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New Release from Clay Aiken

We all remember Clay Aiken as the nerdy young American Idol contestant back in 2003. His hair stuck up at wild angles, his striped shirt was anything but “rock star,” and Simon couldn’t stand him. When a wild card contestant was chosen, Paula dug in her heels and insisted they use Clay. He worked his way up the ladder, charming the American audience week after week with his unassuming way, and somewhere along the path he got less nerdy, he got more comfortable with the stage, and in the end, he placed second to Ruben Studdard. To look at him … Continue reading →

Clay Aiken – Measure of a Man

I may have given you the impression that I’m a Clay Aiken fan. Well, I am! He came out of nowhere to come in second in the American Idol competition, and has outsold Rueben Studdard who did take home the title. With “Measure of a Man,” we have Clay’s debut album. When Clay was getting ready to release this album, producer Clive Davis wanted to title it simply “Clay Aiken.” But Clay wanted the title to convey more of a meaning and a message, rather than just an artist’s name, and he pushed for the album to be called “Measure … Continue reading →

Taylor Hicks – The Single and the First Album

With the finale of this year’s American Idol competition counting down just a couple of weeks away, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the music of Taylor Hicks, last year’s Idol. Taylor’s first release was a single, with “Do I Make You Proud?” on one side and “Takin’ It to the Streets” on the other. You’ll recall that “Do I Make You Proud?” is the song chosen for both Taylor and first runner-up Katherine McPhee to sing, and the winner would record it. (And he did!) I didn’t find it to be at all his … Continue reading →

Learning to Sing: hearing the music in your life – Clay Aiken

I admit it freely – I’m a huge American Idol fan. I didn’t watch it the first year, but the second year, when Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken were vying for the title, I was a religious watcher. There was just something about Clay that made me genuinely like him. I was disappointed when he didn’t win, but knowing that he’s been tremendously successful helped me to get over it. “Learning to Sing” is Clay’s story, told in his own words. Surprisingly, it’s not a blow-by-blow of everything that happened at American Idol; that chapter of his life only takes … Continue reading →