Revisiting The Music Genome Project: Follow The Thousand Different Ways Road

Yeah. A Thousand Different Ways has been added to the Music Genome Project! Now I can set up a new Clay Aiken station and follow the path his new CD sets out for me --discovering new music along the way!

A while back I wrote a blog The Music Genome Project about Pandora.com, which is a website where you can create your own music stations. The foundation is built on The Music Genome Project and the founder, Tim Westergren, talks about how it was created and why:

Together we set out to capture the essence of music at the most fundamental level. We ended up assembling literally hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's not about what a band looks like, or what genre they supposedly belong to, or about who buys their records - it's about what each individual song sounds like.

I was so excited to find that A Thousand Different Ways has been analyzed and added to the database - so I thought it was time to create a new station for myself and see where Pandora took me this time. Rather than using a song from ATDW, I decided to simply start once again with Clay Aiken. Pandora has a new section called Backstage where you can get additional information about albums, artists and songs. Similar artists listed on Clay's page are: Traveling Willburys; Scissor Sisters; The Samples; Survivor and Marti Pellow. I love the Willburys and have just started listening to some Scissor Sisters. I am familiar with some of The Samples and Survivor but know nothing about Marti Pellow. I'm intrigued by the listing.

When I click on ATDW album - the list for simiilar albums includes: Ta-Dah by Scissor Sisters; Two Lights by Five for Fighting; Alex Lloyd's self-titled album; the Howie Day Live album and Jesse McCartney's Beautiful Soul.

I'm very intrigued to see what Pandora's first suggestion will be for me - so I start my new radio station. First up is Land of A Thousand Words by Scissor Sisters. I click to see why this song and Pandora tells me:

Subtle use of harmony, acoustic rhythm piano, use of string ensemble, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation and major key tonality.

These are the same elements that are noted when I started my Clay Aiken station. When I check the Backstage area for similar songs – they suggest: Clay Aiken – A Thousand Days; Robbie Williams – Better Man; Five for Fighting – Johnny America; Marti Pellow – Close to you and Jon Bon Jovi – All About Loving You.

I know this Scissor Sisters song - and like it. So I give it a Thumbs Up - so it will incorporate their elements into my station. Next suggestion is Five For Fighting’s The Riddle – I like this as well – so it gets a thumbs up too.

Pandora's next suggestion is Yellow by G4. Not feeling it – something about the lyrics – and the rhythms – so thumbs down. It's really not bad, but I want to see what other direction this station can go in. After all, that's the whole point to Pandora . . . give it your musical tastes and see what happens!

Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith. Big ballad - but today I like this. Checked to see why Pandora was playing this song and in addition to the elements noted above, they also included the vocal-centric aesthetic. So I gave it a thumbs up and wait for the next song.

Here’s My Song by Nicolai Dunger. I've never heard of him but I really like this song. Pandora makes it easy to download from iTunes – so I do that. I also checked out Amazon.com to find out more about him.

The Swedish music scene has brought the world many great pop acts over the years and has recently been a hotbed for edgy indie rock. But Sweden has not been known for introducing amazing singer-songwriters to the world. Until now. Enter Nicolai Dunger, a former professional soccer player who was discovered by a producer while he sang on a balcony in his hometown and gave up his sports career to pursue his passion for music. We're glad he did, for Nicolai is a tremendous talent whose voice recalls the joyful pastoral soul of vintage Van Morrison and the melancholy crooning of both Tim and Jeff Buckley.

Well – that explains it. Since I’m a huge Van Morrison and Tim and Jeff Buckey fan –as you can see in my previous blog Haunting Voices. Very cool.

Next up -- Clay’s A Thousand Days. Why? Same as the elements above including the vocal-centric aesthetic. Checked Pandora's Backstage for information on the Song and Pandora lists these as the features of the song:

pop rock qualities
a subtle use of vocal harmony
acoustic rhythm piano
use of a string ensemble
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
a vocal-centric aesthetic
a clear focus on recording studio production
major key tonality
a dynamic male vocalist
acoustic rhythm guitars
upbeat lyrics

Thumbs up - well naturally.

England Dan and John Ford Coley – We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye . Nothing bad – just nothing special. So I gave it a thumbs down just to see where Pandora would take me next. That was to Backstreet Boys and Drowning. I think we’re getting “too romantic” – so I decided to add some more music to the mix. You can do that in Pandora. Just click on I want to add more music. So I put in Lonely No More and Broken Wings by Clay Aiken.

Next up was Tracy’s Song/Only Time Will Tell by Nelson. I've never really listened to them. I kind of liked this. Clicked on Backstage to hear about the Song and it showed similar songs as A Thousand Days by Clay Aiken; Little One by Beck; Love & Regret by Deacon Blue and November Rain by Guns N’ Roses. Interesting grouping – I love Pandora for finding similarities in stuff that is unexpected. Thumbs up.

Creed was next – with Human Clay. Well even with Clay in the title and many of the same elements – I'm not a Creed fan -- just don’t like Scott Stapp’s voice – so thumbs down for me. Sorry Creed-fans.

So from Scott’s grizzly voice Pandora switches to smooth Peter Cetera’s voice – but still – not feeling it. So thumbs down on this one as well.

Next up – The Samples with Sad World. Now this is more my kind of thing. Still many of the same qualities we started with but I really like Sean Kelly’s voice and this is truly touching. Thumbs up for sure. Now we’re cooking.

Marti Pellow and Close To You comes up now. I really like this and when I check the Backstage area – it shows me that A Thousand Different Ways is a similar album to Marti’s Smile. I wanted to buy this from iTunes – but unfortunately, it’s not there. But it goes on my list of albums to check out somewhere else. Smile is from 2001 and was recorded when Marti left Wet Wet Wet (who had the big hit from Four Weddings & A Funeral – Love Is All Around).

Howie Day’s Live album – Collide is next. I can see where Lonely No More’s qualities are kicking into gear with Sad World and now Collide. Thumbs up and I’ve never heard this Live album – so off to iTunes to download this version.

I like where I’m heading now on this Clay Aiken station – next up is U2’s Original of the Species. I never get tired of this so thumbs up. But I’m curious to check the Backstage Song info – sure enough it says:

pop rock qualities
acoustic rhythm piano
use of a string ensemble
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
a vocal-centric aesthetic
major key tonality
a dynamic male vocalist
acoustic rhythm guitars

Yup – much in common with Clay Aiken’s A Thousand Days (excluding those damn spinning balls *g*) . . .

How Can I – by Mike and the Mechanics & Paul Carrick. This is new to me but I really like it. I take a trip to iTunes but unfortunately can’t find the song. So I look up the artist in Backstage - Well that’s interesting. . . Under similar artists – Clay Aiken is included along with Deacon Blue and Pet Shop Boys. No wonder I liked this.

David Pack is next with Tomorrow and Forever. Really like this and a trip to iTunes is successful – downloaded this one.

Shelby Lynne is next – and I’m a fan of Shelby’s and I like Wall In Your Heart. Matt Kearney is up next – I love Matt and Nothing Left To Lose is one of my favorite songs – of course it’s already on my iPod and on repeat a lot. I think the Shelby and David Pack moved me into an area where there’s additional elements not in Clay’s stuff. Here’s what’s listed for this particular song:

mellow rock instrumentation
folk influences
a subtle use of vocal harmony
extensive vamping
meandering melodic phrasing
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
major key tonality
melodic songwriting
acoustic rhythm guitars
subtle use of acoustic piano
upbeat lyrics

I decide to experiment and add Here You Come Again by Clay Aiken to the mix to see where that takes me.

Barenaked Ladies is where . . . Peterborough and the Karwarthas. I’ve always enjoyed this song. Here’s the backstage elements of this song:

mellow rock instrumentation
a subtle use of vocal harmony
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
major key tonality
a breathy male lead vocalist
acoustic rhythm guitars

I guess the HYCA addition gave me the breathy male lead vocalist. Fun!

Tides’ Tell Me comes up next. This is new to me. I like it but unfortunately can’t get it on iTunes. Don’t Let Go with Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlen – is lovely. Never heard it before. Really liked this duet.

Next up is Five for Fighting with Freedom Never Cries. I love this song – it’s already on my iPod. But I’m curious about the features so I check backstage:

acoustic rock instrumentation
a subtle use of vocal harmony
acoustic rhythm piano
acoustic sonority
use of a string ensemble
major key tonality
acoustic rhythm guitars

Similar songs includes Clay Aiken’s Here You Come Again. Remember they aren’t analyzing actual words in the lyrics for similarity – just the musical elements and yes I can hear what they are hearing.

