Jason Castro's Debut Album Set For Release

The self-titled album will be preceded by the new single, "That's What I'm Here For." The track is slated to hit Hot AC radio outlets nationwide on March 8th. That same day will also see "That's What I'm Here For" � coupled with an exclusive rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," one of the songs that helped earn him a third-runner up finish on the 2008 season of Fox's American Idol � go on sale at digital retailers everywhere.

What's more, Castro is slated to perform both songs on ABC's upcoming special, The Bachelor: Jason & Molly's Wedding, from Warner Horizon Television. The two-hour television event airs Monday, March 8th (check local listings).

"JASON CASTRO" brims with toe-tapping pop, strummy folk, and electrifying rock ("Closer," "Heart of Stone") � all cleverly balanced, rooted in the classic, melody-minded singer-songwriter tradition, with heart-on-sleeve lyrics and acoustic guitar-driven arrangements. Featured alongside unabashedly emotional tunes like "Love Uncompromised" and the buoyant first single, "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" is a stunning version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (which Castro performed on American Idol, citing Jeff Buckley's version as a huge inspiration to him as an artist).

To fully capture the moods he wanted, Castro collaborated with producer Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos) and a host of top-notch songwriters � including Marc Roberge of O.A.R., Gregg Wattenberg (Five For Fighting), Zac Maloy (David Cook), and Espionage (Train) � all of whom helped make "JASON CASTRO" an ideal showcase for his considerable gifts as a vocalist, songwriter, and musician.

"I feel like the album really captures my personality," Jason says. "People got to know me a bit on the show, so I wanted to build on that by including all these songs I've written about my life. I wanted to share with people the things that are meaningful to me."

"JASON CASTRO" follows Castro's acclaimed "THE LOVE UNCOMPROMISED EP," which immediately shot to the Top 5 on the iTunes album chart upon its January release. The five track EP � highlighted by three of the album's brightest moments, including "You Can Always Come Home," a tender duet featuring Atlantic labelmate Serena Ryder � was immediately hailed in the New York Times as being "among the most sure-footed records, debut or otherwise, by an 'Idol' contestant from any season."