"Idol" champ Allen's CD reflects life on the road

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" champion Kris Allen, who once traveled the world on church missionary trips, took an equally wayfaring approach to record his new album, working in studios across the United States.

"Name a big city and I probably recorded a song there," Allen told Reuters ahead of the self-titled "Kris Allen" release on November 17.

The album, Allen's first since winning top-rated TV signing show "American Idol," was mostly written and produced while he toured the U.S. this past summer with "Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert and the other 10 finalists from the show.

The Arkansas native recorded songs in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Milwaukee and other cities.

"It was pretty crazy, and kind of weird switching your mind from tour mode to writing and recording mode," he said.

The 24-year-old Allen was the center of a carousel of songwriters who included "Idol" alumnus Chris Daughtry and Joe King of rock band The Fray, but Allen was instrumental in penning nine of the record's 12 tracks.

One single, "Live Like We're Dying," was released in September and is currently ranked 39th in airplay on radio stations playing Top 40 music, said tracking firm Mediabase.