Showing posts with label Bestsellers in Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bestsellers in Music. Show all posts

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Clay Aiken's UM a Hot Topic


Clay Aiken sings 'Unchained Melody' on The View.
Watch on YouTube Download: UM Performance
Download: Interview and UM Performance

'Classy Key Change Slide'

Clay Aiken Adds Signature to UM

The Clay Nation aside, everybody everywhere seems to be talking, texting, tweeting about Clay Aiken's performance of "Unchained Melody" on 'The View' Wednesday.

Even the Examiner weighed in with props about the singer's "vocal skillz" in this treasure of a track from the new Tried & True Decca release which dropped Tuesday:

Today on The View, the ladies welcomed former American Idol star Clay Aiken on the show. He spoke with the hostesses and seemed to be continuing down the road of his career as a music artist.

After coming back from a commerical break, Clay Aiken performed the classic "Unchained Melody" for the audience, who swooned at his awesome vocal skillz.


Mosaic by LovesClaysVoice

I particularly like a musician's compliment on Ben Cohn's Facebook page about his orchestration and arrangement for the song:

Loving watching you on The View right now! Fantastic arrangement - did you do it? Really nice between the classical piano, the gorgeous strings, and then the almost military cadence from the drums.

Then the Sam Harris'esque (but so much classier) slide on the key change! Loved it.


Clay nails 'The Note' in UM performance. (Dancermom2 cap)

UM Feedback Proves Phenomenal

Clay's performance of "Unchained Melody" has easily been the hottest topic in town and not just on the message boards. Fans received amazing feedback from family, friends, and associates all day long.

The impact of Clay's beautiful rendition was also measured at Amazon and other venues selling T&T as the album climbed charts throughout the day. Clickable screencaps below are by Dancermom2, gerwhisp, and Cotton.

Here is a sampling of the water cooler moments Clay's performance set in motion:

K4Clay2: Just got a phone call from my "non-Clay fan" friend in Ohio. As soon as I answered the phone, she said "That was AWESOME!" She went on to say she had just seen Clay on "The View" and was completely captivated.

She said she had never heard him sing like that before and that he is gorgeous too! She was on her way out to look for his new CD. Another one bites the dust.


Tweet: Still the BEST, most crisp, lush voice out there. Just downloaded the new Clay Aiken album after listening to him on The View. Missed U, Clay!

me_myb: My adult kids don't follow Clay except for me. They enable me but really don't listen to him or care. But the most exciting thing just happened to me. My daughter texted me that she saw Clay on "The View." ("He did an awesome job! I taped it even!") This is huge!

brensmemaw: Last night I stopped at Barnes & Noble and bought one of their deluxe T&T CD's. I have two coming, but I just couldn't wait. After listening and watching, I took it to my hairdresser today. He loves Clay, and he and his partner are going with me to the Timeless Tour Concert in Biloxi.

He looked at the CD and said, "Oh, my favorite song in all the world - Unchained Melody!" I told him that he wouldn't believe Clay's version of it.

He immediately put it on the shop sound system and we listened to it. He couldn't believe it, and it was still playing when I left the shop.

neelie: Just got a text from my neighbor and best gal pal: "Saw your BF on The View this morning. He sang one of my faves, very well, too!





Promo Performance Raises Roof

snarkystripes: Yet ANOTHER co-worker is now listening to TNT on my iPod. She's listening to "Misty," and her head is now officially on her desk. Another one bites the dust.

shyeyewitness: I had a phone call last night from one of my customers that Clay was going to be on Joy Behar's Show, then one this morning from a different customer telling me he was on The View. Yesterday the husband of one of my customers told her, "Your hair stylist's boyfriend is on GMA."

cablegirl: Right after The View performance I had a business call so I couldn't post much more than "WOW!" While I was on the call, my cell phone rang and the caller left a message, which I retrieved when I was done.

The message was from my MIL, who has never said much about Clay. She is a country fan but always thought Clay was a nice guy.

She left me a message in tears telling me how beautiful UM was and how music had not moved her like that in a very long time and could I get her a copy of the CD.

I called her, and she cried again, saying, "Your boy is really good; I just never realized how good he is." I promised her I'd find her the CD as soon as possible.

Tweet: OMG!!! Clay Aiken on THE VIEW singing "Unchained Melody," and all the girls in my family are passing out on the floor. He's incredible!!!!!

joanie: I hope ABC called someone to repair the roof that was blown off this morning!





Buzz Sends 'T&T' Up Charts

Having spent 33 days in Amazon's Top 100, Tried & True (Deluxe) is currently #5 in Bestsellers in Pop, #1 in Vocal Pop, and #1 in Broadway & Vocalists. When this blog uploaded, the standard T&T CD was charting in the three categories at #14, #2, and #4, respectively.

Their stock depleted, brick and mortar stores are reportedly re-ordering CD's. Below are links to other ABC videos surround the Clay's visit at The View:

Clay Aiken 'Tried and True' (What's the Buzz, ABC, 6/2)
Clay and His iPad (Before The View, ABC, 6/2)

The View Exit Interviews (ABC, 6/2)

The promo train continues as Clay touts the Tried & True album and the Timeless Tour on various news broadcasts. The interview at Good Day Atlanta from WAGAFox - Clay Aiken Releases Fifth Studio Album - is followed by links to several others that occurred via satellite Thursday.

