There is probably not a person in America who is not at least vaguely familiar with the phenomenon that is American Idol. Daytime talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, fan a contest of her own last year: Oprah's Pop Star Challenge. The winner of the challenge was a woman named LaShell Griffin, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mother of five from Detroit Michigan. LaShell received a recording contract and her new album, Free, is being released in both the Christian and mainstream market.

The question that LaShell will have to face is whether she can rise above the Idol-like stigma of being "just" a reality show contestant, into an artist who can stand on and be judged by her own merits. Free seems to indicate that she can. Kudos to Griffin and the producers for not trying to turn her into something she's not - an R&B diva, a hip-hop wannabe, or a pure gospel act. She knows her strengths and the album plays them up in spades.

If you watch Oprah you already know what LaShell can do. Those who don't watch daytime TV are in for a real treat. Reality television takes a lot of knocks, but when talent like this is unearthed - someone who would've never got a record deal in a million years without it - you can't help but be at least a little bit thankful. LaShell Griffin is the real deal, and Free is one of the best contemporary pop/R&B records that we've heard in quite some time.