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Author Topic: A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS MEDIA REVIEWS  (Read 10870 times)
clayMaine-iac
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« on: September 04, 2006, 11:00:57 AM »

● Clay Aiken - A Thousand Different Ways (Island Preview - First Reaction):

Quote
I was privileged to listen to Clay's album today and I have to say he's got a winner on his hands. I was a bit put off by the idea of another covers album but he's pulled it off nicely. A classic track such as Bryan Adams "Everything I Do" which I felt couldn't be redone properly is completely retooled and sounds amazing. I'd say the best reinvented track has to be the Celine Dion song "Because You Love Me." I didn't care for the original version but Clay sped up the song and added his own flavor to it making it his own. Now when I first heard about this disc the one song that stood out to me was the Bad English song "When I See You Smile." I read some pretty harsh comments from some fans that in a nutshell said that Clay couldn't pull off this classic track. While it's not quite was redone as other songs, Clay's vocals fit perfectly and with a violin backing really allows the song to breath a bit more. To me Clay pulled this track off with no issues at all.

 

Honestly, I'm shocked over how good this disc turned out. 17 days to go until it's release but I'll have an album review up before it's release. Everyone is in for a real treat with this release. - Tony

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« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2006, 11:04:35 AM »

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Clay Aiken - Without You
The Bottom Line - 4 stars out of 5


Simply said, Clay Aiken's "Without You" is a triumphant return. While it would be easy to think that Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey had wrung all the possibilities from this pop chestnut, there are some fine elements here and a bravura vocal performance.

Pros
The beauty and clarity of Clay Aiken's voice
Very nicely propulsive instrumental arrangement
The emotion is restored to this classic song
Cons
Please, enunciate - We can do without "Without 'ooo"

Description
Simple piano-focused intro
Instantly recognizable vocals
Impeccable pop arrangement with welcome percussive elements missing in previous arrangements
Guide Review - Clay Aiken - Without You
If you are unfamiliar with the song "Without You," you have not been listening to pop radio for the past 35 years. The song, written by Badfinger's Pete Ham and Tom Evans, first appeared as a Badfinger album cut on No Dice released in 1970. Idiosyncratic pop singer Harry Nilsson released a version of the song in 1971 featuring the signature piano intro that would be the standard for future recordings of "Without You." The song became a #1 hit for Nilsson and the biggest pop hit of his career. Mariah Carey took the song back into the pop charts in 1994 with a surprisingly plastic sounding interpretation.

Clay Aiken has chosen the instantly familiar tune as the lead-in for his first proper studio album in 3 years. I count myself as one of the skeptics when I first heard this would be the opening single, but "Without You" is a good choice and will tremendously please his many devoted fans while quite possibly gaining a few new converts.

The pure beauty in Aiken's voice is abundantly showcased here, and the arrangement gives a contemporary twist on the song. The mix is pleasantly propulsive and percussive which will sound great on pop radio. Mainstream pop radio should give this track a chance. It's popularity may surprise more than a few radio programmers.
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« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2006, 01:42:25 PM »

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A Thousand Different Ways To Say “Uggh.” Clay Aiken’s sophomore effort is dripping with overdone love ballad covers.
By Shauna Stuart September 18, 2006

There truly may be a thousand different ways to say “I love you,” but Clay Aiken can just stop at the first one — there really is no need for the next 999.

American Idol Season Two runner up Aiken is back with his long-awaited sophomore release, A Thousand Different Ways. As you can imagine, the theme of this album is love. It features 10 remakes of album covers from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s — all ballads handpicked for the project by Aiken.

It begins with a breathy, heartfelt rendition of Richard Marx’s 1989 Grammy nominated “Right Here Waiting,” which is sure to get the hearts of Aiken fans nostalgically pumping as he belts out the ever-famous “Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you.”

But even for the sappiest of ballad lovers, over 128 minutes of pure sentiment may have some fans go from holding their beating hearts to clutching their convulsing stomachs.

In 14 tracks, Aiken keeps it personal with covers such as “Without You” and “Every Time You Go Away.” True to the album title, each rendition touches all types of love from friendship, to courtship to unconditional love and devotion.

