MULTIPLE CLAYS -- A Beautiful Mind designed this elegant graphic proving to many that four Clays are better than one.
I Am So Outed!
Email Reveals Aiken Obsession
I am so over the moon about Clay Aiken's A Thousand Different Ways that I have outed myself completely. Wednesday I emailed 23 friends, relatives, current and former associates the Clear Channel Sneak Peek link for their city, as well as info about the new CD, Clay's lineup of promo appearances, his Presidential Appointment, et al.
Now, about 1/3 of those folks already knew to a certain extent of my CA fandom membership; but I can just see a couple of band directors, former orchestra students, neighbors, and at least one baffled cousin scratching heads and wondering what in the world has happened to this person they thought they knew.
Personalized Sneak Peek Details
Since my blogs are also published in the public sphere, my mailing list received a link to Carolina On My Mind. Just in case some of the "newbies" haven't seen Clay since American Idol 2, I also included the cover photo for ATDW so they would know exactly which picture to double-click at their radio site.
To those special email recipients who find their way to the Carolina blog, here's a big shout-out, both for the 15 who just learned of my incurable CA obsession and another for the eight friends and relatives who have known for a while what a lost cause I am where Clay is concerned.
Actually, my own little promo campaign has just begun. Besides a couple of awesome CD reviews, liner note leaks, and the verses that intertwine with the lyrics of "Broken Wings," it is Clay Aiken Week! Lift off is here, and we need to tell everybody!
Clickable CD: Ambassador of Love
Music Sites Print Rave Reviews
Shipwreck Island Studios, a four-year-old web site run by two 20-something guys who enjoy writing about music, today followed up a very positive "initial reaction" preview of ATDW (see 9/5 blog) with Tony's complete critique that is everything CA fans could ever want to read -- props for Clay's magnificent vocals and interpretation, the orchestrations, new material (he would like to have seen one more original), the outstanding reinvention of the covers, etc.
Tony's ratings for ATDW:
New Original Songs: 3.95/4 Release Overall: 4.95/5
Despite a strong temptation to quote the whole review, I am only printing a few paragraphs. However, I highly recommend that you follow the above link and enjoy not only this man's current accolades, but also his predictions for Clay's future.
This is a career setting album for Clay but not his best, as his best is still to come. You could hear throughout this release how completely in love he is with the classic material and as a listener it's nice to hear an artist actually appreciate the material being put forth.
Personally I find these songs to be a real breath of fresh air because there's been a ton of cover discs that have been released in the past two years and, frankly, there's only been two or three that have really been done well. This album is in fact one of the better cover discs because of how Clay was able to reinvent the original songs.
Successful Singing Career Predicted
I firmly believe that if he sticks with this soft blend of material and intertwines a few pop tracks, he'll be one of the most successful singers in music history. There are very few mainstream musicians that capture me the way Clay does.
With songs like "Without You" and "A Thousand Days," Clay has opened the door to greatness. This disc is all about not only reliving the past but reviving it. Clay has set a course toward the future and with time I think fans of all genres will notice this release for it's original material as well as the reinvented cover tunes.
Overall this is a brilliantly done album that one can sit back, listen to and just drift away. Clay is much more then just some kid from a realty show, he's a musician in every sense of the word. The best is still to come and what is scary is that this disc is so good how can he possibly top it?
Must Have CD of the Week
Another awesome nod comes from Music Messiah, which names ATDW as the MUST HAVE CD of the WEEK:
A Thousand Different Ways is filled with covers and sprinkled with a few originals. This CD will give you a feeling, that hope and romance are in the air. Like your favorite tasteful dessert, this CD is a guilty pleasure.
PHOTO INTERMISSION: Today's clickable interlude features the graphic designs of four talented artist fans: Redjet, 1; A Beautiful Mind, 2; Cindilu2, 3 and 4; and ClayQuebec1, 5.
Verses Intertwine with BW Lyrics
The poignant verses spoken throughout "Broken Wings" were penned by poet Erin Taylor Clayton Pitner, an eccentric who spiraled deeper and deepr into the psychosis that eventually defined her existence. Her biography, "Wishing for Snow: A Memoir by Minrose Gwin," was written by her daughter, a professor of English at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The poetry intertwining with the "Broken Wings" lyrics is beautiful and already a hit with teenagers, as well as adults listening to this week's Clear Channel's Sneak Peek of the ATDW playlist:
We're in this life together
Even when one moves without the other
Different pages from the same story
This aching is familiar
It’s something I remember
We can’t touch without feeling,
Can’t heal without healing
Only the young could fall so hard
I’m so callous from these scars
So we will move out of the way this time
Making room for each other
One without the other
We are broken
But we are moving still
We are in this life together
Even when one moves without the other
We are broken, but we are moving still
A thousand different ways
Clickable by Amazing_CA
Sneak Peek Liner Notes
With the countdown to the CD's drop date winding down, Hawaii42, a music retail manger, shared some interesting aspects of ATDW's liner notes, three of which are printed here.
A simple dedicatory note above the track info for "When I See You Smile" reads: "For Kristy."
Nobody writes thank-you's like Clay, and the words to his executive producer and his fans are very moving:
Jaymes Foster -- How we ended up on the same page, in each others lives at the same time, I may never understand. What I do know is that I am thankful daily that God saw fit to introduce me to someone as talented, wise and genuine as you. That you believed in me enough to take on this project with me and stick with it through so much has been one of the biggest blessings I've been given. But not as big as the blessing of having you as a trusted and indefensible friend.
To My Fans: It's fitting that this album is all about love and the different ways it can be expressed. After so many opportunities I have had to be on the receiving end of such abundant love and support from you all, I am so thankful for the opportunity to try to give something that can express my gratitude and love for you. This album is yours in A Thousand Different Ways.
Clay Aiken Week Indeed!
Members of the the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) were sworn in Thursday.
The appointments to the PCPID are as follows:
Clay Aiken of Raleigh, North Carolina: Recording artist Clay Aiken is also the founder of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, an organization that promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs.
Clickable GMA Promo
UPCOMING TV APEARANCES from the RCA Records site:
Sep 15: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC)
Sep 18: Entertainment Tonight
Sep 19: Good Morning America (ABC) performance and interview
Sep 19: Entertainment Tonight
Sep 20: Good Morning America (ABC) Diane Sawyer Interview Part 1
Sep 21: Entertainment Tonight
Sep 21: Good Morning America (ABC) Diane Sawyer Interview Part 2
Sep 21: Entertainment Tonight
Sep 22: The View (ABC)
Sep 22: Entertainment Tonight
Sep 24: Good Morning America Weekend Show - Performance and interview
Sep 26: Entertainment Tonight
Sep 26: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Enjoy the ride, Clay Nation! SOON is finally NOW!
Caro
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1 comment:
I know just how you feel.
Listening to the new CD as we speak.
There are no words to describe the gift of this man to this world.
Let us enjoy.
And smile... "When I see HIM smile, I can face the world... You know I can do anything..."
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