'American Idol': The Ultimate Playlist from Past Contestants

Jennifer Hudson (featuring Ludacris)
''Pocketbook,'' Jennifer Hudson (2008)

This uptempo R&B romp features the Oscar-winning season 3 finalist delivering the addictive refrain — ''Don't make me hit you with my pocketbook'' — with so much sauciness, you'll want to work it into everyday conversation yourself. Bonus points for a hilariously raunchy rap from Ludacris in which he praises J. Hud's backside by declaring ''with two hams in your pants, girl, I think you're a crook.'' (!!) Someone please explain: Why hasn't this one been released as a single yet? — Michael Slezak

Listen to ''Pocketbook'' here.

Carrie Underwood
''Before He Cheats,'' Some Hearts (2005)

Carrie's got a tendency for bombast that fits the furious lyrics perfectly, and that sexy, fearsome growl is a good indication that she may have temporarily surrendered control of her wheel to Jesus, the better to wield her baseball bat. — Whitney Pastorek

Watch the video for ''Before He Cheats'' here.

Blake Lewis (featuring Lupe Fiasco)
''Know My Name,'' Audio Day Dream (2007)

To the uninformed, Blake Lewis is just another in a long list of unsuccessful Idol runners-up. But those who took the time to sample Audio Day Dream — and in particular, this sweet love letter to a harried tabloid target — can only lament the fact that if his label had given the disc any kind of support, the jaunty beat-boxer would be enjoying chart success alongside fellow season six-er Jordin Sparks. — MS

Check out a live version of ''Know My Name'' here, and listen to the album version (featuring Lupe Fiasco) here.

David Archuleta
''Crush,'' David Archuleta (2008)

Season 6's divisive wunderkind lost to David Cook by 13 million votes, but in the Battle of the First Post-Idol Singles, he was the clear artistic winner. This radio-ready ode to puppy love is the perfect showcase for Archie's mature, soulful voice — and we dig it when he hits those falsetto notes! — Nicholas Fonseca

Watch the video for ''Crush'' here.

Kellie Pickler
''Rocks Instead of Rice,'' Kellie Pickler (2008)

She may not have the strongest voice in the history of Idol, but Kellie's reedy instrument is the perfect match for this trashy anthem sung from the point of view of a bitter wedding crasher. And the lyrics? They're priceless. ''Long white dress, this must be some kind of joke/ Virgin? Please. She ain't foolin' these folks,'' Kellie sings, right before dropping an awesome(ly bad) Jerry Springer reference. — MS

Listen to ''Rocks Instead of Rice'' here.

Kelly Clarkson
''Thankful,'' Thankful (2003)

The title track from Kelly's debut album was ignored in favor of sub-par singles like ''Miss Independent'' and ''Low.'' And that's a shame. Not only does this stripped-down R&B ditty highlight Kelly's range and vocal purity, but it's also one of the album's catchiest tunes. (Go ahead and try not to bop your head). — Kate Ward

Check out a live version of ''Thankful'' here.

Melinda Doolittle
''Declaration of Love,'' Coming Back to You (2009)

Killer horns, an addictive bass line, and off-the-hook drumming from percussionist Cindy Blackman. Oh, and that's not even getting to Mindy Doo's resplendent vocal, which melds the growl of Gladys Knight with the passion of Amy Winehouse and reminds us why we keep coming back to Idol after eight rollercoaster seasons: the chance to have a front-row seat to the advent of amazing undiscovered talent. — MS

Listen to ''Declaration of Love'' here.

Chris Daughtry
''Feels Like Tonight,'' Daughtry (2006)

It says a lot about the depth of Chris Daughtry's debut disc that his band's fourth single was its most rousing. Though this is one of only two tracks from Daughtry that he didn't have a hand in writing, Chris's multi-octave vocal performance is dead-on. — Dave Karger

Watch the video for ''Feels Like Tonight'' here.

Fantasia (featuring Big Boi)
''Hood Boy,'' Fantasia (2006)

Too much of Fantasia's post-Idol output has failed to match the soulful ferocity of her one-of-a-kind voice. But this electrifying R&B ditty — built on a sample of the Supremes' hit ''The Happening,'' and featuring a fine rap interlude from Outkast's Big Boi — pairs the season 3 winner with an instantly hummable melody and an irresistible beat. We dare you not to dance when 'Tasia hits the chorus and lets it rip, mmmkay? — MS

Watch the video for ''Hood Boy'' here.

Bucky Covington
''The Bible and the Belt,'' Bucky Covington (2007)

Covington's throaty Southern drawl + some serious guitar action = a bravado-fueled barnburner that's one part Southern rock and one part blues. This album track from season 5's eighth-place finisher will make you feel like you're at Road House's Double Deuce bar right before a fight breaks out — and we mean that in the best possible way. — Mandi Bierly

Check out a live performance of ''The Bible and the Belt'' here.