Eventually, Aiken may need to trade in the bouts of emotion and sincerity for a little more originality and innovation. An artist always takes a risk when remaking a well-known song, especially a ballad. In this case, Aiken just happens to take 10 of those risks — and fails a little.

Perusing through the album, Aiken’s A Thousand Different Ways may leave listeners thinking “Oh! I Love that song!” but still preferring to hear the original version. Yes, we know Aiken can sing, but then again, so could Bing Crosby, Paul Young and every other artist whose song he remade. His album shows no lack of talent, but no style or creativity.

Aiken did attempt to put his own spin on a few tracks, such as Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” which he sings in slower, more laid-back tempo than the original. His aim is to come across as sultry and seductive, but he really just sounds sleepy.

Along with the redone, the album features four original songs by Aiken, but even those have us longing for something fresh.

A Thousand Different Ways just does not have the same “Claymation” and flair that “Measure of a Man” had back in 2004.

When Aiken belted out “I wish I could be a fly on your wall/ Are you really alone?” on “Measure of a Man,” it kind of freaked people out in an invasive, stalker kind of way, but it at least kept our attention. This album just leaves us bored.

In summary, Aiken’s vocal talents are not really what is on trial here. It’s his originality. A Thousand Different Ways is really just an emotional jumble of oldies. We’ve heard them all before and, frankly, we liked them better the first time around.
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« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2006, 01:43:47 PM »

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Clay Aiken, "A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA). A few new songs but the "Idol" runner-up's second studio CD is mostly covers of overblown ballads such as "Because You Loved Me," "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" and "Right Here Waiting." Because we love Clay, we were hoping for something a bit more . . . exciting and original, perhaps?


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« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2006, 01:44:24 PM »

Quote
Clay Aiken: Thousand Different Ways

American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken continues to bring home the gold with sold-out shows, and now he rewards fans with A Thousand Different Ways, which features his powerful pipes on songs such as Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is."

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« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2006, 01:48:01 PM »

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Reviewing Clay
I've often said that Idol Chatter would be nothing without the support of you loyal readers and commenters. Like my old virtual friend Jim in Nashville, who posted this encouraging note: "Ken, I can't wait. (Both for the review, and the reactions it will elicit.) Do you have Armani in Kevlar in your wardrobe closet?!"

Thanks a ton, Jim. Now I feel a whole lot less nervous about posting my review of Clay Aiken's A Thousand Different Ways album. But seriously, all I can do is call 'em as I see 'em (the "Coliseum" theory of record reviewing). I can't worry about how Clay lovers or Clay haters are going to react (at least I can't worry about that while I'm writing the review; I'll have plenty of opportunity to worry later). I'll just give you my take. So, in pleasant anticipation of receiving the "kickbacks from the music industry stars that have to use filth, sex and video porn to get ahead" that Summersky seems to think are responsible for critics' negative reviews of Clay (please, get a grip), here goes:

Overall, I just don't understand the reasoning behind this album. In the immortal words of Carl Wilson describing the Beach Boys' modest Smiley Smile album salvaged from the ruins of the ambitious Smile, it's a bunt instead of a grand slam. The label had an artist coming off a highly successful first album, in easily the best position for growth outside of Kelly Clarkson before her second album (and maybe even stronger than that, considering the intensely loyal fan base Clay had generated).

They encouraged Kelly (or agreed at Kelly's insistence) to branch out in a new direction, add more contemporary rock to the Idol pop/pap formula, write more songs, etc. -- and saw a huge payoff. Kelly's sold more than 5.5 million, gets Grammy nominations and is taken seriously as a leading artist now -- a considerable achievement for someone who had to overcome the "manufactured pop star" image of an Idol winner.

So why not try something similar with Clay? I don't mean he should have hired the guy from Evanescence to co-write songs and set the decibels blasting (although he does have Jon Bon Jovi, Mick Jones and former rockers Desmond Child and Aldo Nova in his songwriting credits). But a contemporary pop album, minus the hip-hop trappings Justin Timberlake adopts but a mix of uptempo songs and ballads with a modern sound, would have given Clay a chance to catapult to the top ranks of today's hitmakers.

