3 stars (out of 4)

Though this year’s “American Idol” was widely derided as one of the least compelling seasons in the show’s history, it did produce a couple of singers who also write the majority of their own songs – no small feat in a competition dominated by voices who are often molded for mass consumption in their post-“Idol” careers by an army of producers and songwriters.

The recent major-label debut by “Idol” winner Lee DeWyze, “Live it Up,” brimmed with DeWyze song credits, albeit usually as part of a committee. Now comes runner-up Crystal Bowersox, whose “Farmer’s Daughter” (Jive) includes eight songs solely written by her as well as two cowrites – meaning she played a significant role in scripting 10 of the 12 tracks.

It may be a coincidence, but that self-direction goes a long way toward making this among the strongest debuts by an “Idol” singer ever. Bowersox came to the competition already a seasoned veteran of the folk circuit; she has been gigging steadily since her teens in Ohio, and also spent several years on Chicago’s North Side busking at train stations and performing at bars. At 25, she has a gutsy voice and feisty demeanor that even the “Idol” machine couldn’t fully dilute.

On “Farmer’s Daughter,” most of that personality pushes through. After the country-rock jauntiness of “Ridin’ with the Radio” and a bland cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What it’s Worth,” the album finds its stride with the title song, a brutally plainspoken and poignant portrayal of childhood abuse. “Holy Toledo” is nearly as good, more metaphorical and poetic, but equally wrenching. In both, Bowersox shows a developed sense of how to shape a narrative, moving from despair to determination, over relatively sparse backing.

The power of those two songs is undercut by the whistle-stoked “Lonely Won’t Come Around” and the melodramatic power ballad “Hold On,” the type of “Idol” machine productions that make Bowersox sound generic.

When the production and the outside songwriters stay out of her way, Bowersox expertly works the territory between folk and country. Though typecast as a Janis Joplin-like shouter in the early stages of the “Idol” competition, her best moments are far more subtle, with a touch of twang and fragility. She delivers the ballad “Mine All Mine” with a nuanced touch, brings gospel-soul plaintiveness to “Mason” in a duet with Brian Walker, and invests the do-it-yourself spirit of “Arlene” with hymn-like dignity.

greg@gregkot.com