10/23/03 NY DAILY NEWS: 'WE ARE DEEPLY OUT OF IT

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
NY DAILY NEWS: 'WE ARE DEEPLY OUT OF IT'
« on: October 23, 2003, 02:07:05 PM »   

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Aiken is the 'Man':  His CD bows at Number 1
By JIM FARBER
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER

Clay Aiken also has the year's top-selling single.

He came in No. 2 on "American Idol" and received zero stars from critics, but Clay Aiken's debut CD bagged the No. 1 slot on Billboard's latest Top 200 list.  Aiken's "Measure of a Man" sold 612,859 copies in its first week, giving him the third-highest debut of the year, after 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Trying" and Linkin Park's "Meteora." Both sold in the 800,000 range.
Aiken's debut was far stronger than that of the first "American Idol," Kelly Clarkson. Her "Thankful" CD moved 297,000 in its first flush. After 27 weeks, Clarkson's album remains on the charts, having sold nearly 1.6 million copies so far.
 
Earlier this year, Aiken's single outsold the man who beat him on the show, Ruben Studdard. The skinny singer's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" moved 900,000 copies to Studdard's 700,000 for "Flying Without Wings." Studdard's own CD arrives Nov. 25.  "Bridge" is still the year's top-selling song.

Aiken's challenge to 50 Cent and Linkin Park suggests a growing subplot in current pop. The success of the squeaky-clean pop singer represents a backlash against the angrier, or more violent, rap and rock of acts like 50 and Park. LINK
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Remember, this is the same guy who wrote this:

Fallen 'Idol'
Only his fans will love Clay Aiken's new CD
By JIM FARBER
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER

Can Clay Aiken remain an American Idol without the show there to stoke the worship? ...........Creatively, it'll be an uphill climb.
Not since the heyday of Styx's Dennis DeYoung has pop been tormented by such an adenoidal voice.
It's a tinny, nasal whine of a thing - but at least it's distinctive. The songs provided for Aiken, by super-commercial writers ranging from Desmond Child to Aldo Nova, make Mariah Carey's dire compositions sound like groundbreakers.
Yet the pablum Aiken spews attracts people who remain resistant to the lures of hip-hop and harder rock.
Aiken's Broadway-like demeanor and mushy music offer a refuge for the deeply out-of-it - who apparently number in the millions.
Ultimately, his album harks back to the '50s, when the cultural threat of stars like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis created the need for a reactionary figure. Aiken has simply become this generation's answer to Pat Boone. And early indications are that Aiken, runnerup to Ruben Studdard in the second edition of the hyper-popular "American Idol," will, like Boone, find commercial success. His first single, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," went No. 1 in June, outselling Studdard's simultaneously released song by more than 200,000 copies.
Certainly, the brain trust behind "Measure of a Man" (which include no less savvy a figure than BMG Records' Clive Davis) was careful not to fiddle with the formula that got Aiken where he is today. The CD extends both the mealy sound and the mewling character that have made fans squeal and critics squirm.
It's wall-to-wall ballads, dripping in syrup. Tinkling pianos open most of them, sweeping up into melodic arcs that encourage the corniest flourishes Aiken can come up with.
Lyrically, the songs may be awash in clichés, but they're clever in the way they hone Aiken's crowd-pleasing persona.
In number after number, he plays the shyest guy in the room, blushing and fumbling through every encounter.
"Even when you look in my eyes/there's a part of me that's still afraid," he croons in "When You Say You Love Me." "Why am I holding back what I'm trying to say?" he asks in "This Is the Night."
That's the vulnerability that first made millions warm to Aiken.
Such geek chic has a long, and financially potent, history in pop.
If it's hardly cool, that's precisely the point.

LINK

Are we simply a few of the 'millions who are deeply out of it?'
DISCUSS!!!
 :
 
 

[Marilyn]

outthereforclay
Guest
  A little wine with that "crow"?
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2003, 02:26:11 PM »   

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This guy and Simon Cowell need to get together over some arsenic-spiced wine and help each other eat all the crow that is their due! I love all these music "experts" who make their money finding fault, then not being man enough to admit when they blew it. (Measure of a Man, indeed! How would THESE guys measure up? :roll: )

Ok, so the albumn is somewhat "AM" radio, and even I, a rabid fan, think the songs could have been more eclectic without compromising Clay's philosophical stances. I CAN understand why some radio stations aren't sure what to do with him, therefore don't play him.