Instead, he releases an album with 10 covers, leaning heavily toward middle-of-the-road ballads of a certain age, plus four new songs, all of which are ballads. I could be wrong on this, but I don't hear anything on the album that a top 40 station (Kelly's main bastion of radio support) would be likely to play.

I just don't get it. I've mentioned this before, and so have some of you, but it seems as if Clay's almost being abandoned. Instead of having him record an album that could be his springboard to general superstardom (as opposed to cult idol status, however massive his cult is), it's as if he's doing a side project at a crucial juncture of his career. This album is the kind of thing he should be doing in 2014, after he has five big contemporary albums under his belt, not now. There's no need to consign Clay to the nostalgia market so early in his career. This feels like an aging, or past-his-peak, artist's album.

Well, if you've read this far in this mini-epic, I imagine you can read some more. Track-by-track impressions follow, with clips available for those of you who haven't heard the songs.

1. Right Here Waiting (originally Richard Marx, 1989): Clay sings it with commendable restraint, almost too low-key at times, but overall, perfectly pleasantly. Unfortunately, this ballad's just as sappy as it was at the end of the '80s, and quickly fades from memory.

2. Lonely No More (new song, Clay's sole co-writing credit): Mildly pretty moments crop up intermittently on this gooey ballad , but the overuse of the key phrase "unbreak my heartache" (Toni Braxton says thanks!) begins to irritate, and by the time the predictable "dramatic" modulation artificially ratchets up the drama, all hope is lost.

3. Without You (Badfinger, 1970; covered by Nilsson, 1971; Mariah Carey, 1994): Nilsson's is the definitive version; if Mariah's was superfluous, what would you call this? Swaddled in strings and considerably less emotional than Nilsson's, Clay's version, although technically solid, adds nothing to a song several generations have heard their fill of.

4. Every Time You Go Away (Hall & Oates, 1980; covered by Paul Young, 1985): In the notes accompanying copies sent to the dreaded media, Clay states about Bryan Adams, whose Everything I Do (I Do It for You) he covers further on in the album, "That gravelly voice is so well-known. I didn't know if I could do the song justice." Apparently he was unconcerned about Paul Young's equally gravelly voice, because he gives this version neither a particle of grit nor a scrap of soul. To judge from Clay's apparent level of anguish, it sounds as if his love object is going away to the market to pick up a frozen dinner.

5. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (Elton John, 1976): Similarly, compared to the richness and passion of Elton's original, this just seems lightweight. I do admire the way he hits the high notes at the end, but that's a long time to wait.

6. When I See You Smile (Bad English, 1989): The original singer, John Waite, had enough gravelly gravitas to deceive the listener into thinking the song wasn't a schlocky Diane Warren ballad. Clay's bland, featureless treatment is like an X-ray revealing the tune's jello-like innards. Also not helping: Clay's thinness of tone when he goes up into power mode.

7. A Thousand Days (new): The quasi-"title track" (sorry, Elysa) sounds about as anonymous as a by-the-numbers power ballad can. Does Clive Davis have a secret sweatshop where songwriters churn this stuff out on the clock?

8. Everything I Do (I Do It for You) (Bryan Adams, 1991): This is more like it (eight songs in). Up to a point (that point being Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?, the one Chris was saddled with during the Idol season), Bryan Adams had a skillful touch with a power ballad, and this one, though overexposed, was one of the distinctive ones. I'm not sure why the producers added those hackneyed, Titanic-style Celtic touches, but Clay's vocal is effective and assured and works well on the material.

9. Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion, 1996): There are Celine Dion songs that sustain musical interest (1999's That's the Way It Is, for one). This isn't one of them. It's so bland, it's unlistenable, a song only a mother could like -- and, not to impugn mothers as a class of listeners, only a mother with low standards. A low point.

10. I Want to Know What Love Is (Foreigner, 1984): A high point. Maybe the duet vocals of Rock Star: INXS finalist Suzie McNeil inspired to Clay to kick it up a notch, because his vocal has some heft and a bit of grit to it. Bonus: No overbearing choir as on the original.