Well I've been following this path for quite a well and really enjoying myself. But it’s time to stop. My Clay Aiken station will be there for me to pick up on another day. And look at the new artists I discovered - very quickly: Marti Pellow and Nicolai Dunger – and I’ll be downloading more of their stuff for sure. Also found a few songs I never heard before like the Bryan Adams/Sarah McLachlen duet.

All in all, not a bad trip down the Clay Aiken Pandora path. What a fabulous way to discover music. No “too cool for school” critics telling me what I should like. No music suggested by radio play or popularity. Just music that touches my emotions – through the sound and lyrics.

Right now I’ve got 5 radio stations on my account at Pandora. One starts with Eric Clapton as the initial choice. One begins with Danny O’Keefe. Another starts at Peter Cincotti. And the fouth begins with Eric Andersen. I’ve got my blues, jazz, rock, pop and folk paths all taking me in on a road trip – discovering music that’s tailored to my tastes. What a great concept!

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Charm....What is it?

Charm......What is it?

Dictionary.com describes 'charm' as this:

*The power or quality of pleasing or delighting; attractiveness
*a delightful characteristic
*any action supposed to have magical power.
*to delight or please greatly by beauty, attractiveness, etc.; enchant:
*to be fascinating or pleasing.

Someone who charms is a rare thing these days. In fact, it seems to be an old-fashioned word, used to describe something in the past, a lost art, something that in today's modern age, seems strangely out of place. Yet it's the one word that comes to mind whenever I see Clay Aiken on television. I just watched him charm a nation on the Martha Stewart Show this week. Clay appeared in an interview segment, then a cooking segment with his grandmother, baking their 'hot pineapple salad'. His third segment was a performance of "A Thousand Days' from his newly released album, A Thousand Different Ways.

If you decide to try the recipe, make sure you only use ONE can of pineapple and salted butter, not unsalted, as the website calls for. The website is incorrect.

Watch Clay singing 'A Thousand Days' from his appearance on Martha Stewart:





Here is a man who understands how television works, who knows how to play to the camera for maximum effect, yet makes it all seem so real and natural that one can't help but be charmed by his sparkling personality. Clay's combination of natural charm, innate intelligence, and quick wit is a lethal combination that attracts viewers and invites them into his world.

He does this without posturing, without ego, without that macho attitude that some men think is attractive. He charms effortlessly and his self-confidence shines through in a way that is not overpowering, but is very welcoming.

Paula Abdul once said about Clay: You have a quiet confidence that draws people in. I've followed Clay for the past three and a half years and that is the one thing that has never wavered...his quiet acceptance of people, his confidence in who he is, and the way he welcomes everyone into his world, whether it's from the restricted box of television, or on a stage in front of 8,000 people.


I remember a story I once heard about Clay. In December, 2003, he took part in a mini-holiday tour called 'Jingle Balls' sponsered by radio stations which included a mix of performers such as Sean Paul, Michelle Branch, All American Rejects, Simple Plan, and more, a 'nerd amongst the cool kids', so to speak. Yet the story I heard was backstage, everyone, and I mean everyone from the performers to the DJ's, were all crowding around his dressing room because they liked him so much. All part of the Aiken charm.

So I challenge the readers. Leave your comments and let me know who else you think is charming.

Related Tags: Clay Aiken, Martha Stewart, Paula Abdul, A Thousand Different Ways, hot pineapple salad, A Thousand Days

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Revisiting The Clay Fans the Media Conveniently Forgets

In honor of the absurdity that is the Bernie Alexander article on AskMen.com entitled 5 Things You Didn't Know About Clay Nation - I thought I would buy Bernie a clue. I can afford it . . . I'm a professional woman - with a good paycheck. So Bernie - if you are going to write an article about the Clay Nation - I've got a few things you might want to include. First and foremost, I'd suggest that you don't use gossip sites that have no basis in reality as your resources. How about actually talking to a Clay Aiken fan for information about Clay Aiken fans? Gosh what a concept. Oh, and Bernie - how hard did you have to look to find a picture of Clay that was less than appealing? I've got a better one for your next article.


So - for you Bernie - I'm revisiting an archived blog from May - all about Real Clay Aiken fans and who we are. If you get to the end of this article, Bernie, I'll be happy to go over the list of 5 Things You Got Wrong About The Clay Nation.

Where did the idea that the majority of Clay Aiken fans are conservative Christians, homophobic, miserable, lonely old women come from? Who created this fantasy that fans of Clay only listened to Barry Manilow (or Liberace) and stopped listening to music until American Idol came on the television? How did this nonsense that Clay fans think he’s the next Pat Boone or Perry Como become the mantra of the media? Is it lazy journalism? One reviewer or reporter writes up his misconception and other writers decide that person must be correct? Do these “journalists” actually speak to fans? Do they filter out anything that doesn’t meet that misconception? Could it possibly be something else that contributes? American Idol created a competition and, although the competition is over and many of the contestants have moved on to successful careers – some fans seem to think it’s important to keep the game going. Why do so many people who dislike Clay Aiken bother analyzing his music, his life, and his motives? Why do people actively work against Clay Aiken by pretending to be Clay fans or ex-Clay fans – spreading the extraordinarily inaccurate vision of Clay Aiken fans to anyone who will listen? It’s a mystery why this misconception is repeated over and over. But for any writer who is actually interested in something more accurate . . . a story that isn’t a rehash of the same old-same old . . . you might want to take a look at some real fans of Clay Aiken.

Amazing – but true . . .what I've found is that the Clay fandom is much more diverse than many others. Is the audience predominately women? Yes. Just as it was at the beginning of the career of many popular artists from Elvis, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. What’s extraordinary is the range of ages. I see youngsters, teenagers and young adults at all his concerts. Unfortunately, the insistence of the media that his fan base is a bunch of old ladies - makes it difficult for young girls and especially young men to admit they are fans. Is a large segment of his audience middle-aged? Without a doubt. About the same age as the audience I saw when I attended Eric Clapton’s concert at Madison Square Garden just last year.

What many of these reviewers and writers miss is who these middle-age women were 30 years ago. Contrary to popular media opinion . . . we didn't grow up from a fungus behind the Wal-Mart counter. Many of us were part of the Woodstock generation. Some of us wore flowers in our hair and danced in the mud that glorious summer of 1969. We were part of the sexual revolution in this country. We marched for civil rights, women's rights, gay rights. We worked for equality in the workplace. We organized marches and protests and sit-ins at campuses across the country. And throughout our generation, some of the best music was born. Why do journalists think we suddenly developed lousy taste? Are they so limited in their own knowledge of music that they cannot recognize where we came from? Our generation had the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Our soul music was Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Who would have heard of Pink Floyd if it wasn't for us? Or Cream or Blind Faith. Or Led Zeppelin or Fleetwood Mac or the Eagles or Jimi Hendrix. And we didn’t need to listen to only one kind of music to “be cool”. We could mix it up - go from Bob Dylan to Jefferson Airplane to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to the Doors to the Butterfield Blues Band to Donovan to Bruce Springsteen. To dismiss people of our age is to deny the musical and social foundation of our generation.

Were we all hippies and punks and rebels? Of course not. But you’d be surprised how many of us were. What I've found in this fandom is people are drawn to Clay Aiken for all kinds of reasons. And while there are certainly a large number of Christian fans – to leap to an assumption that this means ultra-conservative and homophobic is a leap that is completely unjustified. Extremes exist in every group - but the overriding quality I've found in this fandom is tolerance and generosity. There are many many fans of different religions - or atheist or agnostic - who simply love the voice. There are people who are inspired by his charity and desire to serve . . . but are first and foremost fans of the entertainer. The women (and men) I've met in this fandom are a wonderful representation of the population. . . people whose lives were never empty. They are mothers, daughters, grandparents, fathers and sons, teachers, doctors, secretaries, lawyers, executives, librarians, salespeople, scientists. They didn't turn to Clay to fill an emotional void in their lives - they turned to Clay because he filled a musical need . . . a way to reconnect with a time when music was exciting - when singers had interesting voices, when concerts had energy.

My husband, in his youth, played in a rock and roll band. After he discovered Clay Aiken, he pulled his guitar out and started playing again. When I asked him why he's a fan of Clay's - he said "because Clay makes me feel hopeful". Now -- that's the kind of story I'd like to see the media write.

