'Idol' alumnus nervously awaits release of CD No. 2

Waiting for a second CD to drop is enough to make even an ex-Marine and former "American Idol" favorite like Josh Gracin sweat a little.

"I'll know [soon] how much our hard work has done for us," Gracin said of efforts to put together and promote his sophomore effort, "We Weren't Crazy."

It's been four years since Gracin's self-titled debut CD came out, selling more than 750,000 copies to date and spawning the three top-five hits "I Want To Live," "Nothin' to Lose" and "Stay With Me (Brass Bed)." Even before its release, "Crazy" has produced three singles -- "I Keep Coming Back," "Favorite State of Mind" and the title track -- but none of those has cracked the top 10.

Undoubtedly, Gracin's first CD was boosted by the power of "Idol," where he came in fourth place during the show's second season -- the same season in which Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard became stars.

Back then, he was the singing Marine who turned up on "Idol" just months after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Now that several "Idol" seasons have passed and other favorites have come, Gracin realizes he has to stand on his own merit.

"I'm still fighting to get recognized in Nashville," said the Michigan native who moved to Tennessee to ignite his career. "I know that. That's why I started writing [my own songs] more. People can't say, 'Oh, he can do everybody else's songs, but he can't do his own.'"

He refers to "Idol" now as "a training ground" for his career. "It helped me out mentally," he said.

Gracin also said he's been inspired by "Idol." Before his career got going, he was often told he'd never make it as a singer.

"Coming from a small town in Michigan, being in the Marines, I was told by a lot of people I'd never be able to make it as a singer," he said. "They told me I was crazy."

He was still in the Marines when he made it on "Idol." Duty kept him from the show's concert tour. Immediately after his commitment to the Marines ended, he dived right into his singing career.

Gracin's trying to be proactive in his post-"Idol" life. Just because a singer makes it to the finals -- or even wins -- "Idol" does not guarantee a career or longevity. Several "Idol" finalists have fallen out of favor.

After dismal sales of her last CD, 2006 runner-up Katharine McPhee was dropped by her label; 2006 winner Taylor Hicks was the first "Idol" winner to fail to sell 1 million copies of a first post-win release; Studdard is also gone from his record label. His 2006 album sold only 230,000 copies.

But, oh, the successes: Kelly Clarkson's CDs have gone platinum and earned her Grammy acclaim. Carrie Underwood remains one of the hottest acts in country music, and Chris Daughtry had one of 2007's biggest-selling CDs.