11. These Open Arms (new, written by Desmond Child, song doctor to the stars, and Jon Bon Jovi): It might not rank with the best Bon Jovi anthems, being kind of an off-the-rack power ballad, but Clay's performance is solid. Bonus: It's not Journey's Open Arms, as inflicted upon Elliott during the Idol season.

12. Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton, 1977): The original was almost insufferably bouncy, so Clay and his producer on this track (there are 11 listed on the CD's back cover) get points for a radical rearrangement, turning it into a ballad. This concept works pretty well on the verses, but the bridge just sounds antiseptic.

13. Everything I Have (new): I find this sort of sentimental ballad unforgivably sappy, but I credit it for some pretty moments and a fine vocal performance.

14. Broken Wings (Mister Mister, 1985): The song walks the maudlin tightrope precariously already, so the idea of adding poetry recitations sends it plunging over the edge without a net. Distracting, too. Not a good idea.

Clay can sing, with power when he needs it (although this quality is somewhat underplayed, perhaps surprisingly, on the album) and control and a certain grace at other times. But for the most part, these covers do not serve him well -- his voice generally sounds thin compared to the originals, and the arrangements tend to smother the songs in stringy goop. And the originals are too similar and too sappy.
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« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2006, 01:48:36 PM »

Quote
Clay Aiken - A Thousand Different Ways
From Bill Lamb, Your Guide to Top 40 / Pop.
Holding Pattern

There are gems here, but this album is unlikely to hold the attention of the casual listener all the way through. Clay Aiken fans will find much to like here, but he needs to start thinking about how to reach toward a broader audience and catch their attention. A number of ingredients for long-term pop stardom are evident, but A Thousand Different Ways is merely a holding pattern on the pathway there.

Playing It Too Safe - The Perils of a Covers Album
Putting together an album that is primarily covers of songs popularized by other artists is often a perilous enterprise for a mainstream pop musician. The songs can be interpreted in ways that range far enough from the original that they anger those who treasure the classic version, or they may be interpreted in a way so close to the original that it renders the new recording superfluous. The rare occurrence is striking a middle ground that pleases everyone.

Unfortunately for Clay Aiken, on his album A Thousand Different Ways, he frequently falls in the latter camp playing things so safe on a number of songs that a listener wonders why we really need his version as well. "Right Here Waiting," "Everytime You Go Away," and "When I See You Smile" are all competent performances, but they add little that is revelatory.

Clay Aiken's Impressive Voice
As it has been since American audiences were first introduced to him auditioning for American Idol, Clay Aiken's voice remains a marvelous instrument. His most successful tunes here resist temptations to over-emote and simply allow the song to shine through with his clear, resonant voice. Without the bombast of Celine Dion's performance, Diane Warren's "Because You Loved Me" reveals itself as an irresistibly romantic pop classic. A stripped down and reduced tempo version of "Here You Come Again," originally a top 10 pop hit for Dolly Parton, reveals a melody that instantly sticks in the mind sounding like it was written for Clay Aiken.

Top Tracks on 'A Thousand Different Ways'

Because You Loved Me
Here You Come Again
A Thousand Days
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Without You

The Future Is an Open Book for Clay Aiken
There is nothing painful to listen to here, although I would have nixed the ill-advised voiceovers on "Broken Wings." Unfortunately, there is too little that is truly memorable either. What we are left with is Clay Aiken treading water and still looking at a career without a specific direction in the pop music realm. Beyond the covers, the original songs here, outside of the power ballad "A Thousand Days," also fail to stick.

Clay Aiken seems in need of connecting with a key songwriter and/or producer with whom he can collaborate to formulate a project that defines him as a performer (the synergy between Christina Aguilera and Linda Perry is one model which comes to mind). Without this definition, it will be increasingly difficult for Clay Aiken to move beyond the status of a treasured national talent show competitor to widespread recognition as a gifted pop artist.
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« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2006, 01:49:08 PM »

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Our Review:
The title of Clay Aiken's latest album is clever but confusing. If there are a thousand different ways to do something, like, say, sing dusty old power ballads, then why did the American Idol runner-up stick to just one way--that is, his patented soaring falsetto histrionics? While Aiken has at least found a new way to do his hair, he should have tried out some new song stylings as he updated a host of saccharine, lite-rock classics, such as Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting," Paul Young's "Everytime You Go Away" and Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings." If those titles alone don't scare you off, then you are clearly a fan, and there is no rationalizing to be done. Enjoy it, Claymates; the rest of us will just be Aiken for some relief.

