Well, I don't know if it will make anyone feel better, but right now, listening to probably the most gorgeous album my ears have ever been treated to in my entire life (and that's saying something for someone who is a musician and works for a classical radio station), I seem to be incapable of worrying about Clay or this album. By next week, I hope you'll all feel the same way.At this moment, I think I've fallen in love with Dave Novik. The VOX is front and center, each of the arrangements helps to tell the story of the song without getting in Clay's way, and such obvious care and love and passion has gone into this thing -- I just can't feel anything but gratitude that Clay and Decca found each other. That's the truth, and you know I'm not the mushy type.I've said this before, but I think Decca is looking more toward longevity for this album than a quick splashy blitz. A lot of little viral things as opposed to a week or so of Clay being plastered everywhere in the usual places and then, poof! he's gone. And I just think an album of this type is marketed very differently than a pop album or a rock album.No, I'm not worried. I can't get the grin off my face, as a matter of fact. After seven years, this guy is still killing me dead. More than ever, actually.ETA: Okay, you want details? All righty.Unchained Melody, Moon River, and Crying are three of the most exquisite things I've ever heard. (The blend with Linda Eder is unreal, and so much emotion! And Vince Gill's guitar work on Moon River is such an incredible asset to the song.) There's an undercurrent in Unchained Melody (arranged by Ben Cohn, BTW) that is very poignant because of what the percussionist is doing -- I'll be interested to see if anyone else picks up on it. I don't want to spoil it by saying what I think it is, but it's very different.Every one of these songs has its own distinctive personality and tells its own story, and I think the Billboard reviewer's description of Clay's "swagger" is dead on. He just sounds so happy -- so comfortable and easy and at home singing these songs. Mack the Knife has such an assurance about it...and such a vicious glee. He sounds like he's having the time of his life.Misty and It's Impossible (two songs I've never cared for, till now) are almost hypnotic. The only word to describe It's Only Make Believe is...cheeky. There's a Kind of Hush has a real joy behind it. And Clay somehow makes all of these songs sound as if they're the first time anyone has sung them. And I guess that's what a great artist does.There were moments during Clay's tours when I would suddenly choke up at something he did vocally. My throat would close and I would find myself crying (maybe some of you can relate). That has happened quite a few times while listening to this album. I think a lot of what I feel is happiness for him.
In our culture of meanness, prickly Simon Cowell is a patron saint. As the 'American Idol' judge bids farewell, a look at his legacy.By Ramin Setoodeh | Newsweek Web ExclusiveMay 24, 2010 Remember the first time you heard Kelly Clarkson sing? Don't feel bad, because neither did Simon Cowell, and he had a front-row seat. He couldn't even recall Kelly's name. "I just don't like this girl," he mumbled to Paula Abdul, after a performance. It was one of the few times Cowell was wrong about something. For the last nine years, he's been our pop-culture oracle—or as the New York Post dubbed him, a modern-day P. T. Barnum. He's acted as the driving force behind the majority of our biggest music icons (Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, even Susan Boyle). And now it's time to shed a tear for Simon, because he exits American Idol this week....
