Like Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina was one of the early front-runners on American Idol. Steven Tyler even remarked after her audition that they may have found 'the one.' And while Laruen didn't win Idol, she came in second place to fellow country artist Scotty McCreery. With "Like My Mother Does" now at country radio and almost Top 40, Lauren looks ready to join Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler as successful former idol country females (Kristy Lee Cook who also recorded "Like My Mother Does" three years ago has a new record deal of her own). 

On American Idol Season 10 Highlights, Lauren's new Walmart-exclusive 5 song Extended Play, we hear the sweet and charming new single and four other tracks, including a spirited album-exclusive "Wild One," originally a Faith Hill smash in the early 1990s. The song which is older or as old as Lauren, is ably peformed here with all of the Georgia-native's twang in full force. Lauren's cover of "The Climb" is miles ahead of Miley Cyrus' original version (Lauren is undoubtedly a better singer) while "Flat On The Floor" has a slightly more 'pop' feel to it than Lauren's favorite Carrie Underwood's original.  The revelation here - as it was on the show -  is Lauren's cover of Melissa Etheridge's rock classic "I'm The Only One." I hope that Lauren is allowed to exercise some more bluesy country tunes like she does on this great song.

While Lauren's path at country music radio and ultimately sales will be a wee bit harder than Scotty due to her gender more than anything else, she certainly has all of the potential in the world to become a powerhouse that rivals Underwood and Swift as crossover country/pop stars. Which is, after all, what Idol was looking for all along, a star.