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« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2006, 01:50:07 PM »

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Editorial Reviews Amazon.com
A Thousand Different Ways, the follow-up to Clay Aiken's chart-burning debut Measure of a Man, trots out the kind of material a fleet-voiced former American Idol contestant can't help having a field day with: Aiken's version of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" is bathed in a smoothness that renders it arguably better than the original; his step into Celine Dion's shoes for "Because You Loved Me" sees nary a stumble (no easy feat, considering it's a vocal obstacle course of a song); and his cover of Paul Young's '80s classic "Everytime You Go Away" comes across as a clean-sounding, much-needed update. More proof that Aiken ain't fakin' when it comes to being a stylish interpreter comes courtesy of his convincing carry-off of Dolly Parton's sweet "Here You Come Again," but where he'll earn the most merit points for this disc is with its four originals--"A Thousand Days" especially. Aiken has the kind of voice that makes listeners want to scoot close to the speaker. He may be a softy, but when it comes to trapping raw emotion in song, he's become a mop-topped man of steel. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description
The project, Aiken's first outing since 2004, combines 10 cover versions of well-known songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s with four brand-new songs. The album is a follow-up to Aiken's debut set, "Measure of a Man," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and is certified triple-platinum, as well as the platinum-selling "Merry Christmas with Love," the best-selling holiday album of the 2004 season.
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« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2006, 01:51:52 PM »

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"Idol" Clay Aiken releases 'A Thousand Different Ways'!
By Tim Jaramillo

CLAY AIKEN proves that his star is still rising with his latest album, A Thousand Different Ways. The new record features 10 classic covers plus four all-new tracks!

Different Ways kicks off with Clay's breathy vocals on the RICHARD MARX hit, "Right Here Waiting." And he pours his heart out on the tender track, "Without You."

The young crooner's vocals soar on the BAD ENGLISH tune, "When I See You Smile." His voice reaches a beautiful falsetto on BRYAN ADAMS' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)."

Other highlights include Clay's intimate take on "I Want To Know What Love Is," and the sublime duet "Broken Wings," which closes the album out.

"This is an album of love songs," says Clay, "but they are about all different kinds of love; romantic love, friendship, unconditional love. There are a thousand different kinds of love; a thousand different ways to tell someone you love them."

A Thousand Different Ways is in stores now!
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« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2006, 01:53:24 PM »

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OK, Claymates, I know that your hero is funny and kind and talented and usually off feeding the children, helping the needy and sheltering the homeless when he isn't recording or touring -- believe me, I know he's an infallible human being because you keep telling me -- but for the second non-holiday album of his career, he chooses to make it 70 percent cover songs? Is that lounge singer job calling him already?

Hey, I happen to dig Aiken's new k.d. Lang/Annette Bening bangs and could really care less what antidepressants he is or isn't on and who he chooses to hang with when the lights are out. But if I want to hear "Right Here Waiting," I'll pull out Richard Marx's "Repeat Offender" CD (coincidentally, Mr. Iglesias covers that song, too). And, just for the record, no one should ever cover Bryan Adams or Celine Dion. Ever.

I agree with Aiken's reasoning that while recording the album, "We slowly discovered that it's harder these days to come by songs that are as superb as the songs that I grew up on." But, um, Clay, isn't it part of your job as an artist to perhaps try to write something meaningful, or at least work with new, talented songwriters? Are you seriously telling me that Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings" is as good as it gets?

