His name is unmistakable and his looks are exceedingly recognizable, but it's Bucky Covington's chart-topping voice that maintains him exceptionally unique. Recently, Covington took time out from his busy schedule and from nursing a cold to talk of his life forever changed by the fifth season of American Idol.

Your sophomore album I'm Alright will be released later this year. Do you feel pressure with this album that you didn't feel with the first?

I would have to say so. I think when the first album came out, you don't have anything to compare it to, you know. You just throw it out there and hope for the best. I would love for this album to do better than the first album, but if it did just as well, I'd be a happy camper.

Are there any songs on this album that stick out for you?

There's one called "Evel Knievel". I'm a big motorcycle enthusiast, I love riding dirt bikes so a song like "Evel Knievel" is one I just had to cut.

There's one song you wrote that may go on your new album. Is songwriting something you may want to explore more in the future?

You know, I'm not really sure. I can't just sit in one room, hours on end. I would go nuts; I would just go absolutely nuts to sit so long in one place at one time. But I do still like songwriting and think every so often if something comes to me, I'll jot it down, give it to somebody and we'll write.

What kind of music can you remember yourself listening to when you were younger?

I remember riding in the back seat of my mom's car when I was younger and I think she had on a pop station. I remember just sitting and listening, it was the first time I had really paid attention to music. I was usually playing with dirt bikes or punching my brother, you know (laughter). I remember listening to it, but I didn't really understand it. I remember when the movie Pure Country came out with George Strait. That was the first time I was like ‘I like that'. That was the first time I said ‘I'm a country music fan'.

If you weren't singing country music what do you think you'd be doing?

There's no telling. I might be in the body shop with my dad, might be a stand-up comedian or an actor or something, I don't know. But, I gotta be honest with you, I'm very happy that it worked out to be singing because I definitely dig it.

You mentioned earlier you're a motorcycle enthusiast, would you consider yourself a bit of a dare devil?

Oh, without a doubt. I just bought 80 acres of land, I love hill climbs and stuff like that. Me and my brother have a little toy box out at the house with dirt bikes and stuff like that. I like to push the envelope a little bit.

When you were on "American Idol" you were one of the older contestants. Do you think being a little older worked to your advantage?

Anyone with a little more age on them has a little more wisdom and experience. If you're 16 years old and on American Idol that means in the time of your career, you've never got drunk and made an ass of yourself on stage. I've already been through that, I've already done that and I'll never do that again.

What was the one thing you felt you brought away from "AI"?

That show takes a bunch of amatures and puts them on the biggest TV show in America, and that can work one of two ways for you. I've seen it make people look like complete idiots; well, actually it shows the world that these people are complete idiots. And then there's some people where you're like ‘where have these people been hiding?' But I learned a lot from the show. It put me in position for doing TV interviews, red carpets and parties; nobody shows you how to do this. You don't sit down with a press coach. It gave me the opportunity to practice.

Your twin brother is in your band. What's it like to have him by your side?

He's my twin brother, so it's not like he's just an everyday brother that's a few years older or something. This is somebody I shared everything with. If I was going through school, and I didn't know how to handle middle school or high school, I always had someone to share it with. I was always just as nervous but as long as one of us acted cool you'll get yourself through it. But that also means when you go to Bojangles (a south eastern chicken franchise) you also have to share a combo (laughter).