A fresh crop of music industry aspirants have unleashed their music on the public - the Australian Idol Top Ten CD has been released.

Laying aside any cynicism, this is not a bad album. The range of songs covered is broad, so there is something that is sure to please everyone. From ABBA to Aerosmith, Cyndi Lauper to Kings of Leon, the breadth of the album is promising.

‘Sex on Fire’ is a supposedly romantic song akin to the Hunters and Collectors song ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’. The lyrics say “You, Your sex is on fire…But it’s not forever, But it’s just tonight. Oh we’re still the greatest”.

Mark Spano, who covered the song on the album, says of it “This song represents both of these (music and love)”. While this is an admirable sentiment (the pursuit of love), Spano is mistaking sex for love. This is wrong. Sex is an expression of love, but it is not love in its complete form.

The classic Aerosmith song ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ also features. Fans of Steve Tyler’s gravelly-voiced vocals may be a little disappointed by this rendition – Tom William’s smooth voice gives the song a different quality, however he does it justice.

The lyrics are sweet, despite the stalker-like overtones (think the Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’). “I could stay awake just to hear you breathing, watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you’re far away and dreaming. I could spend my life in this sweet surrender; I could stay lost in this moment forever. Oh every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure”. It would be very easy for some people (such as me) to get all sentimental when listening to lyrics like this. And there is nothing wrong with that, for they are lovely lyrics. But again, this is just one (of many) features of love. Love is not romance, despite what these songs (and books and movies) tell us.

At the other end of the spectrum is Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colours’. The message of this song is that it is not what you look like that is important, but what you are like inside that counts. “I see your true colours shining through and that’s why I love you. So don’t be afraid to let them show. Your true colours… are beautiful like a rainbow”. This sentiment is one that should be applauded. In a world that is so focused on appearances, to hear a song that promotes the exact opposite is refreshing. Hopefully singer Chrislyn Hamilton’s own music will reflect this attitude.

All up, this album has good breadth, with something sure to please everyone. Each of the songs selected by the artists in some way reflects society’s need for God, and it will be interesting to see how this need is represented in each of their respective careers.