Eh, maybe he's right. Maybe our musical future consists of nothing more than Foreigner songs sung a thousand different ways. Seems that way sometimes, doesn't it?
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« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2006, 01:55:15 PM »

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Reviews
Barnes & Noble
Clay Aiken may be sporting a fashionable shag haircut these days, but on his third studio album, he sticks with his now-familiar -- and endearing -- earnest and squeaky-clean sound. In keeping with his image as a romantic crooner, the American Idol runner-up is in full ballad mode -- 8 of the album's 14 songs are covers of seminal love songs from the past few decades. Aiken turns in an impassioned vocal on a lushly orchestrated version of the Bad English smash "When I See You Smile," gently rocks his way through Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting," and delivers an emotive interpretation of Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," spiced up with electric sitar nuances. Elsewhere, Aiken shows his vulnerability via a strings-soaked reading of Dolly Parton's country-pop nugget "Here You Come Again" and an ethereal rendition of the Mr. Mister hit "Broken Wings," featuring spoken-word vocals by poet Erin Taylor. Equally notable is a duet with vocalist Suzie McNeil on an uplifting reading of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is," sans gospel choir. The album's newer material also impresses, from Aiken's collaboration with David Foster acolyte William Joseph on the beautiful, piano-driven "Everything I Have" to "These Open Arms," an epic Jon Bon Jovi/Desmond Child-penned cut that packs the punch of a Bon Jovi power ballad. This unlikely heartthrob continues to march to the beat of his own MOR drummer, making wholesome, tastefully presented pop that nostalgic moms can enjoy alongside their tween daughters. Dave Gil de Rubio
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« Reply #12 on: September 23, 2006, 01:57:01 PM »

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For those who love Clay
Aiken's new album aims to please but ...
David Menconi, Staff Writer

Good news, Clay Aiken fans! "A Thousand Different Ways," the new album from Raleigh's "American Idol" homeboy, rivals such classic works as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "King Lear," "Citizen Kane" and possibly even "Measure of a Man." What can be added to the listener comments at cdnow.com ("arguably the greatest voice of this generation," "timeless masterpiece") but amen?
So what are you waiting for? Run, don't walk, to the nearest establishment that sells recorded music and purchase multiple copies for yourself and everyone you know! Go right now and start playing the CD from dusk to dawn.

Are they gone? They are? Good. Now the rest of us can talk about this record.

It's hard to imagine how "A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA) could make much of an impression on anyone but the most devoted Clay Aiken fan. The album is not bad so much as blank, which seems like an odd thing to say about such a busy recording.

Scores upon scores of people are credited for writing, producing, engineering, mastering, editing, Pro Tooling and playing on this album. Every last microspace is crammed to bursting with sonic data.

All that effort goes for naught, because the album's 14 songs pass in a bland, unmemorable blur. Aiken huffs and puffs in his distinctively theatrical voice, yet no discernible personality comes through.

Which isn't an insurmountable problem. Elton John, for one, has made a virtue of being an all-things-to-all-people blank slate. But it's a disastrous problem when you pick the worst hit in John's catalog, "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," and turn in a cover that's drenched in even more bathos than the 1976 original.

Most of the track list consists of cringe-inducing radio hits that were nevertheless wildly popular -- Paul Young's "Every Time You Go Away," Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting," Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings" and others popularized by Dolly Parton, Bryan Adams, Foreigner and Harry Nilsson. Like the songs themselves, Aiken's versions are long on treacle and short on substance.

One of his odder decisions was to change the lyrics of Nilsson's 1971 smash "Without You" (which was also a hit for Mariah Carey in 1994), alternating the pronoun in the chorus back and and forth between "you" and "her." That makes it sound as if he can't make up his mind whom he can't live without.

But he's full-on committed to Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is," turning the gospel-inflected original into a power ballad that wouldn't have sounded out of place on the "Top Gun" soundtrack. And that's about the riskiest move to be found on "A Thousand Different Ways."

Hard-core Aiken fans will eat this up, so for them an over-the-top star rating is accurate. For everyone else, I'm afraid, "A Thousand Different Ways" is a one-star record.
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« Reply #13 on: September 23, 2006, 09:11:51 PM »

Snap Judgement: Clay Aiken's New Single

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Regular readers of this blog know that I'm not exactly Kathy Bates to Clay Aiken's James Caan, and that I had some reservations about the American Idol runner-up's choice of the oft-covered "Without You" as the first single off his long-awaited  new disc, A Thousand Different Ways. Yet even with lowered expectations in tow, I'm still finding myself disappointed by Clay's adequate yet utterly predictable interpretation of Badfinger's ballad, which is now streaming for free at his official website (click here).

