According to the geniuses @ hollywoodgossip.com, 76% of the respondents in an online poll thought that Katharine McPhee looked better with "brown and flowing" hair as opposed to "blonde and pulled up", an important fact that certainly gets at the soft and squishy core of forever having the "American Idol" tag attached to your name. We've, however, been speculating that McPhee's second album, the oft delayed Unbroken (January 5) may have some solid musical value...and there are some indications that it has. A classy appearance on Chris Botti's Live In Boston PBS special (singing the standard "I've Got You Under My Skin"), a brief collaboration with star producer David Foster (Josh Groban, Michael Buble) and eventually, a high-profile signing with the adult pop/jazz label Verve led some us to surmise that McPhee may have opted for a high-end, sophisticated turn -- more Melody Gardot than, say, Kelly Clarkson. Plus, word that John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews) was at the production helm -- always a good sign.

But with three tracks now out, we'll admit that we really don't have a sense of what this album is really going to deliver. First single "Had It All" is a dime-a-dozen, by-the-numbers mainstream country-pop anthem minus the twang and sass. The newest, "Lifetime", almost works as a breathy piece of sugary fluff. But then we also get the gorgeous, admittedly grandiose weepie ballad "Say Goodbye", a song that presents McPhee's voice in just the right cinematic-style setting.

So? One worry, of course, is that McPhee has decided to pursue not only her singing (which got her to where she is) but also her "creative" side, co-writing most of the songs on Unbroken with the likes of Rachael Yamagata, Ingrid Michaelson and Paula Cole -- all of whom bring both talent and credibility to the project, but are certainly in the "pay-for-play" category. Not to mention A-list producer John Alagia (John Mayer). Bottom line? Lots of cooks...but the proof is, as they say, in the pudding. We're hoping for bittersweet.

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