Michael Johns and Brooke White
''Life Is Okay,'' Digital single release (2009)

Johns explained in a spring 2009 visit to EW.com that he was hoping to achieve a Tom Petty-Stevie Nicks vibe when he paired up with his fellow season 7 finalist for this single from the soundtrack to Don't Look Down. And while that may sound like a tall order, there's a timeless quality to the interplay of Johns' gruff delivery with White's lilting voice as they tackle the song's simple-yet-gorgeous melody. — MS

Listen to ''Life Is Okay'' here.

David Cook
''Bar-ba-sol,'' David Cook (2008)

Keep your ''Light On,'' Idol campers, but for us, the rockingest cut on David's debut is the underappreciated ''Bar-ba-sol.'' Is it about shaving cream? Well, the season 7 champ is impeccably stubbly! But the song's cryptic, vaguely vampiric lyrics (''Holding on to what I don't know/ til the daylight turns to ash and blows away/ missing keys, bloody nose / consequences of what I chose'') recalls something more like a cross between Twilight and the after-effects of one really, really bad night on the town. Who knew Cook could be such a bad-ass? — Leah Greenblatt

Check out a live performance of ''Bar-Ba-Sol'' here.

Elliott Yamin
''Free,'' Elliott Yamin (2007)

Sure, this track off of Elliott's self-titled debut boasts some of the schlockiest lyrics imaginable (''Hold fast to your dreams/ And don't be afraid to fly/ Alone in the sky/ When you do then you'll be free''). But if there's any Idol graduate whose voice presses pause on our cynical buttons, it's Elliott, whose smooth runs make ''Free'' more than goosebump-worthy. — KW

Check out a live version of ''Free'' here.

Bo Bice
''Witness,'' See the Light (2007)

Hello, and welcome to the ass-kickin' slice of Southern-friend rock that should've served as the sound for Bo's 2005 major-label debut, but inexplicably did not. On the lead single to his indie follow-up, however, the season 4 runner-up sounds right at home, howling quasi-religious lyrics over a flurry of waah-waah guitars and undeniable drums. We wouldn't want to hear him any other way. — MS

Watch the video for ''Witness'' here.

Kimberley Locke
''Band of Gold,'' Based on a True Story (2007)

Locke and fellow Season 2 contestant Frenchie Davis struck fear in the hearts of their competitors when they performed a duet to Freda Payne's disco classic during Hollywood week. Locke's full-length studio rendition, featuring her trademark brassy vocals, is just as winning. — DK

Listen to a dance remix of Locke's ''Band of Gold'' here.

Tamyra Gray
''Star,'' The Dreamer (2004)

''You're a star...whether you know it or not,'' sings the other fabulous diva of Idol's first season on this '80s-ish number from her poorly received debut disc. And while, yeah, The Dreamer contained a few too many treacly ballads, this midtempo shuffler had us thinking the aforementioned lyric could've just as easily applied to the woman who was singing it. — MS

Jordin Sparks
''Battlefield,'' Battlefield (2009)

Sure, the lead single from Sparks' sophomore effort is pure Ryan Tedder bombast, but what beautiful bombast it is! Lyrically, the track paints Sparks' romance as an unintentional war zone. Vocally, the season 6 champ rips into the chorus with such formidable passion, she obliterates any notion of herself as a giggly game-show contestant, and redefines herself as a grown-up diva for today's pop scene. — MS

Check out the video for ''Battlefield'' at YahooMusic.

Clay Aiken
''Invisible,'' Measure of a Man (2003)

Aiken's shamefully addictive first single abuses every tool in the pop canon short of a key change (and really, why doesn't it have a key change?) to make you feel the pain of the poor boy's unrequited love. That high note he wails under the final chorus? Goosebumps. Don't judge. — WP

Watch the video for ''Invisible'' here.

Paris Bennett
''I'm So Hot,'' Princess P (2007)

Granted, part of you will die inside when the season 5 sprite spits lyrics like ''You ain't O.J., you're guilty/ You ain't cereal, you can't milk me.'' But if you listen with open ears and an open mind, the cacophonous beats of ''I'm So Hot'' — combined with the Lady Bennett's rage-fueled delivery — might put a little unexpected swagger in your step. Paris is burning? Holla! — MS

Check out a fan video pairing footage from The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll with Paris' ''I'm So Hot'' here.

Josh Gracin
''Stay With Me (Brass Bed),'' Josh Gracin (2004)

This Top 5 hit from Gracin's 2004 self-titled album builds at all the right places. His pleading voice is as sweetly and playfully seductive as the lyrics: ''Baby, there's just no use in hiding the way that I'm feeling right now/ With you standing there, Baby, I swear, I can't help but stare/ Girl, you're wearing me out, wearing me out.'' — MB

Watch the video for ''Stay With Me'' here.

Kelly Clarkson
''Since U Been Gone,'' Breakaway (2004)

Oh come now. You didn't think we'd leave the biggest hit from the Idol graduate canon off our playlist, did you? Especially not one with a hook so addictive, and a vocal so sublime, you practically need a stint in rehab to get it out of your head? — MS

Watch the video for ''Since U Been Gone'' here.

Talk about the playlist on Music Mix:
American Idol Grads' Playlist: What did we miss?