Almost American Idol Mario Vasquez Album Out This Summer

Perhaps the most intriguing "American Idol" contest (after the beleaguered Clay Aiken) is Mario Vasquez, who was an early favorite when he made the final 12 but dropped out for "family reasons," even though his family knew nothing about it. The rumor was that Vasquez had been offered a deal by Sean Combs or someone like that if he ditched the show. But that ignores Vasquez's contractual obligations to the show and its label. So now here we are with his first single released to radio, coming out digitally on May 2 (my birthday) and hitting stores this summer. All on Arista, the label he would have been on if he'd won the show anyway. The album is filled with top producers and unlike most first CDs by Idol artists, they took their time. The single was worked on by Ne-Yo and you can also hear work by Lester Mendez (Shakira), Scott Storch (Christina Aguilera) and Luny Tunes (Daddy Yankee). First class all the way. But how long does Vasquez think he can go without giving a reasonable explanation for why he jumped ship?