AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MARCH 1

[Pamela]

THIS IS THE NIGHT!

...that Clay comes home to Raleigh!

WELCOME HOME CLAY!

Today is a busy day.

07:00 am EST Radio interview at G105 FM in Raleigh (check link for audio download)
09:00 am EST Radio interview at MIX101.5 FM in Raleigh (check link for audio download)
12:00 noon EST TV appearance WRAL TV in Raleigh (check link for webcam/video)
05:00 pm EST Total Request Live - MTV (will feature tour footage)
07:00 pm EST Clay and Kelly - The Independent Tour - Raleigh NC

[Pamela]

'American Idols' lack independence

By Charles Passy, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 1, 2004

MIAMI -- If there was any doubt that Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson are trying to distance themselves from their American Idol success, it ended soon after their respective arrivals at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday night.

And one needed to look no farther than the pants they wore.

Aiken, who placed second to Ruben Studdard on last year's Idol, sported a scruffy pair of jeans that were a little too down-and-dirty for his clean-cut image. Clarkson, who was the 2002 Idol victor, went to greater extremes: Her jeans were cut, ripped, shredded and torn. Granted, she's got a wilder side than Aiken, but Courtney Love, she's not.

In the end, however, clothes couldn't make the man -- or woman. Aiken and Clarkson's strengths remain what they were during each of their Idol runs. He's a big-hearted belter in a pure pop vein. She's a soul sister with a country-gal streak.

But even then, neither is a fully formed star. Oh, they both tried during their respective hourlong performances in the double-bill, dubbed the Independent tour, but they never quite hit the glittering mark.

Aiken went first, opening with a headstrong, declarative cover of Mr. Mister's '80s favorite, Kyrie, a song well-suited to his more-is-more artistic approach. He soon followed with a set drawn largely from his debut album, Measure of a Man. But the tunes were all painted in bright primary colors, leaving no room for subtlety. And Aiken pushed so hard, his voice began to grate -- or worse yet, teeter-totter and crack.

Indeed, what was missing from his music-making was the kind of easy grace he demonstrated when he spoke directly to the crowd. At one point, he grabbed a cellphone from a female fan and talked to the person -- in this case, the fan's mother -- on the line. He's not the first to try such an attention-getting device, but his affection for his fan base is clearly genuine. (And of the thousands in the audience, the Aiken contingent -- or "Claymates" -- was the loudest.)

Clarkson, on the other hand, demonstrated a much more varied artistry, but came up slightly short in the personality department. At heart, she's something of a roots rocker, a singer who's at home in styles that are, at turns, funky, swampy, sassy and occasionally lyrical. She did a fine cover of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard from You -- all twang and attitude -- but was just as quick on the draw with Anytime, a "big old mother of a ballad" as she called it.

But what Clarkson couldn't offer was a sense of emotional connection. She didn't necessarily rush through her set, but she didn't slow it down, either. (Three costume changes in the space of an hour didn't help.) In the process, she sang soul without revealing a hint of her own soul.

Clarkson and Aiken teamed up for one final number, a predictable, play-it-safe rendition of Journey's Open Arms. (As Simon might have said, "That was American Idol: The Musical.") For this pair to take it to the next level, they'll each have to find a stronger path to independence.

PALM BEACH POST

[outthereforclay]

Guess we couldn't expect ALL of the reviews to be glowing, huh?  :roll: Actually, I DO understand where this reporter's comments are coming from. Clay DOES tend to "belt"...because he CAN! And many of us have also said that the songs from MOAM for the most part don't equal his voice; rather, HE makes the songs sound better than they "should".

The reporter at least acknowledges Clay's personality, charm and connection with the audience. And we know that this facet of him is a big factor in what will keep him around for a long time.

