I don’t watch Canadian Idol or CMT, but I listen to the radio.

So when I put some blonde girl named Tara Oram’s CD in my stereo, I immediately recognized her single Fly Girl.

The fun, catchy tune has been on full rotation on Country 103 and, ironically, I already knew the words.

What was that girl’s name again?

The Newfoundland native finished sixth on the fifth season of the Canadian talent search and later starred in her own television show, The Tara Diaries, on CMT.

Last year, Canada might not have thought she was good enough, but since the recent release of her debut album, Chasing the Sun, they can’t help but know it now.

Oram’s got a determination and strength in her voice as she belts out 12 songs on the album, including her second single, 538 Stars, a new personal favourite of mine.

She even does an ambitious cover of Lee Ann Womack’s cover of Buddy and Julie Miller’s heartbreaking ballad Don’t Tell Me that definitely contends with Womack’s impressive version.

Produced by Carolyn Dawn Johnson (among others) Chasing the Sun, is Canadian gold.

A keeper

Described as a cross between George Jones and Waylon Jennings, Jamey Johnson is best known as a songwriter for George Strait (Give it Away) and Trace Adkins (Honky Tonk Badonkadonk).

His debut album, however, not only demonstrates his awesome song-writing abilities, but also his talent as a singer.

That Lonesome Song is a revealing compilation, full of painful — and sometimes funny — personal anecdotes.

The title track is haunting, to say the least, and an inspiration for anybody who has lived a hard life, and it reflects the outlaw-country tone of the whole album.

The ballad In Colour is beautiful and nostalgic, reminiscent of a Montgomery Gentry tune.

It’s sure to be a big hit.

But the 14th and final song on the album, Between Jennings and Jones, sums it up perfectly.

This won’t be an album you’ll be willing to just give away any time soon.

No doubt

Another (American) Idol product, Kellie Pickler, made headlines with her debut album, Small Town Girl.

And, in addition to clips showcasing her amazing fashion sense, the little gal from North Carolina was all over the tabloids and on all the network shows because of her hit single, I Wonder.

A message to the mother who abandoned her as a child, the song tugs at the heart strings, and anyone who saw Pickler perform it at the Country Music Association Awards last year and didn’t shed a tear is made of stone.

Her self-titled sophomore album, however, is a little more upbeat, signifying a new chapter in Pickler’s life.

In her undeniable fun style of songs and singing — no matter what trouble she’s been through — this woman is resilient and it comes through in her music.

Don’t You Know Your Beautiful will inspire girls as young as 13 and as old as 113, while Best Days of Your Life (co-written by Pickler and Taylor Swift) is an upbeat theme song for any lady that’s ever had a broken heart.

Rocks Instead of Rice, however, is my favourite song on the album, and with lines like “I wish we were all just standing around throwing rocks instead of rice,” you know it will make for a great video.

So, although she might look like a Barbie doll, I’ve decided, this album considered, Pickler’s the real deal.