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In many ways American Idol is nothing more than a big Karaoke contest. Most of the singers are passable, but few have the 'it' factor, that special something that will allow them to build a legitimate career. Season four winner Carrie Underwood has that special something and a whole lot more.

There's Karaoke good, and there's born to be a star good. Underwood falls into the latter category. Even the tin-eared among American Idol viewers knew they were witnessing something special when the sculpted singer walked away with the season four crown. The model-perfect beauty demonstrated great poise and even greater vocal control. Her girl next door appeal had viewers purchasing her debut album Some Hearts in droves, to the tune of more than six million copies.

The question on everyone's mind now is, can Underwood do it again? The opening track on Carnival Ride, the singer's sophomore release, leaves no doubt. "Flat On The Floor" detonates with such force, you almost expect hurricane winds to blow out of the speakers. The singer wields her voice like a scalpel and carves her name into the rocked up production. If the original members of Guns N' Roses reunited, added fiddle and banjo, kicked Axl out of the band, and brought Underwood on as their new vocalist, this is how they might sound.

Underwood co-wrote four songs on Carnival Ride, including the cavorting "Last Name," a humorous number about having one too many, and the album's first single, the meditative "So Small." The latter is an uplifting cut that is simple and sweet. A cover of "I Told You So," a yearning number originally recorded by Randy Travis, is one of the album's highlights. The singer wonders what her ex's reaction would be if she told him she wanted to come back. Travis' fans will call it sacrilegious, but Underwood tops the original.

"The More Boys I Meet" is a cute little ditty that expands on the phrase, "the more people I meet, the more I like my dog." Organ, steel guitar, and fiddle complement Underwood's playful vocals. Underwood is an amazing performer, and for the most part she uses her voice well, but at times the stunning diva overdoes it, especially on the bombastic power ballad, "I Know You Won't." Unfortunately, the song gets bogged down in completely unnecessary vocal histrionics.

Carnival Ride proves Underwood is far more than a Karaoke singer, and that she's no flash in the pan.

By Todd Sterling