Interview with Elliott Yamin who's recording his second album in L.A.

LOS ANGELES It's a steady-drizzle kind of night, making the recording studio where Elliott Yamin is supposedly tucked away nearly impossible to find.

But after several loops around the block where nothing can be seen except a grungy row of apartments and a bustling restaurant, the name Pulse Recording is finally spotted in the back of a parking lot.

Aside from the stream of street traffic at the restaurant, the three-building cluster of studios in this sketchy-yet-hip Silver Lake neighborhood is eerily quiet.

After peering into several unoccupied rooms at what used to be known as SoundCastle studios - a place that witnessed artists including Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and The Beach Boys lay down tracks - Yamin's bassist, Oliver Goldstein, and keyboardist Calvin Gary Jr., are found, one sprawled on a couch with a laptop, the other working at a mixing console.

Goldstein yells for Yamin, and in a few seconds, that familiar curly-haired head leans out of a vocal booth with a friendly smile.

After a few minutes chatting about a visit with some of his old Richmond buddies, the "American Idol" alum visibly relaxes and slouches in his chair, ready to talk about his future.

His second album, "Fight for Love," is due May 5. The first single, the album's title track, is officially released to radio on Tuesday, though it has been floating around the Internet - and garnering some preliminary airplay - for weeks.

After the substantial success of his self-titled debut two years ago - more than half a million copies moved in the U.S., while his hit ballad, "Wait for You," was the sixth-most-played song of 2007 on Top 40 radio and sold more than a million downloads - Yamin admits to being a little anxious entering round two.

"It's kind of nerve-racking, just because society puts that kind of pressure on sophomore jinxes and sophomore albums," he says. "But I'm confident we have good songs."

He has been working on the release sporadically for the past year, and quietly acknowledges that the death of his beloved mother, Claudette, last March, quashed his desire to pursue music while he grieved.

Last summer, he cut some tracks with producer/rapper Jermaine Dupri but says he isn't sure any of those songs will make it onto the finished product.

He did, however, nab an admirable pedigree in one of the writers of "Fight for Love," the single - Johnta Austin, responsible for co-writing Mary J. Blige's "I Never Wanna Live Without You," among other hits.

The song suits Yamin's sandpapery pipes well, and its finger-snapping backbeat and layered vocals on the chorus and bridge are as polished as anything to hit radio in recent months.

"It's a strong song with a good lyric," is how Yamin describes it, before elaborating on the rest of the album, which he says will likely include 10 to 12 songs and take listeners on an emotional roller coaster.

"I feel like, the first time around, I made the record I wanted to make and I had this huge song that just wouldn't die, wouldn't go away," Yamin says, "and I feel like [people were thinking], well that was great, that was nice and cute, he's got a great song and he's the kid from 'Idol.'

"This time around, I'm really coming into my own as a singer and artist and I think people are really going to see that with the music we've chosen for this record. Just because I've made it a little more contemporary doesn't mean it's lost any of its integrity. I've still had a lot of opportunity to showcase my voice and some of my writing skills."

As on his debut, Yamin has co-written some of the songs on the new album, but says sheepishly, "Writing is a weird thing. I still don't consider myself much of a writer. I really feel like there are other writers who bring out my ability - and at the same time, I'm not afraid to do a great song that is pitched to me."

He adds with a laugh, "I'm a singer, and that's all I really do well."

Yamin hasn't lost the humble attitude that endeared him to millions of viewers on season five of TV's most monumental talent show.

But the 30-year-old who, just a few years ago drifted around Richmond with no clear career goals, is doing quite nicely, thank you.

He recently bought a 4,200-square-foot house in the Sherman Oaks valley. He shares his digs with his model girlfriend of three years, Jamie Paetz, and their three dogs.

Yamin pops back home every few months, but he adds that it's strange to visit now and not see his mom.

His radio-station tour, which launched last week, includes a stop at WRVQ (94.5-FM) on March 18. But he's due in Austin the next day, so spending time with Richmond friends isn't likely (check out Yamin's new Web site, www.officialelliottyamin.com for a list of dates).

But then he's back in Richmond April 4 at a gala to benefit the Central Virginia Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - an organization that Yamin, who has Type 1 diabetes, has fervently supported.

Although Yamin hopes that this new album will solidify a career bigger than his "Idol" roots, he is in no rush to distance himself from the show.

"They've been so good to me," he says. "There's not enough gratitude in the world that I could show them how much I appreciate the opportunity. And who knows? We've got to keep that streak [of appearances] going. I want to get back on there this year!"

Yamin grins. His ambition is palpable. Let round two begin.

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.