The secret was on its way out well before Yamin finished third in the fifth season of “Idol” (in a historically close race behind Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee); early in the competition, the ever-prickly Simon Cowell deemed him “potentially the best male vocalist in the history of ‘American Idol.’” With the release of his debut album, Elliott Yamin (due March 20, 2007, on Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Hickory Records), few will believe this accomplished vocalist was once too embarrassed to sing out in his middle-school choir class. Watching “American Idol,” however, was something he took seriously. “I was definitely a viewer and a fan,” he affirms. “I would call my friends during commercials and say, ‘Did you see that guy?!’ They were really into it, too, and they were always pushing me to try out. But as much as I loved the show, I really had no grasp of what it could do for me. I mean, obviously I knew that Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken and other finalists had gone on to big careers. But I never put it together that I could be one of them; it was just beyond imagining.” Then again, when his friends persisted in asking, “What have you got to lose?” Elliott knew there was only one answer: nothing. Even after he made it onto the show and began climbing in the standings, it felt like a lark – until Stevie Wonder appeared as a guest vocal coach. He still shakes his head with incredulity as he relates what happened next: “When Stevie Wonder walked into the room and we found out we were going to work with him, I couldn’t believe it. I’m a very emotional person and I got tears in my eyes. At that point, I said to myself, okay, this could end for me right here, right now, and I’d be fine with that. I was real close with everyone on the show, including all the behind-the-scenes people. When the editors were cutting together the segment with Stevie, they said, ‘Hey, check this out.’ It was footage of him saying I should definitely pursue a career in music. I was stunned. To be validated by Steve Wonder … ” That does tend to boost one’s confidence. Coupled with the fun Yamin was having onstage, Wonder’s encouragement made him think that maybe he should try to become a professional singer. The ensuing “American Idol” tour – during which he heard thousands of hometown fans chanting his name before the curtain rose at the Richmond Coliseum – cemented his resolve. He says that like his “AI Rat Pack” crew (Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Bucky Covington and Ace Young; one music writer called Yamin the Sammy Davis, Jr., of the bunch), he craves the stage.