”

Still, nothing materialized as far as an album was concerned. According to Kim, it all came down to her comfort with the process of finding a recording label. “There were a lot of different producers and labels that I had started the initial process of working with,” Caldwell said of the period of time she spent recording after Idol, “and it just never felt right. It never sat right with me. I always kind of felt like I had to compromise who I was, and who I felt that I was as an artist.”

At the same time, Caldwell wasn’t even sure that she herself was prepared for a debut. “Even though I’ve been performing since I was 5 years old, I just didn’t have the right words to really believe in an album to put out at that time.”

Click below to continue reading.

Read more »

It’s finally here–Kimberly Caldwell‘s very first video.

As Kimberly promised me last night on the phone (interview coming soon!), the storyline proves much different than what we saw on the teaser clip. In fact, she helped to write the video treatment!

The end result is positively gawgeous, and I cannot wait for the album to finally drop. It’s been a long time coming, Miss Caldwell!

You can now purchase “Mess of You” on iTunes. Caldwell’s debut album, Without Regret, will be released on April 6.

Here comes forty-five seconds of the upcoming video for Kimberly Caldwell‘s debut single, “Mess of You,” shot at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.

Looking good, feeling gorgeous. Can’t wait to see it in full!

Kimberly Caldwell, my American Idol sweetheart, is offering up a free download of a new song called “Say Love” off of her upcoming debut album, Without Regret.

The song, a stripped down piano ballad, comes complete with slow-burn verses and a tearjerker of a chorus (“You’re broken and you’re breaking us / I know you need me, but it’s not enough”). Caldwell puts her belting skills to the test and shines here, tackling the soaring notes with more control and confidence than ever.

Without Regret will be released on April 6.

Photo by Matt Beard, courtesy of Kimberly-Caldwell.com.

And now, it’s here: The first single from my personal Idol Kimberly Caldwell‘s upcoming debut album, Without Regret, entitled “Mess of You.”

CLICK HERE TO STREAM THE TRACK.

Contents: Throaty, smoker’s voice; guitar sounds; two verses, a chorus, and a bridge.

Chorus noise: “Oh, oh, I’ll make a mess of you / Oh, oh, the hell I’ll put you through / I’ll make a mess of you / You can trust me, trust me.”

The general point being: I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect for you.

Sounds like: P!nk; Kelly Clarkson.

Generally speaking: It’s a solid, guitar-driven belter, and I still could not be prouder.

“Mess of You” will be released to iTunes very soon.

2003′s American Idol Season 2 was, hands down, my favorite season of Idol.

I was obsessed–and with one contestant in particular: Kimberly Caldwell. Ever since her audition, I pegged her as my artist to beat. Sure, she didn’t have the best chops of the bunch, but there was something about her smoker’s rasp vocals and relentless spunk that kept me eagerly, alarmingly hooked.

During this phase, I collected any and all of the magazines in which she was featured. I wrote to her and placed her signed responses and head shots in frames around my desk. I won a signed calendar. When American Idol cologne was released with Caldwell as its spokeswoman, I immediately ran out and bought a bottle for myself merely because of her semi-involvement with the product.

The night that she was voted off (in favor of Carmen “The Yodeler” Rasmusen…what the actual fuck, American public?), ending her run at seventh place in the competition, I sobbed. Heavily.

It was one of the more ridiculous eras, to say the very least. (Not that I’ve changed much…please see continuing Britney/Grace Jones/Kylie Minogue obsessive behavior patterns.)

It’s been six years since Caldwell’s exit from Idol, and I have continued to wait and hear something…anything from the singer. Aside from a handful of leaked demos four or five years ago, and one or two singles released in the past three years, there was really nothing.

Now, at long last, she’s moving forward with a proper studio release: Without Regret, Caldwell’s first album, is set to be released on Vanguard Records in April 2010.

To prepare for the release, Caldwell put on a private industry showcase yesterday night in Los Angeles, where she debuted several new tracks off the album. From what I can tell, she’s only gotten better in time.

Still marked by a dark, raspy delivery that I’ve always adored, Caldwell’s voice has become more controlled than ever before, evidenced in songs like “Mess of You” (see above) and “Going, Going, Gone.” It’s been a long wait, but judging by these sneak previews, it may well have been worth it after all.

As the memories flood back to 2003, the inner fan has emerged once more…and I couldn’t be prouder.