With his rich tenor voice, distinctive looks, and endearingly innocent charm, Jason Castro won over millions of viewers as a contestant on the seventh season of “American Idol,” parlaying his substantial singer-songwriter appeal into a third-place runner-up finish. He may not have won the competition, but the 22-year-old Texan earned himself a devoted fan base eager to hear what he would do once freed to perform his own songs. Those folks will get their chance with the release of Castro’s self-titled debut album on Atlantic Records, arriving in stores and at all online retailers today.

“I feel like the album really captures my personality,” Jason says. “People got to know me a bit on the show, so I wanted to build on that by including all these songs I’ve written about my life. I wanted to share with people the things that are meaningful to me.”

Though rooted in the classic, melody-minded singer-songwriter tradition, with heart-on-sleeve lyrics and acoustic guitar-driven arrangements, the album brims with toe-tapping pop (first single “Lets Just Fall In Love Again,” “This Heart Of Mine“), strummy folk (“That’s What I’m Here For,” the lilting “If I Were You“), and electrifying rock (“Closer,” “Heart of Stone“) all cleverly balanced with unabashedly emotional tunes like “Love Uncompromised,” “It Matters To Me,” “You Can Always Come Home,” and a stunning version of Leonard Cohen’s‘ “Hallelujah” (which Castro performed on Idol, citing Jeff Buckley’s version as a huge inspiration to him as an artist).

“JASON CASTRO” follows Castro’s acclaimed “THE LOVE UNCOMPROMISED EP,” which immediately shot to the Top 5 on the iTunes album chart upon its January release. The five track EP – highlighted by three of the album’s brightest moments, including “You Can Always Come Home,” a tender duet featuring Atlantic labelmate Serena Ryder – was immediately hailed in the New York Times as being “among the most sure-footed records, debut or otherwise, by an ‘Idol’ contestant from any season.”

The Texas-based tunesmith has just wrapped a major US tour, his first full-fledged trek in support of his own music. Jason received rapturous reviews along the way, with the New York Times declaring his set “magnetic…1960s pop with bright guitars, slashed through with a contrarian streak… Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz should be nervous.” A full-scale US tour in support of “JASON CASTRO” will be announced shortly.

Recently, I had the chance to chat with Jason about his debut album, his time on American Idol, and the direction he’s hoping to go in. You can read about it below.

When did you first realize you had an interest in music and what sparked that interest?

That’s hard to say. I’ve been around music since I was born, I mean, my dad plays the guitar and I can remember jamming out to the Beach Boys and Elvis since I was 5. As I got older it became the way it made me feel and the energy you got from it. I started off as a drummer and became a singer when I was in college. I love music, its very inspiring to me.

You were on American Idol Season 7 – What was that experience like and looking back on it now, would you recommend it to others?

I definitely loved being on American Idol. It was the experience of a lifetime. I got to see things I won’t get to see again, even now. It was awesome and I would definitely recommend it, but not without warnings. I mean, people should go into it expecting some sort of rejection and not putting your life into it. You shouldn’t expect to jump start your career out of it because alot of times it doesn’t happen but it is a great opportunity and I would recommend it.

With your debut cd coming out, how would you describe the sound of your music, and what makes you feel like your album is different from the other artists in your genre?

I would call it Folk/Pop/Modern/Soft Rock. I think every artist is unique to its own, putting themselves out there into their music. What makes my album different is that its a continuation to myself, and to my time on Idol. People who followed me then would get to see the next step I’m taking. Its a living, breathing thing to me.

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