(Nov. 22, 2011) — The season 10 American Idol runner-up, Lauren Alaina, released her album Wildflower on Oct. 10. She first heard her first debut single and hit, “Like My Mother Does,” on the radio while she was auditioning for Idol and then proceeded to record her first album with Byron Gallimore, who also recorded songs for major artists such as Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. Alaina’s style of music is very country, with some pop mixed in with it. Songs like “Georgia Peaches,” “She’s a Wildflower” and “I’m Not One of Them” provide an enjoyable uptempo beat that radiates happiness and is easy for girls to relate to. “The Middle” and “Like My Mother Does” are two of the slow, ballad-like country songs that are relaxing and sound like typical country songs about love, family or friends. These ballads provide strong imagery and we can actually imagine the situation and empathize with Alaina in her songs. Though most songs don’t seem like originals, Alaina definitely makes them her own with her captivating voice and that country twang that everyone recognizes. Alaina blends the timbre of her voice well with the guitar and violin in her song “Growing Her Wings.” “Growing Her Wings” is a song that anyone would like. Even someone who dislikes country music would be able to relate to it, as it’s all about the difficult life of teenagers these days. The violin and guitar combined with drums provide a classic country rhythm and a sort of toe-tapping tune that has you singing along. The album could be compared to albums of other singers such as Scotty McCreery, Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride. Alaina’s music has the perfect amount of pop and country to balance each other and it’s easy on the ears, so anyone can listen to it. Her album, Wildflower, is one of the best country music albums so far this year and proves to be worthy of recognition.