Carrie Underwood

Arriving after the commercial disappointments of Ruben Studdard and Fantasiaand just before the pop-chart poison that was Taylor HicksCarrie Underwood proved that “American Idol” could create a bona fide mega-star, with create being the operative word. In Underwood’s malleable voice and vague, girl-next-door charm, the show’s producers found a blank slate, one they molded into the most old-fashioned of country-music memes: the smiling, troop-supporting, Jesus-worshipping, man-standing-by blonde woman. Drawing obvious inspiration from Shania Twain and Faith Hill’s pop-crossover successes, Underwood’s 2005 debut, Some Hearts, made the Idol a genuine star in the country world, and the singer further cemented her good standing in country circles with her 2007 follow-up, Carnival Ride, another super-sized country-pop chart-topper. Underwood does a 7:30 p.m. concert at the Bradley Center tonight, with openers Little Big Town.