The fact that he can "sing his face off" won't hurt his career, either! :

[songbird457]

Thankfully CLay and Kelly will be in Raleigh tonight "singing their faces off" - I can't imagine a bad review for them in CLay's hometown. I am sure this concert will be very meaningful for him. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

I won't be there (I still have to wait 10 more days  :roll: ) but I give him an A+ in spirit. Maybe Pamela will let me live vicariously through her tonight.  : (yes I can feeeel the love tonight  : )

[lorraine]

I am really disappointed in that review.  How could all of the reviews previous be so wonderful and this won stinks.  But everything can't be perfect and regardless of these comments we love Clay and he is the greatest in all that he does.


Lorraine

[Moonshot]

Here is a Miami review from the Sun Sentinel

Aiken and Clarkson show off Idol mettle

By Jennifer Peltz
Staff Writer
Posted March 1 2004

MIAMI - Clay Aiken isn't the type of heartthrob who gets women's underwear thrown at him. He's the type who gets women's cell phones thrust at him, with their mothers on the line.

And he is the type who talks to their mothers, as about 7,100 people learned Saturday at the AmericanAirlines Arena.
 
Even if it was a stunt -- and it didn't appear to be -- it's this sort of accessibility that helped make the careers of Aiken and tour mate Kelly Clarkson, two of the most successful graduates of TV's American Idol. Ask fans what they see in the two, and most will marvel that the populist-pop stars started out as unknowns. Never mind that so did most other stars. The Idols, explained Kami Churba of Plantation, "don't seem to forget it."

They made sure to send that message Saturday, whether by means of Clarkson's frayed jeans and bare feet or Aiken's confession that he wasn't quite sure how to look smooth while navigating his set's stairs.

But Aiken was more than able to sound smooth while reproducing Perfect Day, Invisible and much of the rest of his double-platinum debut album, Measure of a Man.

He managed to look mildly convincing making eyes at a backup singer during a cover of Prince's When Doves Cry, but the self-professed nerd's specialty is a squeaky-clean sincerity. With his loose-limbed walk, jacket-and-jeans wardrobe and half-shy stage moves, Aiken comes off like a John Cusack character, and it's impossible not to be won over by him. The average member of his audience didn't just like him -- she'd like to have him for a son-in-law.

Clarkson may not inspire whatever it is that makes grown women call themselves "Claymates," but she's a punchier performer with a wider-ranging repertoire. And she plays a bit of guitar -- if with a feather boa for a strap -- and shares writing credit on some of her own double-platinum disc, Thankful.

Clarkson proved equally at home with the r&b-flavored title song, Miss Independent's strut and the country-style takedown of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard From You. A piano-only version of her own album's Beautiful Disaster proved she has an ear for mood as well as music.

For all their ability, the Idols do little to harness music's power to challenge, advance the cause of human creativity or even stop listeners in their tracks. And the armchair democracy that creates them does little to promote it. As Aiken fan Carolann Bailey of Daytona Beach put it, she likes his record because you can turn it on while you're doing whatever you want to do around the house.

But to take issue with these duly elected celebrities is virtually to be branded unpatriotic. They are officially idols (despite coming in second on the TV show, in Aiken's case), and who's to say they shouldn't be? When ordinary people go on reality shows to prove they can be stars while stars go on reality shows to prove they can be ordinary people, the vanishing point where the sidelines meet the stage can't be far off. In the future, everyone will be obscure for 15 minutes.

Sun Sentinel

[houstonclayfan]

Aiken comes off like a John Cusack character, and it's impossible not to be won over by him.

The first reviewer was a bit off (we cant pull them ALL over to our side), but Jennifer Peltz knows what she is talking about ! I think we need to make her an honorary member of Claymaniacs  :  Thanks for sharing the review, Moonshot

[dudley5]

So true we can't win em all -  but really who cares - we are so overly protective of OMC that I think we expect everyone to love him as much as we do and in reality we know that can't happen - there will always be some that won't see him as we do - but in all, the review wasn't completely and totally awful - there area lot more out there that see him as we do than those who don't  :roll:

[Pamela]

'American Idol' stars show strong signs of development

Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken display growth and vocal chops Saturday at Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena making for an appealing post-Idol concert.

