A new American Idol is about to be crowned, but the fact that so many runners-up continue to have careers may mean that you don’t have to win the contest to reap the benefits-after all, Clay Aiken came in second to Ruben Studdard, and we all see whose career has fared better.

Elliott Yamin came in third during the fifth season of American Idol, and while winner Taylor Hicks (”Soul Patrol!“) hasn’t exactly risen to superstardom, Yamin has continued to work to carve out a niche for himself in the industry.

Yamin’s sophomore album, Fight for Love, features lead single, “Fight for Love,” a laidback neo-soul number that has received a respectable amount of airplay in recent weeks. Even with the horrible, trendy, Kanye-esque vocal processing, it’s clear that Yamin has a better voice than most of his contemporaries, making the effects unfortunate and unnecessary. Continue reading »