You would expect Elliott Yamin to be relaxed after a 10-day vacation in Hawaii with his girlfriend.

And he is.

Chatty and forthcoming, the guy who will always be tied to Richmond, no matter how long he lives in L.A. or how many gold records he earns, is relishing a little well-deserved time off.

An exhausting nine-month tour of clubs, small theaters and radio-station holiday shows that crisscrossed the country and brought him to the Philippines and Malaysia recently wrapped.

For his efforts, Yamin had a smash ballad in "Wait for You," the eighth-most-played song on Top 40 in 2007, according to radio site www.allaccess.com. "Wait" also sold more than 800,000 digital copies, spawned a dance mix and propelled Yamin's self-titled debut album to sales of more than 486,000.

But what about that all-important follow-up?

"One Word" -- arguably a better song -- hasn't dented radio quite as noticeably, but Yamin isn't deterred.

"Who knows [why it didn't take off]? You never know. It's always a crapshoot," he said. "I was a little bummed at first, but [songs] don't all take off. We're really in a great place right now. And you know what? It just motivates me to keep getting better."

Yamin isn't sure if a third single will be released (anyone want to start a campaign for "I'm the Man"?), and he says there has been talk of a remix of "One Word."

But his next project should certainly keep him visible. Yamin is part of "Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1," a compilation of guest artists produced by the dawg-ish "American Idol" judge, set for release March 11.

Though the hype has surrounded "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," the first new recording from Paula Abdul in more than a decade, there are plenty of Yaminions primed to snag the disc solely for the duet between Yamin and his season five comrade, Katharine McPhee.

"Real Love," written by R&B hit king Ne-Yo, has "a dance-y vibe," says Yamin. "It's kinda a love song . . . it's just talking about real love and finding the one you've been searching for your whole life."

Coincidentally, another former Richmonder, Jason Mraz, whose family still lives here, is also on Jackson's disc. Yamin says he's yet to meet Mraz, who's a San Diego guy now, but hopes to one day.

Jackson, however, couldn't get more praise from Yamin.

"I've kept in touch with Randy since the show, and he's always expressed interest in working with me and vice versa. I didn't know how dope he was as a producer. And when I was rehearsing for my first leg of the tour in L.A., he called me up and said, 'Is now a good time [to record something]?' So we hooked up," Yamin said.

"He's a great, great human being. He's so talented. He's the same way you see him on TV. He doesn't put up any facade.

"He let me listen to some of the early cuts on the record, the one with the Tabernacle Choir ['I Understand,' with Bebe Winans, Kim Burrell, Rance Allen, Mariah Carey and Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church Choir], which is amazing. He's got a great ear. . . . He's always hitting me up on my BlackBerry. I definitely think I'm going to do a couple of tracks with him on my next project."

Yamin, 29, admits he's still learning how to advance as a songwriter. Last week, he had a writing session with Diane Warren, known for her prolific mainstream success. (Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me," Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" are among Warren's hundreds of hits.)

According to Yamin, Warren has a few songs in mind for him to record.

"I don't want to be the type to say it's me or nothing. I'm not afraid to sing other people's songs. Not to discredit myself, but I'm not a polished writer yet. I definitely want to write a lot more for this next album and learn," Yamin said.

But even with his Hollywood hookups, talk inevitably returns to his hometown, where the whirlwind began two years ago. (Yamin will be in town next month and in March for special events.)

When the topic of the R-Braves' leaving Richmond comes up, Yamin is genuinely incredulous: "Aw, that [stinks], man. I always loved going to Braves games."

When reminded of his momentous homecoming at The Diamond during "Idol's" final weeks in May 2006, Yamin laughs softly.

"That was one of the few times I've seen it full. That and the Fourth of July," he said. "But that day . . . that was a special day" mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.