BY HOWARD COHEN
hcohen@herald.com

It's always gratifying to watch an artist display growth. In this regard, this first coheadlining tour from American Idol stars Kelly Clarkson, season one winner, and Clay Aiken, season two runner-up, proved the TV reality show just may be capable of unleashing genuine artists after all.

Need proof? Aiken sang Prince's 1984 classic When Doves Cry. It would seem impossible to find two people with less in common than wholesome Aiken, a singer some have called ''vanilla,'' and randy Prince, who used to perform in bikini underwear while simulating copulation.

True, both have spoken of spirituality, but Prince has always merged sex into the equation. ''Animals strike curious poses / They feel the heat, the heat between me and you,'' Aiken sang, grinding a bit against his background singer.

The display was probably sexy only to Aiken's devoted fans who run all ages, but that's beside the point. He sang his unlikely selection extremely well, revealing the gospel roots of the tune by opening it as a ballad amid hearty piano chords, and then taking it to a rousing finish.

The performance Saturday night showed that the poised, charismatic and confident Aiken can handle more than the unchallenging, overproduced pop mush of The Way and When You Say You Love Me that his producers have saddled him with so far.

Clarkson, however, earned her headlining status in Miami with her energetic hour. (The two are swapping opening and closing slots on the tour and end together with a grandiose duet on Journey's 1981 power ballad, Open Arms).

Clarkson's set wasn't perfect. She rushed it, seldom pausing except to introduce a song. She lacks Aiken's assurance and personality -- he was clearly the sparse crowd's favorite -- but she proved more musically inclined. She played guitar on a few songs (not well but, hey, she's trying) and offered more stylistic departures from pop/R&B into rock (a rearrangment of her single, Low), country-blues (a spot-on sassy cover of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard From You) and the convincing big-band strut of Stuff Like That There.

Best of all, Clarkson seems to have listened to her critics who have knocked her for her melismatic oversinging. This time she replaced trills for soul and it made the previously unlistenable songs from her Thankful CD bearable.

MIAMI HERALD

[Pamela]

Concert Brings Clay To Raleigh, WRAL

UPDATED: 7:51 a.m. EST March 1, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. -- He's back! Raleigh's Clay Aiken is in town for a stop on his 30-city concert tour with "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson. No visit to Raleigh would be complete without a visit to WRAL.

Aiken joins Lynda Loveland and Bill Leslie Monday on WRAL's Noon News.
Watch WRAL's Noon News live online! (http://mfile.akamai.com/8662/live/reflector:23937.ram)

Clayniacs lined up at WRAL-FM Mix 101.5 early Monday, where Aiken is scheduled to join Bill Jordan and Sheri Logan at 10 a.m.

Some fans came from as far as Boston and New York for the Raleigh concert and a chance to see their favorite pop star up close.

Ginger Strazzulla, 70, of Boston, and her niece, Karlyn Fuller, were among those in the crowd.

"He has a wonderful voice. He is the type of voice for every generation," Strazzulla said. "I really feel as though he is a role model for the younger people of today. It is so refreshing to listen to him and not have to turn my ears away when some of the words come out."

Strazulla and Fuller plan to attend the next two shows in Long Island and Massachusetts.

Others in the crowd said they are among friends -- meeting each other in person after chatting with each another in Clay Aiken chat rooms over the past year.

Aiken and Clarkson perform Monday night at the RBC Center. The show is sold out.

WRAL LINK

[Pamela]

Aiken joins Lynda Loveland and Bill Leslie Monday on WRAL's Noon News.
(12:00 noon EST)

Watch WRAL's Noon News live online!

http://mfile.akamai.com/8662/live/reflector:23937.ram

[Pamela]

RBC Center Webcam Link:

http://www.rbccenter.com/about/180.asp

[AdoringClay]

MIAMI - Clay Aiken isn't the type of heartthrob who gets women's underwear thrown at him...

This reporter needs a fact-checker!  Sue G.

[Jeannette]

I thought Howard Cohen's review was excellent.  I have read other reviews that he has written about Clay, and he is always objective and supportive, as well as very inciteful.  He is one of the best reviewers.