Clay Talks About CD, Tour Via Satellite

Fox31 Denver (scroll down)

KWGN Denver

Artisan News on YouTube

MyFoxDC

Fox59 Indianapolis

Fox40 Sacramento

June 5 Clay will appear on The Early Show Saturday Morning (CBS).

Happy Birthday to my Sis and good friend/former editor Paula! Have an awesome weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Clay Aiken's PBS Show, TNT Soar


Clay Aiken - Photo by Cotton
Enhanced by Claystruck

PBS Taping To Be Special

'Tried and True' Pre-Sales Soar

Since I wrote this blog, there have been several updates, including WRAL-TV and NBC17 video interviews (with Sendspace), Lynda Loveland's radio interview (with Sendspace), and the March 12 Mark Ehlers interview in the News and Observer.

The Meet&Greeters who observed Thursday's three-hour dress rehearsal and talked with Clay shared these notes: David Novik from Decca was at the rehearsal and the Q&A ... A man with hand-held camera followed Clay around constantly ... The show's production and orchestrations are out of sight ... On stage were an orchestra and a rock band .... Faye Parker, Clay's mother, greeted the fans ... and, most of all, BE PREPARED TO BE BLOWN AWAY at the concert!!!

March 9 quickly turned into an kind of day as Clay Aiken released extra tickets for his March 12 PBS Special in Raleigh and pre-orders for his much-anticipated Tried and True album blasted off to a rip-roaring success at Amazon.

With a June 1 release date, Tried and True has steadily climbed Amazon's Music Bestsellers list. When I first checked the listing, TNT was at #52. Within a couple of hours, the CD/DVD Deluxe Edition was at #19. TNT is #5 now and still climbing!

No album cover or track list yet, but the TNT [Deluxe Edition] is priced at $12.99 and is eligible for free shipping at Amazon.

For two days, TNT was #1 on Amazon's Movers & Shakers in Music list, hopefully foretelling future chart-climbing adventures!

Stage Set-up Allows Extra Seating

When news of additional March 12 PBS Special tickets hit Triangle entertainment sites Tuesday, CA fans followed the Ticketmaster trail for the best possible seating at the Friday concert taping in Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium.

Another good site for last-minute seating is Ticket Liquidator. According to the Progress Energy Center diagram, there are some excellent possibilities. The tickets are listed by price from the least to the most expensive.


Clay talks with Raleigh press about concert.

Lynda Loveland chatted via phone with Clay about the concert and album on Friday's Mix 101.5 Morning Show. The interview is available at the show's link and can be dowloaded with this Sendspace mp3 file. You can follow Lynda on Twitter here: lloveland.

The singer spoke with NBC17's Erica Bustamante about his new CD, Friday's PBS Special, and the educational scene in Raleigh. The video can be viewed in the player below or at My NC Blogs; it can be downloaded with this Sendspace link.

Clay also discussed the Raleigh concert and TNT album with WRAL-TV Thursday night.


NBC17 interview with Clay.

PBS Concert in N&O Headlines

Friday's News and Observer article by Matt Ehlers, Classic Move, provides additional information about the PBS concert taping. To read the complete article, click on the N&O link:

RALEIGH -- When Clay Aiken hits the stage tonight at Memorial Auditorium, he will be performing for the couple of thousand people in the crowd, as well a future audience that could be much, much larger.

The concert, which will feature the first live performance of his coming album, "Tried and True," will be taped for a PBS special that will air this summer. It's a one-time-only deal, and Aiken, the Raleigh native and "American Idol" runner-up, will sing each song from the new album.

"Tried and True," scheduled for a late May release, is Aiken's first album for Decca Records. It's also the first in which he didn't feel record-company pressure to go in a pop-friendly direction. Working with Decca, he and longtime manager Simon Renshaw charted a different course for Aiken's career.

"Our idea was always to head toward a Johnny Mathis-y kind of thing," Aiken said recently during an interview in a downtown Raleigh coffee shop.

So the songs on "Tried and True" are lushly arranged classics. Aiken's hard-core fans will hear some familiar tunes, standards that he performed on "Idol." The new album includes "Unchained Melody" and "Mack the Knife."

International Media has added information about Clay's March taping to its new blog. Read the entire piece at the above link. Here is the beginning:

Clay Aiken will hit the stage for a special one-night-only concert at the Memorial Auditorium in his hometown of Raleigh, NC on Friday, March 12.

The singer is promising fans an exciting 2010 with this show being just the beginning! The performer extraordinaire is gearing up for the release of his new album, "Clay Aiken: Tried and True."

The event, which will be taped for a television special produced by International Media, is the world premiere live performance of Aiken’s forthcoming album being released on Decca this Spring.

TWWMAD Funnels Donated Tickets

The Way We Make a Difference has worked closely with several agencies in the Triangle to provide concert tickets for those who otherwise would not be able to attend the taping.

Fostering inclusion, a cause close to Clay Aiken's heart, TWWMAD accepted tickets through noon Thursday. Approximately 136 donated tickets will be used for the PBS Special by the following organizations: ARC of Chapel Hill, ARC of Wake County, ARC of Durham, Ronald McDonald House of Durham, YMCA Finley, and the Alexander Family YMCA.

In the future, to donate extra tickets, contact TWWMAD with this email address: ticketdonation@thewaywemakeadifference.org. (Ticketfast only)

Between pre-ordering TNT, dancing the "Ticketmaster Tango" again, and packing for the Raleigh trip -- this has definitely been a headline day for CA fans.

Have an week, Clay Nation. Be sure to pack an umbrella for this weekend's trip to North Carolina!

Caro