In honor of age - This blog's quote is: No wise man ever wished to be younger. Jonathan Swift

Oh, and Bernie - here's a brief rundown on your 5 items and the truth behind them.

1. The Clay Nation DID NOT sue anyone. Some anonymous people decided that they wanted to get some press by posting a hoax about Claymates suing the record label. A press release went out days before an anonymous letter was sent to the FTC. Using only first names and no addresses - the FTC was unable to look into the matter - even if they ever thought it had any merit. The fact that no contact information was given is proof enough that no one expected anything to be done. Considering the thousands of Clay fans on the internet - the fact that 9 first names were used to write this bogus complaint should hardly be worth a sentence - much less #1 on The Bernie Alexander List. The fact that a press release was written and sent to the media only shows that a majority of the media is completely unable to participate in rational thinking -- something that shouldn't really be surprising given the amount of nonsense the "media" spews.

2. Clay Nation Made Rush Limbaugh Apologize. Well, probably a few nuts who happen to be Clay Aiken fans contacted Rush Limbaugh. I wouldn't exactly call them Clay Nation -- any more than I consider you and your ridiculous article representative of real men. Surely within a fan base - there are always a few nuts. Here's an example of some at a sporting event - not sure if they are readers of AskMen. What do you think?

3. Clay Nation demanded a bridge be named after Clay - sorry Bernie is this supposed to be something scandalous? There was some joking around with Clay and the Governor and some fans decided to put up a petition. Am I supposed to be horrified at this? Sorry - I'm much more horrified at the price of gas.

4. Clay Nation bombarded his alleged lover with threats. Well at least you used the word "alleged" - but here's a question for you Bernie? Did you ask the police about Mr. Paulus's claims of harrassment? His incessent whining about losing his job because of the big bad Claymates? Or did it just fit your article better to write this crap without seeing if any of it held any merit. Oh and the apology? Did you buy that one as well? Bernie, Bernie, Bernie . . . you're really not a very discerning man are you?

5. Clay Nation planned independent release parties. Oh My God! Did they really do that? Oh My God! That's nuts. That's crazy. That's insane. Thousands of fans from the US, Canada and Asia actually got together to eat, drink and mingle and buy a Clay Aiken CD! I've never heard of anything so scandalous. Really. Those fans should be taken out and shot for doing such an insane thing. Do the fans of Bradley Walker know this? They had a CD Release party for his first CD. Of course, Walker's CD was produced by a Grammy winner, Carl Jackson. Maybe that's why it's not so damn silly as Clay Nation having a party. Jackie Ryan - well she's a jazz vocalist so maybe that's why her CD release party wasn't so silly. Greg Smith too. But I guess in the musical world of jazz - people aren't so condescending about what fans choose to do to celebrate artists they like. Bernie if this is the extent of what you can find to make fun of the Clay Nation - you really had better get moving. I'm just not impressed with your rehashing the same old junk. Next time, try to find something interesting to write about - like maybe Clay Aiken.

Addition: Just found a really great website who's mission is meet the unserved need for innovative, topical, relevant and entertaining programming of particular interest to women - Greenstone Media.

Gloria Steinem was recently interviewed in a phone conference by 10 women bloggers - they talked about the state of broadcasting, women and the conversation missing from the radio. Check it out at Greenstone Radio

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The Older Blogger

As I sit down with my laptop, my WORD processing program and my glass of Zinfandel, I still feel (mentioned it in my last blog) so much like Carrie Bradshaw on Sex in the City searching for the 'angle' for my next blog. Now, mind you, I said I 'feel' like Carrie not 'look' like Carrie. Carrie is almost 30 years younger in the series than I, and I'm assuming a very well paid columnist. I, on the other hand, am doing this for 'fun'. And I'm in good company, not only with all the wonderful Clay fan bloggers, but with thousands of 'older' bloggers.

In an article I recently read in my latest AARP magazine, which sits on top of my copy of People, Teen People, Entertainment Weekly, Money, Forbes & Time, there was a blub about the 'older' blogger who upon retiring from the workplace now turns to blogging to enable them to interact with a new social group of 'like minded' people. It also keeps their critical abilities sharp because they're reading, writing and thinking. Hell, I've been doing that since I found 'like minded' Clay fans 3 years ago. Blogging gives me another outlet
for all the reading and thinking I've been doing all along.

The article continues to state that "A blog is there forever, so people continue to read the posts and say how they've affected them". The blog has given us a voice". The fan boards have given us a voice and Clay has encouraged us to use our voice!

It's been a long time since I've written anything creative... the past many years have found my writing limited to:

• Notes to the various teachers & school administers excusing or giving permission on behalf of my 3 children
• Notes and letters to various commercial establishments who didn't credit my accounts
  properly
• Notes and letters wishing family and friends well on their birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, births, bar and bat mitzvahs, confirmations, engagements, thank yous and sympathy notes upon the death of someone dear to them.
• Notes and letters keeping family and friends caught up on family happenings
• 30 years worth of business correspondence, technical instructional material and personnel appraisals
• 3 years worth of board posting
• 1 years worth of blogging

I'm going to embrace "The Older Blogger" tag because it puts me in very good company. I believe it to be a chronological reference that establishes the blogger to be someone that has experienced lots of life which provides that person with lots of life stories and lots of opinions.

I've found my 'hook' and my future blogs will chronicle my life experiences, both funny and sad, both wise and not so wise. It will be my version of "Learning to Sing, Hearing the Music in Your Life".

Who knows, since blogs last forever someday my grandchildren and their offspring will find my writings amongst the archives in some archival forum of the future. ...Whatever form that will take.

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A Thousand Different Ways: Different Voices & Impressions Part II

More members of The ConCLAYve chiming in to discuss their thoughts on A Thousand Different Ways and Clay Aiken.

Conclayve-Nan:
If someone asked me to sit down and write a list of my least favorite songs - many on the A Thousand Different Ways track list would be on it. Truth is, when these songs were popular, I was listening to Danny O'Keefe, Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton or Queen. So I wasn't very optimistic when I saw the songs Clay was covering. I mean, I didn't mind covers - but my list of songs I wanted him to cover was very very different.

I never expected to have an overwhelming love affair with this album. I had no expectations. When I heard the clips I wasn’t really sure if anything remarkable was being done with this album. I had long wished for Clay to do a song where there were instrumental breaks – where the “music” was an integral part of the song and where Clay’s voice was as powerful, as nuanced, as charged as his performance. How shocked I am that despite a list of songs I’d been dreading . . . I have been given what I wished for. My husband said, when he listened the first time, Clay’s not singing with the band – he’s playing with the band. Every time I listen – and believe me, I listen a lot – I realize how true that is.

So many people have spoken about individual tracks and have expressed my feelings – that it isn’t necessary for me to do that. What I can say is that from the moment I heard Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, I fell hard. The guitar tugs at my heart the way that Clay’s heartbreakingly truthful voice does. Here You Come Again is almost too intimate – and the smile I hear in Clay’s voice when he sings “looking better than a body has a right to” makes me think he’s singing directly to me (except for the body part *g*). And Broken Wings make me feel like I’m transported back to a Moody Blues concert – all marvelous vocals and an excitingly spiritual arrangement.

The bonus cut – If You Don’t Know Me By Now (available at Kmart only) gives me my wonderfully soulful Clay. I love this sound on him. When my husband listened to it he remarked that it made him think of Elvis and that southern gospel sound that used to be a big part of r&b. But by far, my two favorite songs are the one’s that Clay has co-written. Lonely No More has a more modern feel than many of the songs on ATD – and a great hook. It’s wonderful to sing aloud and I find the overlaying of vocals really exciting. The part where he sings “tonight” and there’s that little pause before the background voices jump in with Clay makes me smile every time – it’s just such a wonderfully unexpected moment. And Lover All Alone (available from iTunes only) is a deceptively simple song. The lyrics hold up when read as poetry and the arrangement and vocals are beautifully done. Such a special song deserves to be heard – so I decided to use it for a montage.



I'm amazed - but I think this CD will become one that I will pull out frequently - one that will comfort, inspire and surprise me for a very long time. Is it what I wanted for Clay's 2nd album? No. But hearing what he has done - it is more than I ever hoped for me.

