Still on the fence about purchasing James Durbin's album, "Memories of a Beautiful Disaster"? Read this.

I finally got around to listening to my review copy of the disc, a task postponed by a deluge of unexpected assignments last week.

Quick background: My opinion of James fluctuated throughout his "American Idol" run. My biggest concern? I wasn't quite sure where he'd fit in the current radio landscape. Yes, his pleas for us to "give metal a chance" were reassuring...but as my boyfriend likes to note, America already gave metal a chance. That didn't work out too well.

But after interviewing James when the "Idol" tour stopped in Atlanta, I got more invested in his possible future career. He seems like someone who genuinely wants "Idol" fans to broaden their musical horizons...the question is how that desire will translate to a recording career.

Now, my thoughts on "Memories of a Beautiful Disaster."

I liked it. Going into the disc, my biggest concern was The Scream. It was a bit too extreme at times for me on "Idol," and I agree that the "different kind of scream" noted in this USA Today piece works well on the disc.

Not all tracks fit into the traditional definition of heavy metal, and I can see some of the tracks (namely "Right Behind You," my favorite) finding a home amid more pop/rock stuff. That's not a bad thing.

"May," a ballad, could be the album's most polarizing song. I actually enjoyed the song...which surprised me, because I was lukewarm on some of the slower stuff James sang on "Idol."

My favorite tracks: "Higher Than Heaven," "Right Behind You" and "Screaming."

"Memories of a Beautiful Disaster" isn't a full-fledged heavy metal disc, but James didn't depart from his "thing." When I turned on the disc at work -- with headphones, mind you -- my co-workers overheard the loud opening notes and looked at me as if I was going to a headbangers ball.

It's a good start: an album that, like all musical genres, at least deserves a chance.

Learn more here.