It has been two years since one of American Idol's first rockers stunned the audience and fans of the show with his energetic and electric personality and performances. But the wait is over and Constantine Maroulis has released his solo debut album on his own label Sixth Place Records - the position he finished on American Idol.

Fans who are familiar with Maroulis and his band Pray for the Soul of Betty will find that the self-titled album "Constantine" is much different from the hard driving rock sounds of the band. While "Constantine" contains its share of rock songs among the 12 tracks; the album also includes some beautiful melodies. The big surprise is not in the song choices themselves but in the whole album; Maroulis recorded the album just as he performs the songs in a live show. In other words in an age when the engineer often works harder than the artist Constantine includes no electronic manipulations to the songs. Frequently music is predictable in its flow and patterns, but Constantine, who studied at the Boston Conservatory, often does not follow those typical patterns which also produces some pleasant surprises for the listener.