CB:
A Thousand Different Emotions

It's been a whirlwind week in Clay Nation and before I finish packing for my 3000 mile trip to see Clay on Jimmy Kimmel Live, it seems like a good time to reflect. It's kind of fitting that Clay was on The View this week because our blog is a lot like that show with different women offering different views.

This first listen of this album requires headphones. Otherwise you miss the special things about it. The way he goes from falsetto to tenor to baritone in about 4 notes in his slow and sultry version of Dolly Parton's Here You Come Again. Or the way he uses his voice like a musical instrument, following the notes of the actual electric piano up down in an instrumental interlude during Every Time You Go Away. Perfect pitch and a really interesting segment in that song. It's funny, I always liked the perfectly imperfect Daryl Hall version and to a lesser extent the poppy Paul Young version. But this version tops them both.

A few times I tried to play “guess the cover” when the songs started and I could not. Clay and his producers really took great care to find fresh arrangements for the songs. The Celtic music for Bryan Adams' Everything I Do made me go from an ambivalent feeling toward that song to one where the music takes you to a different place in your mind. I guess it's Calgon on a CD.

It's hard to pick favorites because I keep changing my mind. Broken Wings combines an Evanescence feeling with poetry and an exciting build up, it's a great driving song and I hated the original. Clay takes the overwrought Celine Dion song Because You Loved Me and makes it a bopping, percussion driven song that I can't wait to hear in concert. He rocks it out on A Thousand Days, which we've already seen in concert. Clay co-wrote Lonely No More which has a very catchy hook, almost two hooks in fact. Another original song Everything I Have brought tears to my eyes the first few times I heard it as it connects with this mother of a teenage daughter while she and her father dance the sometimes difficult dance of growing up. Someday I will play that as they dance at her wedding.

My favorite by far is the song Clay wrote and that is only available on itunes as the bonus track called Lover All Alone. The sophisticated lyrics, the sadness and resigned aching in his voice and the incredibly wonderful arrangement have me loving this song more with each listen. The world should hear this song and know that Clay Aiken not only writes, he writes with emotion and sings his own words from the depths of his soul. There is one part where Clay is singing a rather low note and all of a sudden you realize that a cello has taken over the exact note and tone. A Masterpiece.

So listen with the headphones first. Then get in your car and crank it.


Merrie:
He's Going to Be In Good Company
My music tastes are very different to most peoples. Growing up in England I was exposed to the Beatles, Stones, Animals etc. and music from all over the world, to this day I still prefer World music to any other. I have everything from Tuuvan Throat Singers, to a Turkish Singer called Tarkan, to Yousssou N’dor in my collection! I really have never related to a lot of American type music so when I saw the playlist of Clay’s new CD I was really wondering if I was going to like it at all. I hated Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” and as I only like Celine Dion singing in French…well I’ll say no more!

Of course like a "true” Clay fan I went to one of the CD Release parties and bought ATDW at Midnight.

I had about a 30 minute drive home at about 2 in the morning. I don’t think that my first listening experience could have been any better. Driving alone on a back country road, in the dark, listening to his voice just wash over me was a delight to my senses.

I really was pleasantly surprised by “Here You Come Again”. I was fully prepared to fast forward through that song but I actually listened to it all the way through. Now I still don’t like the song itself but I think Clay does a masterful job on it. It is, to me, so different to Dolly’s that I actually am starting to like it! (OMG I can’t believe I actually typed that)

As for ”Because You loved Me” I am so glad that he did not over-sing it…this version is sublime despite what some reviewers say! To me it sounds nothng like Celine’s version for which I am very grateful.

I am not any kind of an expert on music but I do know what I like and I do like most everything on this CD. My least favourite? I don't think there is anything I really dislike. I think I will have to listen another few hundred times just to make sure!
Now my most favourite is really easy for me. It is Lover All Alone. I adore his singing on this one and the words are so poignant that it brought tears to my eyes. To know that Clay wrote part or all of it is indeed an added bonus. My only regret is that because it is an iTunes bonus not everyone will have the chance to hear it.

Now being a Clay fan I know I am biased but this CD will definitely be added to my all time favourite list which includes Placido Domingo, Queen, Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Harry Secombe, Nana Mouskouri and many others. (I told you I had eclectic tastes) Pretty good company don’t you think?

Beauzzartz:
"Help me paint a picture of my life...." - Clay Aiken on Lonely No More

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I'd like to paint a very personal picture of how one man's incredible voice touched three generations of our family.

You see my mother-in-law Carol, neighbor, dear friend, and fellow artist is also an incredible woman living with alzheimers. She is an advanced state where she can no longer remember the right words or piece them together enough to verbalize her thoughts. I can still remember the days when she sang in a barbershop quartet and community choirs adding her rich crystal clear soprano vocals. I can also remember her effortless piano work while singing harmony with my husband. My youngest son is a musician and we credit his talented grandmother for helping develop his passion for music.

The other day when my in-laws were over for dinner, I recognized the signs that Carol was drifting away. My FIL, a respected researcher in developmental psychology had previously described the use of music therapy in alzheimer's patients and how the rise in certain brain chemicals affect the mental state. Knowing that listening to music in her own home helps to regulate her mood, reduce aggression and depression, I decided to put on A Thousand Different Ways.

My husband and FIL were busy chatting away as I watched my MIL stare blankly into her plate. My heart was crushed. Was it only a few years ago that she listened to the CD mix of Clay songs that brought her such joy? The volume was low but I turned it up before I started to clear the table. As Clay's crystal clear vocals hit the chorus of Without You, my mother in law, head still bent, started matching tones, quietly at first, and then with a continuing strength that startled me. After months of barely uttering words, Carol was singing.....not only singing but matching pitch. Every single time Clay sang the word "Liiiiiive" she was right there with him, a look that I can't describe in any other way than complete contentment and joy. Her eyes twinkled and she smiled and as if on cue we all enthusiastically applauded. The lump in my throat was getting out of control and glancing to my FIL for support I saw the tears in his eyes that mirrored my own. My husband was swallowing hard and my son's mouth was dropped open in disbelief. Clay's brilliant and crystal voice dug down deep and reached her on a level that blew us all away. Pink Armchair beautifully articulated how THAT VOICE gets into your psyche and stays there. There was no doubt in my mind that she was responding to THAT VOICE. A force of nature indeed.

In trying to list all the different ways Clay Aiken's voice has delighted and thrilled me on ATDW, all the reasons seem to fall away compared to those few moments in time. I know without a doubt that my son will retell this story years from now because it was just that powerful. I'm sure he'll always remember it as the day his grandmother sang again.
_____________________________________________________
If you would like to read Part I of our Impressions - click here

And don't be shy about leaving comments . . . Use Your Voice.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, Daryl Hall, Dolly Parton, Bryan Adams, Father Daughter Songs, Lover All Alone, A Thousand Different Ways, Without You, music therapy

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A Thousand Different Ways: Different Voices & Impressions Part I

The ConCLAYve is made up of a number of different voices - drawn together because of our admiration and appreciation of Clay Aiken. If we could be sitting around a virtual table, drinking wine and sharing stories . . . one topic would surely be Clay's new album, A Thousand Different Ways. But of course, we're all so chatty - this will have to be Part I. Why not listen while reading? You can stream on AOL Music and please add your comments. It's fun to join in the conversation and the more voices - the merrier.

Pink Armchair:
My boss (who has a casual interest in Clay) made an interesting remark to me about him this week. She watched the GMA interview, The View, and some of the entertainment show coverage. One of them showed footage of a CD release party, and in watching it she observed, “It must be something about his voice -- it seems to have affected you all so strongly, and in so many different ways.”

Could that be... “a thousand different ways?”

I know, for me, the very first time I heard it, it hit me right in the solar plexus. I remember thinking that it was impossible to ignore, and that it was such a force of nature, it couldn’t be denied. I wasn’t worried for Clay during American Idol, because I knew that THAT VOICE wasn’t going away. It couldn’t. Once you’ve heard it, it gets into your psyche. And stays there.

So I find myself unable to pick a favorite track on this new CD. There are some I like better than others, but every time I listen to it, different things strike me, and certain nuances come to the fore that I hadn’t noticed before. The main thing is: no matter what you think of the song choices, no matter how you feel about how the album came about or what you hoped it could have been...the VOICE is still undeniable.

