I just ate a 2 oz. bag of Cheetos, and am currently experiencing dangerous levels of self-loathing.
In other cheese-related news, Clay Aiken has released a ballad-heavy track list for his long-awaited third disc, A Thousand Different Ways, due in stores Sept 19. (Don’t hate, Claymates, I didn’t say there was anything wrong with cheese. Per se.) The CD will contain 10 covers and four new songs (one co-written by Jon Bon Jovi!), and will, according to a press release from RCA, showcase ”a more relaxed style” for Clay, one that shows ”a different, sexier side.”
(Crickets.)
Anyhow, here’s how I’d classify Aiken’s song choices:
-Shamefully Delicious: Mr. Mister’s ”Broken Wings”; Foreigner’s ”I Want to Know What Love Is” (which always makes me think of Ellen DeGeneres’ Mr. Wrong)
-Just Plain Shameful: Bryan Adams’ ”Everything I Do (I Do It for You)”; Celine Dion’s ”Because You Loved Me”; Richard Marx’s ”Right Here Waiting” (Oceans apaaaaarrt… day after daaaay… No.)
-Totally Inspired: Dolly Parton’s ”Here You Come Again”
-Totally Tired: Harry Nilsson’s ”Without You” (Seriously? Who hasn’t covered this?)
-Right Artist, Wrong Song: Bad English’s ”When I See You Smile” (wouldn’t English lead singer John Waite’s ”Missing You” have been better?)
-Right Song for a Different Artist: Oh Clay, don’t you know Fantasia already owns Elton John’s ”Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”?
-Meh: Paul Young’s ”Everytime You Go Away”
Okay, PopWatchers, Claymates, and those of you who sit at the divine intersection of those two groups, that’s my take on Clay’s material. Now release your inner Hasselbots and tell me how you really feel.
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Forget this ballad-heavy crap. Grab a couple of guitars and do covers of Green
Day or White Stripes.
“When I See You Smile” is by Bad English. John Waite was the lead singer.
I like Clay… but these songs just seem, well, boring all put together on one album. Maybe they’ll be better in the shuffle on the ol’ iPod.
Right you are, AS — thanks!
John Waite. Interesting choice, but if he wanted Waite with power, then he should have chosen,”Every time I think of you” by John Waite and the Babies. PS: “When I see you smile” was John Waite and Bad English.
Michael Slezak,
I love you.
“…one that shows ‘a different, sexier side.’…
(Crickets.)”
That’s hilarious.
yuk. bad songs choices. bad timing. A cd of Soul classics would even be better. It would be a ‘take that’ to Ruben. But nooooo..had to go the cheese route. So wrong.
Without You sounds great in the short clip I’ve heard. Yeah it’s been covered alot. But a lot less talented voices. I would have loved Missing You but I haven’t heard his version of When I see You Smile. Michael Ball does a great cover of Because You Love Me. I have a feeling Clay’s will be less Celine and more Michael. I’m just looking forward to hearing what he does with them. Can I tell you what I think AFTER I listen? Or do we have to make up our minds right now?
You are certainly allowed an opinion on the song choices, but why don’t you wait and listen to the songs and arrangements on the CD before you pass judgement? Just seems fair to me.
Clay doesn’t have an artistic direction. C’mon, covers of overdone love songs essentially aimed at his middle-age-Claymates. This CD should’ve been titled “Supermarket Muzak Vol. 1″
I bet after this CD of 80s karaoke, there will be “Clay Aiken’s Supermarket Muzak Vol. 2″
With a voice like Clay Aiken has, he can sing any d@mn song he wants. He’s going to OWN these.
I have to admit that I have some concerns over the “ballad-heavy” aspect of the CD. And a few of these songs just make me laugh because of personal memories. However, I think that Clay’s voice is well-suited for all of them, and I’m sure that when I finally get to listen to them, I’ll be very, very pleased.
Sometimes the biggest risk for an artist is doing what someone has already done well before. I applaud that risk-taking.
Oh, and you can’t beat ANYTHING that manages to combine Bon Jovi and Clay Aiken though really…would it have killed Clay to do “Bed of Roses”???
This new CD is going to blow everyone out of the water. Sales of this CD are going to amaze everyone. Just watch and see.
Well, love or hate the song choices, Mr. Aiken will sing the stuffing out of them. I reserve judgement until hearing the album. It seems to be off to a good start sales wise on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com presales. I can not wait to hear the Elton John cover and the Richard Marx song. If it is cheesy..I guess I like extra cheese. Oh well.
Love all the song choices for Clay`s CD “A Thousand Different Ways”! Can`t wait to get the CD to hear Clay`s amazing voice on these songs!!!!
I think you thought you would get a lot of hits on your on-line article by mentioning Clay Aiken, and especially serving it with cheese. What, no wine…oh, you did….whine.
