Album David Cook (David Cook). Songs and videos online

Seven years into its run and American Idol has finally produced a winner who can hold his own and work with his own Idols. This says more about David Cook, grand champion of season seven, than it does of the franchise itself: AmIdol suffered a significant ratings slowdown during its no-drama seventh season and, despite the megastardom of Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Daughtry, major-league stars only saw the show as a way to hock a new album. Fortunately, major-league stars hold no fascination for David Cook. As he proved time and time again on the show, Cook's greatest wish was to be an American Our Lady Peace, a hurdle that's not exactly hard to clear. This low ambition works in Cook's favor on his eponymous major-label debut as it gives him a goal that's achievable -- plus, it's been so long that this sound has been in fashion that his heroes are waiting in the wings, eager to contribute to a project that may just raise their own profile. Foremost among these is Cook's biggest idol, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, who co-wrote three songs, but he's not alone: Zac Maloy of the Nixons has three songs, while Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra assists on "Avalanche," forgotten neo-grungesters Injected rev up the record with the hardest-rocking (and best) song in "Bar-ba-sol," and Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, no stranger to reality TV himself, gets a credit on "Declaration." It's a virtual parade of second and third stringers from the late '90s, all led by Chris Cornell, who continues his slow march into alt-rock anonymity here with "Light On," a perfectly fine bland power ballad that strangely finds the Soundgarden singer trying to write like those who followed in his footsteps.