His crystalline sense of pitch, his perfect intonation, his unselfish interpretations -- respect for the composer: what a concept! -- his choice to sustain (very difficult) straight tones (listen to “Every Time You Go Away” and “Here You Come Again” for prime examples of that) instead of copping out to the tedious melisma so many singers today use to hide their lack of vocal power and technique. (This is assuming, of course, that they’re actually singing. And these days, that is certainly not a given.)

And the idea that he actually contributed to writing some of these tracks gives me great confidence in his future -- it shows me that he’s not JUST a singer (albeit one of the best ever to pick up a microphone). Go over to iTunes and download “Lover All Alone” if you don’t believe that.

Maybe Clay’s style isn’t in vogue right now. All I can say is that I think it’s timeless. And long after today’s “flavor of the month” is relegated to the discount bin, Clay’s recordings will endure, and hold a prominent place on my CD rack. And I don’t think I’m alone.

Theresa4624:
Out of all the wonderful contributors to this blog, I’m pretty sure I am the one with the least sophisticated musical knowledge/taste. I’m a disco babe from the late 70’s/early 80’s. I don’t listen to “indie music”, I have no idea who Leonard Cohen or Rufus Wainwright are and a classic, to me, is Brick House (only kidding a little bit). So, other than the fact that I don’t think this should have been a “covers of love songs” CD from the git-go, I didn’t have a problem when the track list was released. I loved the originals of these songs (except Everything I Do --- HATED IT). I even dragged my big 80’s hair and acid washed jeans to see Richard Marx in concert with Wilson Phillips.

Even though I probably wouldn’t have been disappointed anyway, this CD has been a real surprise to me. I knew I would like it, had no idea I would LOVE IT. It’s been almost a week now and my favorite keeps changing. Today it’s “When I See You Smile”. Clay just seems so joyful and passionate while singing this song. I am dying to see him sing this one live. “Here You Come Again”, “Right Here Waiting” and “Sorry Seems…..” are simply amazing and take my breath away. As for “Everything I Do…”, Bryan Adams’ version made my ears bleed. Gargle with broken glass much, Bryan? I was not looking forward to this on ATDW, but I can’t stop listening to it. It is gorgeous. This is how a love song should be sung.

I don’t want this to become an epic novel, so I’ll move on to the original songs. There are no words for “Lover All Alone”. The world needs to hear this song. I’ve loved “A Thousand Days” since last summer and only love it more after seeing Clay perform it live on GMA. It’s the first song I listen to in the car every morning. “Lonely No More” is a great song and my 2nd favorite at the moment. “Everything I Have” and “These Open Arms” – also great. These 5 songs, plus “Tears Run Dry”, plus 1 or 2 more originals, plus Clive’s covers, would have made a more well-balanced CD.

All in all, even though this isn’t the CD I wanted, I am more than pleased. Clay and Jaymes took lemons and made lemonade (how corny is that!). While I wait for Clay’s next effort, I will play ATDW over and over and over and love every minute of it!!

Shadylil:
'A Thousand Different Ways' by Clay Aiken. His third CD since October, 2003, if you include his Christmas album, 'Merry Christmas, With Love'. I anticipated this CD with baited breath for over a year. I yearned to hear new music from Clay, yearnd to hear that glorious voice wrap itself around new songs and new lyrics. Hearing his four new songs on last summer's Jukebox Tour only whetted my appetite for more. I wanted to hear Clay on my radio, blasting out my car speakers. I thought, with 'Back for More', I'd get that.

I was wrong.

What Clive Davis and RCA Records choose to release was an album of covers with only four new songs thrown in the mix. Maybe RCA thought that they'd cash in on the cover craze started by Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow but they failed to understand that those CD's were recorded by artists over age 50 with a repetoire of respected work behind them. Clay is 27 years old.

The album, 'A Thousand Different Ways' is a vocal masterpiece. The following was written by Claymaniac in PA the other day:

I'm sorry more people don't get it, but that doesn't diminish my deep appreciation for what Clay and Jaymes (and all the others) have done with this album. It doesn't matter to me whether these songs are songs I would typically like, or whether it's a genre I would typically like--it's the musicality, the thoughtfulness and beauty of the arrangements (despite the fact that the strings are overdone), the elegance of the vocals, the many small details that indicate care and attention that make me love this album. A thousand bad reviews, a thousand unhappy or dissatisfied fans cannot make me love it any less.

While I agree with her about the musicality and totality of the concept CD, I just don't love this CD. I love the arrangements, I absolutely love Clay's voice and the things he did with it, I love how he's experimenting with vocal nuances and using his different voices to convey emotion. I only wish he would or could have choosen a more diverse representation of love songs, songs that were not so well-known, songs that would have challenged his emotions and voice even more. And let me be blunt. I wanted rock songs on the CD, the kind of songs you blast out your car speakers while rolling down the highway. Fist-pumping, get-up-on-your-feet, dance-in-the-aisle songs. I know Clay is capable of them, I know he can do them, because I've seen it. I've seen it at more than 25 concerts. I've seen the audience fist-pump and I've seen Clay rock out so an album of covers with not much difference in the tempo is perplexing to me.

It's not Clay that I don't like, it's not Clay's voice that I don't like, it's the covers on the CD that I don't particularly care for. That he sings his ass off on them is undeniable, but this writer is looking forward to the next CD, hopefully one full of original songs like the itunes download that reportedly Clay wrote, "Lover All Alone', a stark, contemporary song about a man trying to find a home for his heart. It's brilliant in its simplicity and Clay is finally writing. If this is the kind of song that is in his soul, I want more of that, please.

Michi61:
Trying to get my thoughts down about Clay Aiken’s new cd gets my head spinning in A Thousand Different Ways.

Some of the critics that have reviewed this cd so far would have me believe that this is merely a cd of cover music, unoriginal and uninspired where everything sounds the same and beneath what any “real” music lover should want.

Uninspired? Unoriginal.

Not so much.

Luckily , I make up my own mind. I don’t need a critic to tell me what I want to listen too. That is an advantage of being “older”. Ironically a lot of “reviews” come from people that obviously haven’t even listened to the cd.. I don’t say “obviously didn’t listen to it” because their opinion differs from mine, but because they make inane inaccurate comments and half of them think there is a title track.

So, I am not really that interested in what they have to say about this cd but instead what it says to me.

Isn’t that really what music is all about anyway?

I won’t go through a whole list song by song. I have just started to really “experience” this cd and the journey is to be savored. It is actually a bit of a revelation if a person really wants to “listen” and not just “hear” what is being sung.

For example, I can’t see how anyone can listen to Clay’s version of Broken Wings and say it is “unoriginal”. They can say they don’t like it, it doesn’t work for them, they prefer Mr. Mister’s version but it is NOT a carbon copy of that group’s original.

Perhaps because I am in a melancholy point in my life, the haunting quality of the background singer voice intertwining with Clay’s makes me really listen to the song and take more from it somehow. I have always loved the Mr. Mister’s version but I don’t know if I really “listened” to it fully. I think the spoken word, while distracting to some, ties it all together. The last line of that poem, which is the last thing you hear on the cd is “A thousand different ways”. I actually think that is clever and makes the cd seem even more cohesive.

Lonely No More is an original song co-written by Clay. It is one of my favorites on the cd. Clay also co-wrote (and rumor has it is the major contributor) Lover All Alone which is only available when downloading the cd from Itunes. Some have said it has a Five for Fighting or a James Blunt vibe but for me it conjures of the pure, unrestrained voice up Art Garfunkle. Oh, I suppose he isn’t cool either and that dates me but I don’t listen to music to be cool. I listen to music to feel, to somehow connect to the lyrics and music whether they are fun and irreverent or make my heart break a little.

My heart breaks a lot hearing Lover All Alone. How many of us have felt lonely even when there are others around us? Most people just want to love and be loved. That concept is achingly communicated with this gem of a song.

Although it isn't what I envisioned for a second mainstream release, Clay took great care and took risks in this cd whether people can see it or not. There are so many nuances and different “voices”. I know it has me listening to songs I thought I “knew” with a completely different perspective.

Any cd that can do that is special. I am grateful for Clay Aiken and what he made out of A Thousand Different Ways.
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Clay gives an exquisite performance of Without You on The View - Enjoy!



And join us in a couple of days for Part II!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken,A Thousand Different Ways, Lover All Alone, Without You, Broken Wings, Here You Come Again, Every Time You Go Away

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To Spoil or Not to Spoil...that is the question

To spoil or not to spoil.

