As we speak, I'm watching this year's "American Idol" featuring some amazing singers. But only a few of them inspire me every week with their originality, inventiveness and unstoppable artistry. By the time last year's field was narrowed to three, there was only one, for my money, that had all that.

And as that singer, Haley Reinhart, prepares to come to the fabulous Norton After Dark series as part of WRMF's Listener Lounge tonight, she wants you to know things worked out just the way she wanted.

"I kept setting goals for myself. Each step of the way was baby steps," says Reinhart, whose single "Free" set the "Idol" stage alight a few weeks back, and whose album "Listen Up!" is released May 22. "Getting to third was what I wanted in the first place. I had no real regrets. I wanted to get to the Top Ten, so I could go on (the "American Idol") tour, and that seemed like the right place for me."

Right now, the place Haley finds herself is on a promotional tour for "Listen Up!" mostly radio stations shows, before setting out on a larger jaunt.

"It's been so surreal, but that's pretty typical for me now. I went straight from the show to the ("Idol") tour, to moving to L.A. and writing the whole album, but it's wonderful," she says.  

Reinhart says that she didn't have "one specific goal for the album. I wanted to make people feel good when they heard it. A lot of it is mid-tempo - everything has a groove to it. As far as the lyrics and melody, I wanted to take people on a journey, either to escape or somewhere they'll relate to, whichever they'd like to do."

]The ideas for thse lyrics can come at any time, so she says she makes sure to always have her phone with her "for voice memos. When we got into the songwriting process, if just came pouring out. It was very easy to write, with my co-writers and producers. It was really good getting feedback for each new song."

Haley's promotional shows like the one tonight at the Norton are fairly short - "I don't want to give too much away" - she teases, "but I can't wait to start playing some of these others ones. There are so many I really enjoy doing."