The first edition of this compilation of former “American Idol” contestants was pretty bad, and while Volume 2 is itself pretty bland, the songs as a whole are a little better this time around. This round of singers is also moderately talented, but you can’t listen to this album without feeling like you’re hearing glorified karaoke. Maybe it’s the production, maybe it’s the arrangements, or maybe it’s the talent compared to everything else being released in the pop world, but there is just something missing. Alaina Alexander from Season 6 delivers three tracks that probably won’t have you humming along, and her voice isn’t all that memorable either. Rudy Cardenas, also from last season, has three distinct styles on here — R&B/pop/Jason Mraz, rock, and sappy ballad — and the third one is so bad that it evens out the fact that the first two songs are pretty decent. Then there is Sarah Mather from Season 4, who has a decent enough voice, but the songs are only average. Finally, Gedeon McKinney chose to write all of his own material, which was not a good idea. McKinney’s material is very amateurish, and brought the rating of this whole set down a full half-star. So we’re halfway with these four Volumes, and by this time next year, it’s likely that you’ll all have forgotten about these four singers from Volume 2 the same way you did when their seasons on “Idol” ended. (LABEL: Artists Addiction/Rocket Science)

Website: www.artistsaddiction.com