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[semisweet]

BSHORTY SCOOP!

Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis emerges from the cocoon of silence that has mostly enveloped him (tour aside) since the end of the show. 19 Entertainment has announced a Dec. 4 release date for his still-untitled album, and a leadoff single, "Break Anotha", goes out to radio Tuesday.

The thoughtful folks at 19 also included a link for lucky recipients of the press release to hear the single, which I did. It sounds like a clever maximizing of Blake's musical inclinations in a contemporary pop context. Or, in plainer English, it's a heavily produced pop-soul tune featuring a chanted chorus with a striking strings figure and a bit of beatboxing and other vocal gymnastics. Seems to be aimed straight at the Justin Timberlake market, and -- with a properly warm radio reception -- it could hit the jackpot.

eeeeeeee!