I'm one who likes surprises, as long as they are good. I don't like to know the score of the game before I watch it. I don't mind surprise birthday parties as long as I look thin that night. It's kind of odd because usually I'm a total control freak. It probably all depends on how I feel about the overall situation. If I'm excited about it, the surprise is OK. If I am ambivalent, I don't care if I find out something out before I was supposed to. If it is bad news, I want to know. If someone says "I've got good news and bad news", I always want the bad news first.

I have always loved The West Wing. I never read any spoilers about it until the seasons after Aaron Sorkin left and I thought the show lost its focus and it's zest. But in the final season, it was reborn and so was my love of the show. I knew there would be a lot of loose ends tied up and this time I wanted to enjoy them as they happened.

The last few days of the long wait for Clay's new album is upon us. A Thousand Different Ways has felt like a thousand different days of waiting. The album is now streaming at many Clear Channel Music stations before it goes on sale on September 19th. I chose to let myself hear one song and that's it. It's hard when so many have chosen to listen to the whole album and the reaction is so incredibly positive. Words like Masterpiece, a work of art, raising the bar of what pop music should be. Someone described his version of Broken Wings as sex while floating on air.

I listened to an incredible remake of Dolly Parton's Here You Come Again that has Clay moving effortlessly from falsetto to baritone in just a few seconds. I've played it on my ipod on repeat. And I'm told this isn't even the best song on the album.

So why don't I just give in and listen? I really want to hear the song he co-wrote called Lonely No More. Many are saying it is one of the best on the album. Yet, still I resist. It was a lot easier on the last two albums. The music was leaked just a day or so before.

I guess it's because I don't open my presents on Christmas Eve. It's because I'm an ESTJ, a planner. And this plan has a specific end date that calls for jubilation leading up to midnight September 19th. I'll be attending one of over 80 parties being held in the US and Canada in an international celebration of love and the joy of music. See CD Release Parties Homage to the voice that has no equal, wrapped in a 6'1" tall, lanky frame with a model's profile, a comic's wit and a clown's feet. Not to mention a humanitarian's soul.

I want to hold it in my hand, turn it over, struggle with the shrink wrap that requires a nuclear weapon to open. For his first album, Measure of a Man, I broke the case as I rushed to open it. (I finally spent the 99 cents at Barnes and Noble for the little CD opener thingie.) I want to look at the liner notes, read about his journey and struggle to make the album. Read his notes of gratitude to his "musical family", his notes of thanks to his real family and his notes of love to his Clay Nation family.

Yeah, I may stop a minute and look at the poster of this picture.

But then I will wave goodbye to the other bleary eyed but joyful Clay fans and hope into my car with the 9 speakers for the 50 minute drive home. I want to let the music envelope me.

Why would anyone want to spoil that feeling?

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken
The West Wing
Dolly Parton
Meyers-Briggs
Mr. Mister
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Clay Aiken and the Passion for Service

I did not recognize the other names on this list, but I should not have been surprised to see the name I did know.

It was, after all, just a matter of time.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 5, 2006

Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate eight individuals, designate two individuals and appoint thirteen individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities:

Dallas Rob Sweezy, of Virginia, and upon appointment designate Chair, for an additional two year term expiring May 11, 2008.
Clayton Aiken, of North Carolina
Stephen Bird, of Virginia
Valerie Billmire, of Utah
James Boles, of New York
Stephanie Brown, of Florida
William J. Edwards, of California
Brian J. Kelly, of California
Mary Margaret Pucci, of Illinois
Linda Hampton Starnes, of Florida
Stephen Henry Suroveic, of Pennsylvania
William E. Tienken, of Illinois

I could almost hear the questions...

“Wait a minute… Clayton Aiken? Clay Aiken, the pop singer? How is he qualified to serve?”

The newspaper articles announcing his appointment don’t tell you: too many of them are running with skeleton staffs that only reprint what goes out on the wire. Today, in reporting this appointment, several papers mentioned only that Clay Aiken “gained fame as a runner-up in the ‘American Idol’ show's competition. He had worked as a YMCA counselor in Raleigh before launching his singing career.”

That leaves out a few pertinent points regarding Aiken's qualifications to serve on the committee --- actually, that pretty much leaves out all of them. The first is his absolute commitment to helping make all of life’s opportunities available to every one of us.

"In a real sense, all life is interrelated. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.” – The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here are the facts about the considerable experience that Clay brings to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities:

While still a student, Aiken worked for two years teaching a class of children with autism. He also worked for CAP-MR/DD, the Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, serving as a mentor to young people with disabilities. Through that program, he met the Bubel family and worked with their son Mike.

He received his Bachelors Degree in Special Education from The University of North Carolina, Charlotte, in December 2003. (His first goal had been to become a teacher for children with special needs.) Having delayed his graduation to compete on “AI,” Aiken fulfilled the requirements for his final semester through an independent study course in which he proposed designing a mock foundation to advance inclusion. That project became the Bubel/Aiken Foundation.

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” - MLK

In July of 2003, Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel, an advocate for children with disabilities who is herself the mother of a child with autism, founded the Bubel/Aiken Foundation.

BAF's mission is to integrate children with disabilities into the same life environment as their typical peers. In just three years, BAF has helped raise awareness, change attitudes and change behaviors toward people with disabilities, emphasizing what they have to offer society, not just what society should offer them. The foundation has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to advance its mission, including working with Youth Service America in presenting the Clay Aiken Able To Serve Awards, which are given to young people with disabilities in support of their community service projects.

Among many other grants, BAF has awarded:

$20,000 to the TRIAD autism summer camp program at the Center for Child Development at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

$25,000 to The Western DuPage Special Recreation Association to support inclusion services offered through the Naperville Park District.

$32,000 to Concord High School for the Peer to Peer program, “a year-long class designed to foster relationships between what educators call ‘typical’ students and students with disabilities”

$12,500 to publish the book “Our Friend Mikayla”, written by the fourth grade classmates of Mikayla Resh, a student at Lower Nazareth Elementary School who has cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairments. The children write about accepting people with disabilities and talk about what Mikayla has taught her friends.

Now in its third year, BAF has sponsored inclusive summer day camps in four cities, working with the YMCA in Kansas City, MO, Raleigh and Concord, NC and Hobart, IN. From its start as a pilot program, the camps now run for most of the summer and serve children ages 5 to 12, with a preschool program in Hobart. In year four, the inclusion camps will expand to several more locations, increasing the number of children served.

For two years, BAF has sponsored conferences for KIT (Kids Included Together), advancing KITS’s recreational, child development, and youth development programs.

The foundation has also received millions of dollars in grants and donations, including $1.5 million from State Farm Insurance and $500,000 from the United States Department of Education to develop an inclusion curriculum for elementary schools, and the generous support of businesses and the public at large.

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation has honored as Champions of Change a number of people whose actions “have substantively advanced the issues of inclusion” at benefit galas, including the first “Night of Champions” in Kansas City (with the related Kaleidoscope children’s art project) and the “Voices for Change” galas in Los Angeles, Hawaii and Florida. In conjunction with the gala, Los Angeles also held the Friends In Deed inclusive art project for children.

In 2004, Aiken appeared at benefits for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, founded by the former First Lady, and for America's Promise / The Alliance for Youth, led by General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), Founding Chairman. At the America’s Promise gala, Aiken gave $1,500 scholarships to each of the seven youth presenters at the program, who were chosen for their exemplary service to their communities as well as their outstanding character.

Aiken has been a keynote speaker at the Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities and the Fearless Caregiver Conference.

Aiken was appointed to be a National Ambassador for UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), with a special commitment to education. Following the tsunami in December 2004, he appeared on NBC’s tsunami relief telethon and made a field trip to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, to observe the rebuilding process. In May of 2005, he spent a week visiting camps for people displaced by rebel violence in Northern Uganda, including talking to children who had been kidnapped by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Aiken testified on behalf of UNICEF before the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs of the Committee on Appropriations, United States House of Representatives. He also helped raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina and served as the spokesperson for the 2005 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Recently, he helped raise awareness of the situation facing children in the Middle East conflict. His fans replied by donating over $70,000 for emergency relief.

Aiken has also served as ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and rode their first float in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Years Day 2005, supported McDonald’s World Children’s Day, served as the national spokesperson for Toys for Tots, performed with Broadway star Heather Hedley for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, participated in the National Education Association’s Read Across America, recorded PSA’s for the Autism Society and performed “Give A Little Bit” for the Cartoon Network’s Kids Help Out campaign, empowering children to help in UNICEF’s response to the tsunami disaster.

