Kimberly Caldwell CD Review: Making Progress With Me

In the interest of full disclosure let me say from the beginning that I have never been a fan of Kimberly Caldwell. I never liked her when she was a contestant during the second season of “Idol” and I’ve never been a fan of her TV Guide Channel work.

So I was surprised that I actually found myself liking much of her debut CD, “Without Regret.” I wouldn’t go so far as to say I loved it, but I wouldn’t say I hated it. And I’d call that progress…

The problem with the CD—which was also the problem Kimberly had on “Idol”—is that she can’t seem to decide what kind of a singer she is. With the natural rasp in her voice, you would think she’d go for more edgy, rocker songs. But instead she tries to stay in the pop vein and it doesn’t always work.

The first single, “Desperate Girls & Stupid Boys,” is pure pop and actually pretty catchy. And “If You’re Gonna Fall” is a pretty solid ballad that actually suits Kimberly’s voice. “Heart Like Mine,” which was written by Kara DioGuardi, Chad Kroeger and Joey Moi, is not surprisingly the best song on the CD. It’s a rocker ballad that I think someone should have seriously considered as the first single.

But in all honesty, the last four songs end up sounding the same with Kimberly’s voice sounding a little over-raspy and worn out in some places.

The CD is a solid first effort that Caldwell fans will enjoy. But its lack of anything unique will most likely leave everyone else wondering why it took so long to finally be released.

“Without Regret” is available now.

Photo Credit: Vanguard Records