Following the tepid response to "American Idol" winner Lee DeWyze's debut album Live It Up (which came out a few weeks ago, if you didn't know — and based on the sales numbers, you probably didn't), Crystal Bowersox was bound to have something of an uphill battle on the release of her album Farmer's Daughter (which just hit store shelves today). This past season of "American Idol" was perhaps the most tepid in memory that left the audience with very few memorable performances to hang on to. But then again, Bowersox did have some things working for her, as she always came across as more organic and real on the show, and she always seemed to have legitimate songwriting chops. And those few memorable performances on the show? Most of them belonged to the dreadlocked girl from rural Ohio.
If the reviews are to be believed, there is a lot happening on Farmer's Daughter that really works, even if it isn't an instant masterpiece. If nothing else, many seem excited and inspired by Bowersox's ever-evolving songwriting chops. "Farmer's Daughter includes eight songs solely written by [Bowersox] as well as two cowrites — meaning she played a significant role in scripting 10 of the 12 tracks," wrote the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot. "It may be a coincidence, but that self-direction goes a long way toward making this among the strongest debuts by an 'Idol' singer ever."
Entertainment Weekly was a little less enthused, giving Farmer's Daughter a "C." "Life in the post-'Idol' fast lane hasn’t scrubbed the season nine runner-up of her earthy hippie-chick vibe," wrote critic Mikael Wood. "But if Farmer's Daughter feels like one of the most genuine 'Idol'-contestant debuts yet, it's also one of the dullest."
On the other side of the coin, AllMusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine suggested that Crystal's songwriting might actually have hindered her album. "Bowersox has the core ingredients of a solid little record here; she just could use help in forming it into an actual album," he wrote. "If she had the right co-writers ... Farmer's Daughter would deliver on Bowersox's promise instead of sounding like a local singer/songwriter performing on a stage she's too modest to fill."
Mario Tarradell of the Dallas Morning News called Farmer's Daughter "revelatory" and said it delivers "a passionate, soulful combo of country, blues, rock and R&B." But the most damning statements came from Allison Stewart of the Washington Post. "Bowersox too often brings to mind Taylor Hicks, another 'Idol' contestant with a fundamental un-trendiness and a voice built for bars," she wrote. "Doomed by unremarkable material and an inability to translate his retro-blandness into '00s relevancy, these days Hicks functions as a cautionary tale to which Bowersox should pay close attention."
What do you think of Crystal Bowersox's new album? Let us know in the comments!