Jasmine Trias

Let's face it, there are some flaws in the American Idol format. Most people will argue that there are plenty of contestants who have been eliminated from the show too early. Names that come to mind are Tamyra Gray, LaToya London, Jennifer Hudson, Mandisa, and Chris Daughtry. Jasmine Trias, however, was definitely not one of those contestants. In fact, during her run on the third season of the show, she was considered quite the opposite. Many harshly criticized the then-17-year-old for making it all the way to the final three, claiming she relied on her looks and her home state support (Hawaii). Maybe it's for those reasons that Trias opted to record an album like Jasmine Trias. It's not a ballad-heavy album which tries to compete with the greats by any means. Rather, it's almost as if Trias knows that her third place finish was undeserving when compared to the contestants that she beat, like Jennifer Hudson and LaToya London. Therefore, instead of trying to compete with the Whitneys and the Mariahs of the Idol franchise, Trias opted to go with what she knew best as a teenager: pure pop. Pop in its truest form, with just a dabble of R&B. Therefore, she skipped the heavy ballads and opted for club friendly dance tracks and slick mid-tempo cuts. The results, instead of being a total disaster as most expected, are actually shockingly appealing and entertaining. And Trias doesn't try to play up to any image at all.

She begins with "Sexy Boy" right off the bat, a bubblegum mid-tempo hit with lyrics like "Sexy Boy you got me going, and I really wanna get to know ya." This approach to music totally works for her. Trias knew that she wasn't going to produce a bombastic album with the strongest producers around with "grown-up" lyrics, so she treats this album like a teen should, as a good time to blow off some steam. This theme is heard throughout the album, especially on "Sexy Boy," "DJ Don't Quit," "Excuses," and "I Won't Worry." All four songs are catchy, listenable, and entertaining. In addition, Trias' voice isn't compromised by synthesizers and beats on the album. She still manages to excite vocally, something that is rather rare these days for pop music. And, as a true homage to her Idol run, she includes a couple of fan favorites that she performed on the show. She records a cover of the ballad "Inseparable," her (arguably) most well-received performance on the show, and a remixed version of the Ashford & Simpson classic "All I Need," which she also performed live. While "All I Need" fits seamlessly in the R&B grooves of the album, "Inseparable," while simply flawless vocally, ends up appearing awkward once the album is heard in its entirety. However, if that piece seems awkward, the song that follows it, "If I Ever See Heaven Again," sticks out like a real sore thumb. It was written by Diane Warren and heavily promoted as a Warren ballad. However, that's the downfall of the song: Trias isn't shooting for those kinds of ballads, as she has made clear throughout the album. Still though, in the end, Trias and her impressively talented producers have created the most poppy album to ever to come out of an American Idol finalist after the show, and it deserves a lot more credit than it gets. Shockingly enough, the finalist that nobody thought could ever hold up her own against her competitors ends up with the best album out of any finalist in her year, which is saying quite a bit. Good job Jasmine Trias! You just showed everyone who watched American Idol why you deserved to make it to the final three when you did.