'American Idol's' Cook charts an album

LOS ANGELES, April 21 (UPI) -- Although America has yet to choose its 2008 "Idol," contestant David Cook has the No.1 downloaded album on Amazon.com, FoxNews.com says.

Cook released his CD "Analog Heart" in 2006 and although it failed to shoot him to stardom back then, downloads of it beat Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" on the Web site this past weekend, Fox columnist Roger Friedman notes.

It marks the first time an "American Idol" contestant has marketed a product before the end of the season and murks up the show's stated goal of making stars of undiscovered artists, Friedman wrote.

While fingering Cook as a "ringer," the columnist gave him props for possibly being smarter than judge Simon Cowell by releasing his music digitally -- thus possibly avoiding the mandatory first refusal right all "Idols" are required to give to recording giant BMG.