After many months of waiting, Candice Glover‘s highly-anticipated debut album is finally here! The R&B/Soul powerhouse singer and reigning winner of American Idol is proud to introduce Music Speaks.

As her signature Idol performance of The Cure’s “Lovesong” (the cover which cemented her eventual victory is reprised on this album) indicates, Candice shines best on emotionally riveting material, and that right there drives the theme of her album – a compelling collection of love songs.

Ms. Glover’s love songs navigate through both the good and the bad moments of relationships. First, there’s wonders of love, like the declaration of unyielding devotion in the hypnotic “Die Without You”, the deep romantic desire in the sultry old-school R&B-styled “Kiss Me”, and the urgency of taking a chance on love in “Forever That Man, which features Candice’s sole co-writing credit (“I’ll paint a picture, a picture, a picture of me inside your heart / I need to deliver, deliver, deliver myself out of the dark”). Then, on the flip side, there’s the struggles of love, such as the devastating heartache in the torchy tearjerker, “Cried” (also the first single), the dilemma of being the other woman who has fallen in love with someone else’s man in the smooth “Damn”, the regret and longing within the hip-hop beats of “Coulda Been Me”, and the optimism of “Thank You”, which recognizes and appreciates the personal growth and self-love that comes after heartbreak (following the adage of “no pain, no gain”).

My favourite songs include “Same Kinda Man” (a soulful Motown number  – which had shades of Amy Winehouse throughout – about falling for someone who’s bad news over and over again). “Passenger” (a celestial and futuristic-sounding ballad about vowing to go with your loved one wherever they go – this track is a  departure from the Urban R&B sounds that dominate this album, but it’s unexpectedness makes the song stand out and work), and “In The Middle” (co-written by another Idol alum, Fantasia Barrino, this upbeat reggae track about having fun in the sun with your summer love allows Candice to get into her groovy side – it will be great for blasting at the beach come summertime!). Closing out the album is an acoustic re-working of her Idol coronation single, “I Am Beautiful”, a move I’d say makes the song more stirring and inspirational.

Music Speaks is a true and solid showcase of the incredibly sophisticated voice that won Candice’s fans over, and her musical style of singing passionate love songs allows her to speak to people, directly to their hearts and souls.

Candice Glover’s Music Speaks is available on iTunes.