“Make a career of humanity ... and you will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.” - MLK

Clay Aiken is a man with both the education and the experience to serve this committee well. He is not yet 28 years old, but he has a decade of experience in working with children, bringing insight, energy, dedication and compassion to his service. His dedication to the inclusion of children with and without disabilities speaks for itself.

Whether it is on a presidential committee or in one's community, whether we bring a lifetime of experience or simply passionate commitment and absolute dedication to an issue, great changes come about through the action of those who have the courage to care.

In considering the significance of this appointment, it does not matter that I am a left-leaning Bay Area liberal and progressive. It does not matter that I am at odds with many of the actions and ideologies of the current administration. In another blog, I will write more about the challenges facing this country in these precarious times. Right now I will celebrate the fact that appointment to this committee affords the appointees with an opportunity to serve, bringing myriad ideas and a range of possibilities to the too-often neglected issues concerning people with disabilities.

Regardless of who holds the position of president at any particular time, it is an exciting and important opportunity for Clay Aiken and the other appointees to bring attention to the issues facing people with intellectual disabilities to the office of the presidency. It will take a commitment of heart, soul and mind to bring about change, and Clay has demonstrated that commitment for a decade. How wonderful it is that he has been given this opportunity to continue his advocacy for inclusion and opportunity for all.

"Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verbs agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” - MLK

Sounds like Clay Aiken to me.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, George W. Bush, Special Education, Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, Diane Bubel, Mike Bubel, Bubel/Aiken Foundation, inclusion, autism, Youth Service America
Clay Aiken Able To Serve Awards, YMCA, Kids Included Together, Champions of Change, Voices for Change, Friends In Deed, Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, America's Promise / The Alliance for Youth, General Colin Powell, Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities, Fearless Caregiver Conference, UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, displaced persons, refugees, Uganda, Hurricane Katrina, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, Ronald McDonald House Charities, McDonald’s World Children’s Day, Toys for Tots, Heather Hedley, Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, National Education Association, Read Across America, Autism Society, Cartoon Network, Kids Help Out

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Clay For The Ages

Yesterday we got the first change to hear Without You on the radio! What an incredible treat that was. I was almost out the door to do some shopping for dinner when I heard that WSRS in Worcester, MA was playing Clay at 5:45pm. AND THEY STREAM!!!! So naturally, chores had to wait while I listened. And man . . . did that sound wonderful. Plus, the DJ, Tom Holt, gave a terrific plug for the CD Release Parties planned all over the country and Canada. It's fantastic how many fans are gathering to celebrate Clay's new album, A Thousand Different Ways . . . we're up to 83 parties!

So hearing Clay's voice on the radio got me thinking. And that's always dangerous. But I remember a time when I listened to the radio and in addition to great rhythms, tempos, orchestration, lyrics -- there were voices that could truly sing. Great rock bands didn't necessarily mean mediocre singing.

The Who? Roger Daltry? He could sing.



Traffic? Steve Winwood? He could sing.



Queen? Freddy Mercury? He could sing.



Voices I've talked about in previous blogs - like Tim Buckley in Haunting Voices.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - beautiful voices, beautiful singing, beautiful harmonies.

Interesting voices - like Bruce Springsteen, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison.

Smooth voices - like Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye.

It's rare now when I try to listen to Top 40 stations that I really hear a VOICE I want to hear again. Christina Aguilera's - yes. It's hard for me to find others. The women seem to all sound like over-processed girls and hard to tell apart. The men sound so indistinguishable and ordinary. Hip-hop and rap are not voice-centric. Their appeal is in beats and words.

I've been listening to Clay's voice and wondering . . . just where does it fit? Then it hit me -- maybe I'm looking at Clay with ordinary eyes. And that's my mistake.

I believe that Clay Aiken is an exceptional talent that will take time to mature. It feels like he's a bridge from the past to the future. That he's an entertainer that will bring back the sparkling brilliance of Bobby Darin. I just know he will be a part of the musical landscape for a very long time. My husband listens to him and says Clay uses his voice as others use an instrument. He hears Clay's phrasings, his way of holding a note and doing something unexpected with a rhythm and says "this is Clay's artistry". He thinks Clay will someday involve himself with producing music. I truly believe that we will see Clay explore theater, film and television.

I know that I want so much for Clay's career and I can be very impatient. But, again, I think that's my mistake. Sometimes when someone has so much - I believe it takes longer to nourish it, to stretch it, to explore it. There's nothing fluffy about Clay. He may have achieved instant stardom - but I don't think Clay has yet tapped into all that he can eventually produce. I firmly believe that Clay will garner great respect in the music industry but, again, I believe it's going to take time. Patience is something not well practiced in the Clay Nation. But I'm trying not to hurry things along. I'm trying not to view Clay's career through the eyes of what others are doing. When something is out of the ordinary - sometimes you just have to have faith. When Clay is in his mid-30's - I have no doubt that he will be a musical force to be reckoned with.

I looked back at Clay's lovely rendition of Proud Of Your Boy. His whole being is committed to the character of Aladdin - his face, his body, his voice - HIS EYES. It's an amazing performance and gave me a hint of what he is capable of achieving.



And then he delights me with his charming personality and sings a modern song like Tears Run Dry - and still . . . it's the voice that grabs me.



So . . . for now . . . I'm parking myself in the Wherever You Take Me car . . . strapping myself in . . . and preparing myself for a joyous ride.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken
Roger Daltry
The Who
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Freddy Mercury
Queen
Proud Of Your Boy
Tears Run Dry
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On Cooking, Myopia and Mom's Dieting Myths

I loved Jude’s hilarious story, Life's Most Embarrassing Moments, about the perils of cooking for a date...I guess you could say it inspired me to unload here, too...

I’ll always remember when I knew for sure I was a lousy cook. Also nearsighted.

The suburban ranch house where I grew up had a utility room which contained the washer, dryer, power tools, building supplies and also the food pantry. One day (I was about 13) I decided to bake a birthday cake for my father. Congratulating myself on remembering all the incredients and not burning the cake -- this had been an issue in the past -- I went in to get the confectioner’s sugar for the frosting. I brought the yellow bag back to the kitchen, measured it out, and mixed it up. The first odd thing I noticed was that the batter got very heavy and grainy. But I was in a hurry, so I laboriously plowed my way through it, added some bright blue food coloring, and frosted the cake, putting it in the fridge. The second thing I noticed was that there was a LOT of icing left over. But again, because dinner was starting, I just stashed the bowl, with the spatula still in it, in the fridge.

After dinner, I went in to get out the cake and was disconcerted, to say the least, to find that I could barely lift it. Hauling it over to the kitchen counter, I subsequently discovered that the birthday candles wouldn’t go in it -- nor, I found out, would a knife or anything else. I called everybody in there to look at it. My dad, trying to keep a straight face, asked to see the confectioner’s sugar bag. It was, of course, not confectioner’s sugar at all but Sakrete (powdered cement). After we stopped laughing, my dad took the bowl of excess icing, added a little water, carried it outside and, giggling, started plugging cracks in the sidewalk. For years, until the house was finally torn down (to build a hideous McMansion complete with aluminum siding, lawn jockeys and a golf weathervane), I could see those bright blue specks every time I entered or left the house. And the cake? Well, let’s just say that we had a bright blue doorstop for a long time after.

Lord knows I wanted to learn to cook. But frankly, when you live alone, you aren’t very motivated -- Lean Cuisine is your best friend. Every time I actually tried to make something, I’d make four times too much, end up eating more of it than I should, and throw out the leftover science experiment in the back of the fridge a month later. Or I’d "cook" dinner for friends, they’d gingerly sample it, smile brightly, and ask to see a takeout menu.

Hope springs eternal -- I did once insist on cooking Beef Stroganoff for a date; nobody told me that you aren’t supposed to use ground beef, and unfortunately, the noodles ended up in one large, solid lump at the bottom of the pan. Somewhere that guy is still laughing.

My mom was a reasonably good cook, except when it came to recipes that called for liquor -- she would invariably end up knocking back most of it while she was cooking, so the alcohol would seldom make it into whatever dish she was making. You haven’t lived until you’ve had Beef Burgundy without the burgundy. And it’s tough to flambe something using only water.

