Sing Like YAMIN it!

The long wait is over. At last, my personal favorite American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin's album is out. It's dubbed Movin' On. I've listened to it and I must say, it's a great jumpstart for my idol.

It's been a year since AI paved the way for Elliott's musical career. He confesses in his blog: “My friends kept saying I had nothing to lose,” says singer-songwriter Elliott Yamin of his decision to audition for “American Idol,” “and I really didn’t. I was at a point in my life where I had no direction. I was just scraping by at my job. I thought, I’m 27 years old and what do I have to show for it? I was lost. Deep down inside, I wondered if by trying out, I could somehow put myself on a path to something I’d always longed for but never admitted to anyone.”

Starting in the competition as an underdog, Simon Cowell's initial comment that he is “potentially the best male vocalist in the history of ‘American Idol.’" definitely gave him a boost. His singing "pierces through the heart," as put by Paula Abdul.

His blog wrote.. "Perhaps even more compelling than Yamin’s status as an out-of-nowhere vocal powerhouse – he came to “AI” with no vocal training and no real performance experience – is his role as the underdog, who as a child had to cope with near-deafness in his right ear and at 16 was faced with Type 1 diabetes."

Beat that. I think it's the rawness of his talent and his humble background made supporters love this "funky white boy" from Virginia.

Back on the album. Among the writer-producers who participated in the creation of Elliott Yamin are the duo known as Stargate (Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Rihanna), Josh Abraham (Pink, Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars), DJ Lethal (Evanescence, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit), Michael Mangini (Joss Stone, Baha Men, David Byrne), and Derek Bramble (David Bowie, Vanessa Williams, Lalah Hathaway). Add this fact to his remarkable voice and we are sure to get our money's worth.

Elliott's the best talent that AI has so far discovered. With his distinctively soulful vocals, I instantly became a fan when I saw one of his performances in AI Season 5. Here's my Yamin top 5 performances list during AI Season 5.

5. Home (Michael Buble)
4. A Song for You (Donnny Hathaway, Elliott's own idol)
3&2. Trouble and If I Can Dream (both from Elvis Presley sang during the crucial Elvis night, i think this is when Chris Daughtry was eliminated making Elliott reach the Final Three)
1. Somebody to Love (Queen). Impressive!!! Check it out in YouTube!

As a member of Yamin's legion of fans, I encourage you my friends (especially those who are into music) to take a look at this one great artist. He'll make your (musical) world go round!

If you happen to love it too, I welcome you to the E-Train!