AMAs 2011: James Durbin’s Debut Album Brings ‘a Whole Lot of Rock and Roll’ (Video)

The wait is over for James Durbin fans, as the American Idol alum’s debut album hits shelves on Monday, Nov. 21.

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Memories of a Beautiful Disaster is produced by Grammy Award winner Howard Benson and includes the single “Love Me Bad,” released earlier this month. Durbin spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet of Sunday’s American Music Awards, where he talked about what fans can expect from his first release via Wind-up Records.

“It’s a whole lot of rock and roll,” he promised. “It’s just everything and more I wanted in a debut album. It’s unbelievable.”

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Like a true superstar, Durbin was faced with the challenge of recording and touring simultaneously. Though he’s hardly the first artist to be faced with the task, it’s a rare difficulty for a debut recording — and one shared by tourmates Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina. The album came together while Durbin toured with his fellow Season 10 alumni on the American Idol Live tour. Durbin broke the schedule down for us:

“As soon as the show ended I went on the tour. Recorded two songs on tour, had a week off before we headed off to the Philippines, recorded three songs then, went to the Philippines, came back and recorded,” he recalled. “So there were all these different obstacles, but it was so much fun. I found out that I really work best under pressure.”

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Check back with THR on Monday for a track-by-track review of Durbin’s Memories of a Beautiful Disaster.