Looks like Jason Castro fans are going to have to wait a little bit longer to hear original music from the season-seven "American Idol" finalist. His debut album, originally slated to hit stores November 17, has been bumped to "early next year," according to a message posted on Castro's site Tuesday.

Castro, currently on a mall tour to drum up excitement for the self-titled release, insisted the delay is no cause for alarm. "I've poured my life into this album for the past several months — writing over 50 songs, recording a bunch of them and working to get each one just right," he wrote. "We're really close but are making some final tweaks so it can be exactly the album that I imagined it would be!"

Although Atlantic Records just released Jason's first single, "Let's Just Fall in Love Again," to radio this past week, Castro debuted the song in a webcast in August and offered it as a download for fans who pre-ordered the album, and iTunes has been selling the track since September 1. (His devoted fanbase pushed the track to #37 on the iTunes song chart.) No word yet on whether Atlantic and Castro will release a second single closer to the album's new, yet-undetermined release date.

The dreadlocked fan favorite isn't the only "Idol" to face shifting release dates recently. In early September, Katharine McPhee's new label, Verve Forecast Records, decided to move her sophomore release, Broken, from this past Tuesday to January 5 because of "scheduling" issues.

Even with Castro's CD bump, November 17 remains an overcrowded day for new music. "American Idol" winner Kris Allen, Leona Lewis, OneRepublic, Shakira, John Mayer and 50 Cent are all scheduled to release albums that day.

Jason fans disappointed with the delay have one thing to be happy about. Castro ended the message with a little surprise: "For those who already pre-ordered the album — a big THANK YOU! I'm going to be sending you a bonus track that we just couldn't fit on the album."

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