Come on baby make your move

This is Jim Verraros (who, incidentally, passes one of the most important tests for a male popstar: does his hair look good both spiked and straightened?). Unless you are a clubber, Jim is one of the lesser-known American Idols. He finished in the top ten during the first season (which, as I've mentioned, I didn't watch until near the end, so I'm not sure how good he was on it). He's also constantly cited as being the only American Idol finalist to (now) be openly gay (though, from what I understand, Season 4's Anwar Robinson might be, too). He's apparently been in an indie movie, Sloppy Seconds, but the real reason to love Jim is his music. I suspect--though I don't know--that he may not be the strongest of vocalists to come off the show, because his songs tend to use a lot of backing vocals, especially female backing vocals. He's also, on many of his songs, trying to sing sexily (is that a word?). I can't see mainstream radio ever picking up on Jim, but he plays to his strengths (if the focus is on a sexy voice, not one that fills up an auditorium, it doesn't matter if he isn't a Kelly Clarkson-esque singer) and as a result has come up with some really good songs. We'll start out with something a little more traditional, though.

Outside--a pop-rocker. Good. But it's hard to get too excited about, given what we still have coming.

You Turn It On--Jim's debut single, although 99% of America (well, maybe 95%) has never heard of it. That's a shame, because it's a good dance-pop track.

Move--Well, the beginning of this song is...interesting. Jim may have taken trying to sound sexy a step too far at the beginning, but, hey, it may work for some people. Another dance-pop song.... I'd like to write more about these dance-pop tracks, but I'm not sure how else to describe them. They are great pop tracks, different from what you're used to hearing from Idol finalists--Will Young and Kelly Clarkson may get all the praise for breaking the Idol mold, but I think Jim's style is the farthest away from typical Idol fare. These tracks are great because they both demand and coax you into dancing--and, because of Jim's delivery and the beats backing him up, you want to.

You're Getting Crazy--Did I mention that Jim's tracks aren't just stylistically a big departure a big departure from normal Idol stuff? In terms of material covered, they are pretty different, too. I'd probably give Jim a PG-13 rating (though some tracks--not included here--are somewhat more explicit). More dance-pop, equally good--what else is there to say?

If you like your music with a little shinier and glitzier, or just would like the songs to be a little faster, head over to the random (in the best possible way!) but always fun Spark*Pop for a couple of remixes of Jim's tracks.

You can buy Jim's CD, Rollercoaster, as a physical copy here and digitally on iTunes (in the US and UK); he's also available on eMusic, if you're signed up for that.

For more music by American Idol 1 finalists, head over to the rarities-filled blog Tip Top Pop, where you can download a Christina Christian track.

Next up: two second season American Idol finalists.

jim verraros american idol