One more year gone by and still no Christmas album from Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. What's more, 2011 will end without a single "American Idol" artist releasing an album of holiday songs (although David Archuleta is featured on six songs of the latest Mormon Tabernacle Choir album, Glad Christmas Tidings). Season 10 finalists Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams released a version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," the 1936 pop standard (and winner of the Academy Award for Original Song), but that single is one of very few Christmas songs being offered by artists from "Idol" this year.
That means that in order to find an "American Idol" Christmas album, we'll have to go back to 2010 and before.
2010:
Katharine McPhee (Season 5, second place) ended 2010 with an album release, Christmas Is The Time... To Say I Love You, just as she had started the year. She released Unbroken in January.
Former roughneck Michael Sarver (Season 8, tenth place) dropped an album of Christmas tunes via iTunes simply entitled Christmas.
2009:
Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta released the second best-selling holiday album thus far. Archuleta announced last week that the tour for Christmas From The Heart is being reworked for another My Kind Of Christmas Tour go-round in 2011.
2008:
Award-winning contemporary Christian singer Mandisa (Season 5, ninth place) dropped an 11-track holiday album, It's Christmas, for her second full-length collection.
And Mandisa wasn't the only one to offer up music for the holidays.
Kimberley Locke (Season 2, third-place), released Christmas.
Paris Bennett (Season 5, fifth place) dropped A Royal Christmas.
Elliott Yamin (Season 5, third place) released My Kind of Holiday.
2004:
Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken released a collection of Christmas songs that to date has more sold more than three times all other "American Idol" alumni holiday albums combined. With over 1.416 million copies sold, Merry Christmas With Love has sold more than five times the number of albums of his closest colleague, Archuleta (246,000 to date).
And on the lighter side, William Hung (Season 3, auditioner), whose sensationally unforgettable performance of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" made him a viral video star and an "American Idol" legend, put together Hung For Christmas.
Watch Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams' video of "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
There are several alum holiday singles out there, like Kellie Pickler's "Santa Baby," for those looking for something from their favorite Idols to sing them through to the new year. There are even a few Carrie Underwood Christmas songs on several compilation CDs. And there are several "American Idol" holiday song compilation albums. But if you're looking for solo albums by these "Idol" girls, Kelly Clarkson, or any other of the former contestants, you'll have to wait at least one more year.
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