Album review: Kristy Lee Cook's 'Why Wait'

'American Idol' seventh-place finalist and avid horse lover Kristy Lee Cook surprises more than a few critics with her major label debut offering 'Why Wait.' On the show her savvy song choice and ability to flirt with judge Simon Cowell were enough to carry her almost halfway through the competition, but her vocals often came under fire. Fortunately for Cook, Brett James sits in the producer’s chair on the album.

On 'Wait,' Cook tries to silence most criticism leveled against her as a "Carrie Underwood clone" thanks to catchy country tunes that fit her range extremely well, but there are still plenty of reservations. Leading off the album with debut single "15 Minutes of Shame," Cook combines a catchy hook with a play on words of a famed saying. Another uptempo that Cook shines on is "Not Tonight," which has a pop feel and was partially written by Underwood, intended to be on her album 'Carnival Ride.' Another track that sounds eerily like an Underwood one is "Why Wait," which is a second-rate "Flat On the Floor."

In addition to the lively tracks, Cook is able to connect on some of the more contemporary country-sounding songs like "Like My Mother Does" and "Plant the Seed," both of which feature meaningful lyrics that many country fans can identify with.

But just as there are plenty of tracks country listeners will be satisfied with, there are also a few less than stellar songs on 'Wait'. "Hoping to Find" is a nice sugary sweet piece of cotton ear candy but is bland lyrically, while her vocals on "Baby Believe" border on whiny and over the top.

Still, there are plenty of comedic spots on 'Wait' especially in the Kellie Pickler-esque "I Think to Much" and the nitty gritty country sound is well represented by "Homesick." Cook caps the album off with her rendition of Lee Greenwood’s "God Bless the USA," which was one of her shining moments on 'Idol.'

This is definitely no 'Some Hearts' or even a 'Kellie Pickler', but Kristy Lee Cook proves that she can be a viable country artist on 'Why Wait'. Still, the fact that she spent one week recording the album is clearly evident, and a few improvements could have been made had more effort been put into the process.

Why Wait is now available for purchase on iTunes ($9.99) and Amazon.com ($12.99).