You will get the hits–too bad you did not decide to wait for the album to give a fair evaluation.
Last, Fantasia…good talent, but she’s not near the calibar of Aiken. He will blow her rendition out of the waters. I bet you a lobster dinner on that one….oh, and I like mine with chablis.
For the life of me, I just cannot understand the critics already…let’s listen the CD FIRST!! And by the way, with Clay’s incredible voice, this CD WILL BE INCREDIBLE!!! I have listened to snippets of it and have heard Clay in concerts many times…and this MAN CAN SING!!!
Well..nobody can sing covers like Clay Aike..so I am betting it will be a great success..just as Barry Manilows was. Besides..most songs out there are aweful..these will showcast his voice, IMO..and he will put a spin on them that only Clay can do..and will own them!
Some of the biggest music stars have done and continue to do remakes, including Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart. I think that puts Mr. Aiken in a fine group of talented and timeless artists.
I can’t wait to hear his powerful voice on some of the best love songs of the past 25 years. I wish you’d at least listen to it before you pass judgment–you’re being much too predictable.
We look forward to hearing all these song, and Clay will master them all. After AI5 DJ’s were commenting how well Clay can sing and he takes a hard song a makes it look like he is just walking in his backyard. They said he makes it look so easy. They said it is the best voice they have heard in a long long time, he really, really is good. I agree with these DJ’s fully. Amazon presales Clay is at #1 Barnes and Noble Clay is at #1.
All I hear at work after his AI5 appearance is when is his cd coming out, everyone is talking about him and how Hot he is.
Props to clay for having the guts and the confidence to cover these classic songs. No one else out there today could do it like him. And I know quite a few ttens who love the songs already.
I love when you mention Clay in your posts, if only because it inspires the Claymates to post by the dozens. I like Clay alright, but damn some of you are over the top. It’s like a little cult. But it’s fun to read.
Sorry, but I love all the song choices, cuz I loved all the songs when they were out on the radio in their time.
And what Clay does to a song is beyond amazing. Also from what we’ve heard so far, I must say I’m totally impressed and can’t wait to hear what he’s done to each and everyone of these songs. Some songs have already been previewed for certain top dj’s and they were STUNNED to find out that it was CLAY AIKEN singing. So put that in you hat and smoke it. This cd is gonna rock the world!
I’m excited about the new CD. Clay Aiken has proven he can sing just about anything. I’d rather hear Clay singing great, established classics than some of the uninspired songs and voices we have been shovel fed by radio over the last decade. Bring back songs made for singers. If he sings it, they will buy it. Guaranteed.
Fantasia can’t hold a candle to Clay. That was hysterical. I watch AI religiously and honestly cannot remember one song Fantasia sang outside of Summertime and that was because she was sitting on the floor. Elton John owns Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, no one else.
Clay’s CD is gonna be great. Everything he sings is great because he’s a great singer and yes he’s very sexy. The man is gorgeous – for those who can’t see it go outside with the crickets… leave Clay alone with us!
It’s really hard to want to give you an honest opinion when your bias, is so blatently put into the preface, and opening paragraphs.
It takes a great voice to be able to cover these songs, and carry it off.
There have been many singers that have done covers, forever, through the history of recorded music.
A very, very small percentage, can re-record an already established Hit song, and make it their own, and better than the original.
Mr. Aiken has the ability to do so. He has the voice range, and compassion, and individuality of style to make these songs, some, if not all, of them a brand new sounding top 40 Hit.
There is no other artist of today, that can pull it off.
My hats off to Mr.Aiken.
He has a unique sound to his voice, and a way of pulling the listener into another world, the world of the song he sings to you.
I just wish we could get a critic coming into these invites for our opinion, whom doesn’t have a pre-conceived dis-like, for said artist.
A good music critic does not apply their own bias while trying to critique.
respectfully,
Martigyrl
I love Cheetos. Clay will kill on these songs. The Dolly Parton one will be interesting. And to whoever said Bed of Roses – I’d love to hear him sing that one, although I’ve listened to a clip of the Bon Jovi song and Clay will do fab on this one.
As for him singing something that people have already done remakes on—why not Clay, he has a different voice and style. As for his sexier side, I saw him sing My Grown Up Christmas List on TV and it was slow and wistful and was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever heard. He can sing the ballads, but he can also take a song and make it a bluesy, jazzy song that just sucks you in.
He’s a song stylist, always experimenting and very good at what he does.
Someone let the claymates out!!!
HE SUCKS!!!
You can tell only by the song choices whether the album will be good or not? While it’s true that song choices are extremely important, even the best song can be ruined by a William Hung, and a mediocre song can be outstanding if it is done by the right artist. Unless you have a pre-released copy of Clay’s album, how would you know at this point in time whether it’s worth a listen or not? I would have hoped that you would at least give it a once-over and then give an informed opinion.