Sure, the dude can sing -- and in an era where Paris Hilton is a top 20 act, actual vocal ability is, well, hot -- but Clay's "Without You" sorely lacks the anguish of Harry Nilsson's Grammy-winning rendition, nor does it have the sheer melodrama of Mariah Carey's. Worst of all, though, Clay doesn't take any chances with the song's phrasing or melody or arrangement (the way Kelly Clarkson did when she tackled "Without You" during the first, Dunkelman-assisted season of Idol); as a result, Clay fails to (in the words of Paula Abdul) make the song his own. I wish Clay had tried stripping it down and slowing it down -- to turn it into a heartbreaking dirge. Or perhaps attempted to infuse it with an ambient, loungey vibe. As it stands, though, his "Without You" inspires neither love nor loathing, just a shrug of this blogger's shoulders. What do you think of Clay's new single? Let 'er rip in the comments section below.

Posted by Michael Slezak | 09. 7.06, 10:42 AM

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« Reply #14 on: September 26, 2006, 10:09:32 AM »

Not for the faint of heart....From today's Drudge Report:

Clay Beating Justin? Janet Weighs In

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Believe it or not, Clay Aiken’s new album of schlocky tunes for blue-haired ladies, "A Thousand Different Ways," looks as though it just outsold Justin Timberlake’s "FutureSex/LoveSounds" and took the No. 1 spot. It was Aiken’s debut week and Justin’s second week. Weird, huh?

Justin tried to bring “SexyBack,” but Clay took it away, and all in the space of a week. I have some quibbles with Justin’s album, but his “What Goes Around ...” with the Benjamin Wright Orchestra is sheer genius.

Aiken’s songs, on the other hand, are offensive pablum. He should be arrested for his cold-blooded murder of Harry Nilsson’s classic “Without You.” It’s a horror …
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« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2006, 05:41:19 PM »

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OK, Claymates, I know that your hero is funny and kind and talented and usually off feeding the children, helping the needy and sheltering the homeless when he isn't recording or touring -- believe me, I know he's an infallible human being because you keep telling me -- but for the second non-holiday album of his career, he chooses to make it 70 percent cover songs? Is that lounge singer job calling him already?

Hey, I happen to dig Aiken's new k.d. Lang/Annette Bening bangs and could really care less what antidepressants he is or isn't on and who he chooses to hang with when the lights are out. But if I want to hear "Right Here Waiting," I'll pull out Richard Marx's "Repeat Offender" CD (coincidentally, Mr. Iglesias covers that song, too). And, just for the record, no one should ever cover Bryan Adams or Celine Dion. Ever.

I agree with Aiken's reasoning that while recording the album, "We slowly discovered that it's harder these days to come by songs that are as superb as the songs that I grew up on." But, um, Clay, isn't it part of your job as an artist to perhaps try to write something meaningful, or at least work with new, talented songwriters? Are you seriously telling me that Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings" is as good as it gets?

Eh, maybe he's right. Maybe our musical future consists of nothing more than Foreigner songs sung a thousand different ways. Seems that way sometimes, doesn't it?
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« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2006, 05:42:40 PM »