But...to attack his VOICE?!?!? : 

My husband has been a Clay fan throughout the AI journey, but said he's a bit disappointed in the CD (for the reasons I mentioned above), but said he faults the music producers, not Clay for the poor "airplay" quality of the songs. I agree. He says, "This guy can sing ANYTHING!" (I knew I married the right guy  : )

[Marilyn]

allforclay
Guest
  letter
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2003, 04:07:42 PM »   

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This is the guy I wrote a letter to and told him the music he's been listening to has damaged his hearing, when he criticized Clay's voice.
 
I noticed that his email address is removed from this latest link. Could it be he got a lot of email from Claymaniacs?   

[Marilyn]

lolita
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2003, 04:40:13 PM »   

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Hello everyone, I love Clay Aiken

[Marilyn]

maddiegirl
Guest
  Clay's CD
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2003, 05:36:07 PM »   

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I was one of the many who hit the store at midnight on Tuesday to get Clay's CD.  I listened to it all the way home and was only initially impressed by The Way, Measure of a Man and Perfect Day (very disappointed that Solitare didn't make it on this CD)  BUT I have listened to it many times to date and now I love each and every song (This has never happened to me before)  I really think the more people listen to this CD the more they are going to like it.  I absolutely loved Kelly Clarkson from the first American Idol, but I didn't buy her CD because my brother told me it only had 1 good song on it - so why spend the money for 1 song, but I feel I got more than my money's worth buying this CD and since I am such a huge fan I am planning on buying at least 3 more copies!!!  I really have never cared what any critic has to say - I find they are always wrong (especially movies)  I have never watched any movie that a critic liked and thought WOW!!!  THEY ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE PUBLIC!!  I just hope Clay's CD keeps selling so the critics will keep quiet and wherever you are SIMON - still think Ruben should have won American Idol 2?  Not hardly!!!  CINCINNATI LOVES CLAY!!!
 

[Marilyn]

mubacca
Guest
  Rarely do I comment, but...
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2003, 07:10:28 PM »   

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I have to laugh at those who consider themselves critics for the masses, or protectors of the media we all enjoy in some form or another. I am one of the silent majority who lies in wait, out in the darkness, never allowing another to make a choice for me. I walk my own road, steer my own path, and spend my money as I see fit - not as others (critics and the like) believe I wouldn't.

I was bred and fed in the 70s genre of the likes of 'The Who'; 3 Dog Night; Chicago; Seals and Croft; and on and on, Rock and not so Rock. I was particular in my music then and I am still that same fickled consumer. I spend my money sparingly, and purchase only what moves my soul.

Having been married now for some 30 plus years with two grown sons, I have to admit that Clay Aikens voice is fantastic. I have sat around the poker table with many of my Vietnam buddies, listening to our old songs and recollecting of times long ago, all the while with our favorite artists blasting in the background, with songs that stirred memories, made you proud, or songs that you hoped would never end.

Clay has that ability, and his voice ushers forth alot of things to me. I can see if given care and time, and the songs to go along with his wonderful voice he will stir many emotions from many people for years to come. I look forward to hearing him perform.

It is funny, but while Clay was on American Idol and the votes were cast each week, I never voted (perhaps some of us silent people are speaking now with money). I sat there and just knew in my heart that others would carry him forward in that competition. Well, make no mistake about it, he may not have won the competition, but he wins my commitment to future purchases and fan support.

Clay is top dog in my book
54 year old Vietnam Vet
 
 

[Marilyn]

outthereforclay
Guest
  Men appreciate Clay's talent, too!
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2003, 07:18:24 PM »   

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mubacca.....

very, very cool....
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
NY DAILY NEWS: 'WE ARE DEEPLY OUT OF IT'
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2003, 11:31:24 PM »   

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Well, make no mistake about it, he may not have won the competition, but he wins my commitment to future purchases and fan support.

I really appreciate your post mubacca! My uncle was a Vietnam vet and after what he lived through, when he talked, I listened.  I lost him a couple of years ago, but I always respected him for saying what he meant and meaning what he said.   

A wise person (whose name escapes me right now) once said, 'Life's too short for bad music.'  And ain't that the truth!

Thanks for your perspective.