Never in American Idol’s 10 years has the competition show had such a marketable gold mine among its top two finalists and, beyond the commercial possibilities, both were refreshingly quite good.

Scotty McCreery, who turned 18 last week upon the release of his debut, Clear as Day, looks like Opie Taylor but has the deep baritone of Randy Travis and serious country credibility. He grew up idolizing classic voices Conway Twitty, Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. There is no one his age in Nashville with such gifts.

Lauren Alaina idolizes fourth season champ Carrie Underwood, who has sold more albums than any other Idol winner and, with her big voice and contemporary mainstream bent, Lauren can hold her own in Underwood’s playground. She even got Underwood to cowrite a song for Wildflower, her debut album.

Scotty’s radio friendly fare is a bit disappointing if only because his potential to transcend Nashville’s current cookie-cutter rut was so great. Admittedly, expectations of another Killin’ Time or Storms of Life were unfair and far too lofty to place on a fresh-scrubbed teen who hasn’t lived yet, but just the idea that these landmark Clint Black and Randy Travis debuts came to mind speaks to Scotty’s strengths.

Thankfully, producer Mark Bright doesn’t mess with Scotty’s vocals even though the music’s polished sound fits squarely on country radio. The songs are age-appropriate, erring on the safe side as the first single, I Love You This Big, expresses a romantic viewpoint in language a first-grader applies to mommy.

The material is also so laced with corn the CD might pop if left in a hot car stereo. Practically every song focuses on either the football game, trucks and girls who “are sugar and spice and angel wings.” Scotty and Lauren both close their albums with a song about church.

But Scotty also has one of those classic country songs with a twist ending in the Clear as Day title track, which follows two high school sweethearts who hook up after the big game and ends on a cautionary note about the dangers of inexperienced teenaged driving in inclement weather.

Lauren is initially more rebellious as she opens with Georgia Peaches, the catchiest cut on both albums. Lauren lists all of the juicy attributes she has that make her kind of peaches the ones “the boys pick.” Soon, on the descriptive Growing Her Wings, she’s ready to quit “doing time behind her bedroom door” and discover a whole new world.

While Scotty is resolutely old-fashioned — he asks one bathing beauty along the river bank to “write my number on your hand” — Lauren has discovered texting and social media and kisses off some suitor with a curt, “I’m not some notch on your Facebook wall.”

But she’s not the second coming of Tanya Tucker, which could have made her music more interesting for adults. All those Georgia peaches might wear short shorts and boast seductive country drawls but “We ain’t late for Sunday church / Mama raised us not to curse.”

As an interpreter (she has one co-songwriting credit) Lauren’s still understandably callow and has to brave Byron Gallimore’s overproduction, which can turn her voice monochromatic when she has to reach for the big notes on blustery, off-the-rack tunes like I’m Not One of Them. Overall, however, Lauren has a richer, warmer, more natural tone than Underwood, especially when the material suits her, such as the nicely shaded, melodic Tupelo.

Scotty and Lauren (he’s a senior, she’s a junior) will both make better, more distinctive albums as they mature. That said, their high school teachers should certainly give them an A in the arts this year for turning in projects that are professional, likable and filled with promise.

Download these: Georgia Peaches, Tupelo (Lauren); Clear as Day, Dirty Dishes (Scotty).