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Reviews
Barnes & Noble
Clay Aiken may be sporting a fashionable shag haircut these days, but on his third studio album, he sticks with his now-familiar -- and endearing -- earnest and squeaky-clean sound. In keeping with his image as a romantic crooner, the American Idol runner-up is in full ballad mode -- 8 of the album's 14 songs are covers of seminal love songs from the past few decades. Aiken turns in an impassioned vocal on a lushly orchestrated version of the Bad English smash "When I See You Smile," gently rocks his way through Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting," and delivers an emotive interpretation of Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," spiced up with electric sitar nuances. Elsewhere, Aiken shows his vulnerability via a strings-soaked reading of Dolly Parton's country-pop nugget "Here You Come Again" and an ethereal rendition of the Mr. Mister hit "Broken Wings," featuring spoken-word vocals by poet Erin Taylor. Equally notable is a duet with vocalist Suzie McNeil on an uplifting reading of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is," sans gospel choir. The album's newer material also impresses, from Aiken's collaboration with David Foster acolyte William Joseph on the beautiful, piano-driven "Everything I Have" to "These Open Arms," an epic Jon Bon Jovi/Desmond Child-penned cut that packs the punch of a Bon Jovi power ballad. This unlikely heartthrob continues to march to the beat of his own MOR drummer, making wholesome, tastefully presented pop that nostalgic moms can enjoy alongside their tween daughters. Dave Gil de Rubio
BARNESANDNOBLE
*more reviews at the link*
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« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2006, 05:45:05 PM »

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Snap Judgement: Clay Aiken's New Single

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm not exactly Kathy Bates to Clay Aiken's James Caan, and that I had some reservations about the American Idol runner-up's choice of the oft-covered "Without You" as the first single off his long-awaited  new disc, A Thousand Different Ways. Yet even with lowered expectations in tow, I'm still finding myself disappointed by Clay's adequate yet utterly predictable interpretation of Badfinger's ballad, which is now streaming for free at his official website (click here).

Sure, the dude can sing -- and in an era where Paris Hilton is a top 20 act, actual vocal ability is, well, hot -- but Clay's "Without You" sorely lacks the anguish of Harry Nilsson's Grammy-winning rendition, nor does it have the sheer melodrama of Mariah Carey's. Worst of all, though, Clay doesn't take any chances with the song's phrasing or melody or arrangement (the way Kelly Clarkson did when she tackled "Without You" during the first, Dunkelman-assisted season of Idol); as a result, Clay fails to (in the words of Paula Abdul) make the song his own. I wish Clay had tried stripping it down and slowing it down -- to turn it into a heartbreaking dirge. Or perhaps attempted to infuse it with an ambient, loungey vibe. As it stands, though, his "Without You" inspires neither love nor loathing, just a shrug of this blogger's shoulders. What do you think of Clay's new single? Let 'er rip in the comments section below.

Posted by Michael Slezak | 09. 7.06, 10:42 AM

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« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2006, 05:47:02 PM »

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Clay's latest clunks, Beyonce's sparkles

CLAY AIKEN

"A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA)

If he only had a twisted psyche and a smart manager, Aiken, with his boyish looks and grandma-pleasing persona, could finish the job of cultural subversion the Sex Pistols started. It hasn't happened yet.

On his third album, the peppy "American Idol" runner-up applies his robust pipes to 10 saccharine spoonfuls by such treacle peddlers as Elton John, Foreigner and Celine Dion. This bland parade comes with a short reprieve in the stark "Everything I Have" and a reimagined "Here You Come Again" (a '70s hit for Dolly Parton), but we just wish Aiken would get hip to Karl -- not Richard -- Marx. -- Los Angeles Daily News
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« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2006, 05:49:26 PM »

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Clay Aiken
"A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA)
Richard Cromelin, Times Staff Writer

Aiken's mixed-up remake repertoire

Faced with the follow-up to Clay Aiken's 2003 debut, it's hard not to think of Bob Newhart's classic comedy routine in which he listens on the phone as Abner Doubleday explains his absurdly complicated new game, baseball.
 
"Is this a rib?" Newhart finally asks through mounting laughter, figuring that the call must be prank by the guys in the office.

The makeup of "A Thousand Different Ways" sounds like the result of a contest among music fans to devise the most ridiculously awful repertoire possible, if the pint-size singer with the mighty pipes decided to remake some love songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s.

How about Richard Marx? Obvious, but perfect. Foreigner! That's downright evil. Celine Dion? Bryan Adams? Check and check. How about Bon Jovi — but instead of a hit, get this — have Jon write a new song. With Desmond Child!

Well, no one is likely to buy this by accident, so it won't do much harm, and it does have some hits from Dolly Parton, Elton John, Badfinger and Harry Nilsson, so maybe someone will be inspired to look up the originals to see how they sounded before Aiken mowed them down.
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