She did have some interesting rules about food, though...she claimed that a) if nobody actually sees you eat it, it has no calories (ideal for those who snack in front of the fridge at 3 in the morning), b) if you eat only the broken cookies, the calories leak out the broken end, and c) diet soda and fattening foods cancel each other out. I think she was kidding.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, Cooking Disasters, Sakrete, Mom’s Cooking, Birthday Cake Recipes, Dieting Myths

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Paying Your Dues

Following Clay's career has me much more tuned into the music industry (Pun intended) I've always been a lover of music but rarely paid any attention to the mechanics of producing an album or the nuances involved in promotion.


Now that I'm paying closer attention, I've heard the phrase “paying your dues” a lot. For some reason, the performers from American Idol were never seen as having paid their dues at least until they raised the age limit to 28. Then the older contestants had time to actually practice their craft for at least 10 years but never got the break or were good enough to actually make it.

Recently, Kanye West was on the show and was asked about American Idol and he said they pay dues in a different way. He used an example of someone who was discovered in a mall because they had the look, He said he thinks it is harder to make it on AI than in Real Life.

Sometimes the show's publicity downplayed the performers' musical past for better television. Kelly Clarkson was the waitress from Texas, never mind that she had already gone to LA to try to make it as a singer and returned home. She was still plenty young enough to try again. Carrie Underswood was the country bumpkin right off the farm and Fantasia Barrino was the unwed mother. The real truth is that Carrie (who I was ambivalent about but have come to admire) had performed as an opening act for a number of established country groups and had lots of experience in on stage. Fantasia comes from generations of professional musicians.

Clay's backstory always made it seemed like he walked right out of his classroom as a teacher and on to the AI stage. In fact, he sang with a country band, starred in a number of community theater productions and starred in, hosted and produced the Hometown Connection show a number of times a year. He recorded two demo CDs (which now fetch a pretty penny on ebay). And he was only 24 when he tried out, not a bad resume for a guy a semester away from getting his bachelor's degree.

I wonder why Clay and others were sometimes seen as manufactured pop stars simply because they were able to avail themselves of better hair and clothes on the show. Performing in front of tens of millions of people, singing LIVE (what a concept) every week for 16 weeks is like bootcamp. I'd say it is the equivalent of playing a few years in crappy bars and clubs at 1 AM where 5 people see you and only 2 are sober. Aguilera, Timberlake and Spears all came from the Mousketeers and Timberlake was part of a group that was deliberately put together to appeal to young girls. Sorry, JT but N'Sync was a manufactured pop group.

Tell me that there is a more manufactured pop star than either Simpson sister with their manufactured breasts and/or nose. How can Hilary Duff be considered a worthy pop star when I can't recall the last time I saw her actually sing live instead of lip synch. In 2003 when Clay performed at the Jingle Ball concert put on by KISS in Boston, he was second to last. I had to sit through some horrible acts after paying $85 just to see Clay. Hilary Duff came on and did five songs, the first one was the only one that she sang live. An adorable 13 year old was singing away behind me. At the end, I smiled at her and asked her if she enjoyed it. She said “Yes! She was great but that first song wasn't so good.”. I said “that's because she didn't use the record, she sang it live.” (OK, that was mean but I was annoyed.) Clay was sick as a dog that winter but still came out and sang four difficult songs live.

I don't mean to put these other performers down (OK, maybe the Dufflet and Simpsons), I'm just questioning the double standard that has been out there for the last few years. The tide seems to be shifting as evidence by the pretty big names performing on AI this year. And most of the contestants sang better live than the professionals.

Clay will probably take some hits for an album that is 75% covers (thank you Clive the cadaver) even though I'm pretty sure he will make me forget the originals in about 4 minutes. He probably can sing just about anything and sometimes I think that is a blessing and a curse.
But I'll be there at midnight on September 19th to buy my copy of A Thousand Different Ways. And the smile on my face will be anything but manufactured.

PS. If you are interested in attending a CD Release party in your city, visit www.clayaikencdparties.com and find the thread for your region.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken
Kanye West
Carrie Underwood
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Clay Aiken CD News!

Here is a press release with exciting news about Clay Aiken's upcoming CD:

Clay Aiken Releases
New RCA Records Album
A Thousand Different Ways
in Stores on September 19th
Thursday August 3, 10:00 am ET

LOS ANGELES, Calif., August 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The long wait for Clay Aiken fans is over. RCA Records will release the singer's third album, A Thousand Different Ways, on September 19th. 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.

For Aiken, the new album's title has multiple meanings. "This is an album of love songs," he explains, "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. And, on top of that, since so many of these songs are covers, it's realistic to say that many of them have been or could be sung a thousand different ways."

In fact, Aiken has put his own spin on some of the well-known songs he has recorded for his new album. "These are songs I heard growing up. I loved them then and I still love them today, but we decided to do them a little differently. They have new arrangements and we put our own style on some of them."

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "Here You Come Again," a No. 3 hit for Dolly Parton in 1978, stands out for Aiken. "I've always loved that song," he says. "But for this album, we didn't use a country arrangement. It's a ballad version now. Adam Anders produced the most amazing arrangement and I couldn't wait to sing it."

Aiken credits Chairman CEO BMG U.S., Clive Davis for coming up with the concept for the album. "When we first embarked on making an album, my executive producer Jaymes Foster and I started out with one or two covers, then we had three. 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. Based on that, it was Clive's brainchild that we take classic love songs of the last 30 years and pair them with four new songs. He is a man who not only knows music, but really has his finger on the pulse of what listeners want to hear."

Those who have come to expect Aiken to belt out a song won't be disappointed. The album shows off Aiken's vocals in a big way with songs like the Bad English hit "When I See You Smile" and Harry Nilsson's "Without You." But Aiken will surprise fans by singing in a more relaxed style on some tracks than they have heard before, showing a different, sexier side.

Aiken fans will also be glad to know he was personally involved with the selection of every track and that he participated in every aspect of the album. "For the first album, most of the songs were chosen ahead of time. I was less of a participant in the process. The second album was a Christmas album, so we naturally chose songs of the season. This new album has much more of me in it. Right from the beginning, Clive and Jaymes wanted to find songs that were right for me. Jaymes told me, "Stay in your lane, but remember it's okay to swerve a little and see where it takes you.' That's exactly what we did."

The following is a complete track listing for the much-anticipated A Thousand Different Ways, including writer and producer credits:

RIGHT HERE WAITING
Originally recorded by: Richard Marx
Written by: Richard Marx / Produced by: John Fields

WHEN I SEE YOU SMILE
Originally recorded by: John Waite
Written by: Diane Warren / Produced by: John Fields

WITHOUT YOU
Originally recorded by: Badfinger and Then Harry Nilsson
Written by: William Collings, Thomas Evans, Michael Gibbins, Peter Ham,
and J.C. Molland
Produced by: John Fields

LONELY NO MORE
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Andreas Carlsson, Samuel Waermo, Mimmi Waermo & Clay Aiken
Produced by: Andreas Carlsson and Samuel Waermo

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
Originally recorded by: Elton John
Written by: Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Producer by: Per Magnusson & David Kreuger

EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY
Originally recorded by: Paul Young
Written by: Daryl Hall
Produced by: Adam Anders

EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU)
Originally recorded by: Bryan Adams
Written by: Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen & Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Produced by: John Fields

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - Guest Vocals by Suzie McNeil
Originally recorded by: Foreigner
Written by: Michael Jones
Produced by: Russ Irwin, Marti Frederiksen & Charlton Pettus

THESE OPEN ARMS
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Jon Bon Jovi & Desmond Childs
Produced by: John Fields

BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME
Originally recorded by: Celine Dion
Written by: Diane Warren
Produced by: Eman

HERE YOU COME AGAIN
Originally recorded by: Dolly Parton
Written by: Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil

EVERYTHING I HAVE - Featuring William Joseph on Piano
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Jeremy Bose
Arranged by: Jeremy Lubbock

A THOUSAND DAYS
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Christian Leuzzi, Aldo Nova & Emanuel Olsson
Produced by: John Fields

BROKEN WINGS
Originally recorded by: Mr. Mister
Written by: Richard Page, John Lang & Steve George
Produced by: Eman

Be sure to pre-order the CD on Amazon!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, New CD, Clive Davis, Suzie McNeil, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, John Waite, Richard Marx, Harry Nilsson, Elton John, Celine Dion, Dolly Parton, Paul Young, Badfinger, Foreigner, Mr. Mister, Love Songs

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