Clay Aiken - Bridge Over Troubled Water/This Is The Night
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Free Music Notes for Bridge Over Troubled Water/This Is The Night
Free Music Review: MEASURE OF A MAN
Hit: 5 Stars
I don't think I've ever seen anything so utterly cool, hip & cutting edge in my life as that amazing picture of a 24-yr-old male, Christian virgin wearing a What Would Jesus Do? bracelet on the cover of ROLLING STONE!!! Clay is the new, rebellious ICON of the millineum, pushing the envelope against a pop culture drowning in decadence. His humble, generous example is exactly what the next generation needs in a celebrity role model. I couldn't love this boy any more if he were my own! I am a singer & know how difficult it is for even the best voices to deliver the goods night after night. Two nights in a row in Worcester, MA, Clay blew the roof off the Centrum to sold-out crowds!!! Rickey was fun, Trenyce was smokin', Ruben was great, Kim Locke was hot, but CLAY WAS PHENOMENAL!!!This CD is only a small sample of what the Claylove can do for building up your spirits. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER is a terrific gospel version of the aikengly beautiful Paul Simon classic. (I would, however, love to hear Clay sing it in the hauntingly lovely style of Art Garfunkle!) THIS IS THE NIGHT had me in tears on "Final 2" night ... "Lift me up in your eyes - If you told me this is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right" ... I think that simple phrase will forever stay with me as quintessential Clay. His voice & heart does come from God, Heaven & the angels & listening to this CD (& the many mp3's available on his fansites) will certainly uplift you emotionally, spiritually & as many girls & women of all ages have found, physically as well!!! "Hold me close to your heart - I would go with you to the ends of the earth & we'll fly ..." I see your light, Clayton, & I honor it.Free Music Review: 5 stars for vocals, 3 for production
Hit: 5 Stars
First ,it isn't so easy to even get on Broadway, and if Mr. Aiken did get on Broadway it would be an honor. Broadway & Pop have gone hand in hand for decades. Right now, take a look at what's there: music of Elton John & Billy Joel, rock music in Rent, pop in Phanton, pop stars Kevin Richardson in Chicago, Joey Fatone in Rent, Toni Braxton in Aida. American pop music has come right from the Broadway stages for years. Second, the engineering & production of this CD is not so swell. Clay's magnificent voice does get pushed under the choir in Bridge over Troubled Water several times. Despite that, it is a great gospel rendition of the song, with no apologies needed. This Is The Night has the makings of a powerful ballad, but could use a cleaner, more sleek arrangement. Hopefully Clay will take a cue from Kelly Clarkson, and redo both these songs for his full length CD.
Third, yes it was pretty obvious that the judges and producers showed a lot of favoritism and manipulation during American Idol 2, but that's over now. CD sales will bear out the real winner.
Fourth, If you search around, you can get a listen to Clay's demo CDs on the web. The vocal prowess is there. If the vocal tracks were over better arrangements, Clay'd have instant hits. Hopefully, when contractual arrangements are done with, Clay will find producers who can really showcase his voice. Hey, why not take Mr. Sedaka up on his offer? The man is a legend & a pop genius.And Clay could follow in a long tradition of interesting, different, original male & female true vocalists, the likes of which include, Bing, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Elvis, Barry Manilow, Elton, k.d. lang, Neil Diamond, and so many others.
Free Music Review: Music With Meaning
Hit: 5 Stars
Before I start, I would like to say that I am male, and that I believe Clay's single can relate to anyone, any age, any gender. There is no boundaries when it comes to music like this.Now, before I move into music and vocals, I'll say a few things about the lyrics. Both Bridge Over Troubled Water, and This Is The Night can be very meaningful and can relate to people easily. This Is The Night in particular, seems meant to be a wedding or proposal song. Here's some advice to male Clay fans: Play this song when you propose to your girl, and she won't be able to turn you down. Bridge Over Troubled Water, on the other hand, seems to represent or symbolize a trust between two people. The title of this song says it all.
Now, onto the vocals.
I truly found This Is The Night odd. Clay's voice somehow soothes the soul, while at the sametime making the heart beat faster with the power. The way he changes from lower to higher pitches and viceversa in a single long note is amazing. Beautifully done. As for the negative, I would have to say that music was too loud for the way Clay sang this song.
Bridge Over Troubled Water. Great tune, great lyrics. One complaint: Choir is too loud. Clay is a very powerful singer in this song, and we truly want to hear that, and not the choir. Some may not know, but On The Wings Of Love was supposed to be on this single instead, so that can be one conclusion as to why this song may seem like a rush job to some. I loved it because of the lyrics, and Clay's powerful voice behind them.
Overall, I give this 5 stars. To spite a few very minor problems, Clay really shines and so do the two songs. I would suggest buying this and to keep your eyes open for Clay's future work.
Free Music Review: The voice of an angel
Hit: 5 Stars
That is exactly what Clay's voice sounds like. It's elegant, pure, and tastefully rich, and has often been compared to the likes of Elton John and Barry Manilow. I was never a huge fan of "American Idol" until Clay Aiken came along; I heard so much about him that I tuned in one night and completely fell in love with his voice. I have been a dedicated fan ever since.I never buy singles. NEVER. But I was out the first day this one was available to grab my copy, and I'm not sorry. I admit I was a bit disappointed with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" because the background chorus DOES drown him out a bit, and I just don't feel he put as much heart in it as he did when he sang it so superbly on the show's finale. I was pleasantly surprised with "This is the Night," and am glad that the producers switched back to this one as the first single. It's definitely a radio-friendly tune; it's got beautiful piano backgrounds, an easy beat, and Clay's soft, easy voice gives it a warm touch. Simply put, the track is absolute perfection. Okay, so there are complaints that the songwriting is a bit cheesy, but give him a break, he doesn't choose his first single, the producers do, and I think he did a darn good job with it.
If you haven't heard of Clay Aiken yet, you will. I am so psyched for his debut (which I hear is tentatively scheduled for this August) that I can barely wait. If you enjoy Clay, I also recommend that you check out winner Ruben Studdard's debut as well, for even though his voice is far different than Clay's, he too is definitely one we will hear of for years to come as well. So be sure to pick this one up, it's worth it!
Free Music Review: Still a winner
Hit: 5 Stars
I must admit that I was rooting for Clay Aiken to win the American Idol title. However, I was pleased when they announced that he had been signed to RCA. This CD single is a first taste of what America can expect from Clay's debut album. He performed both songs on AI, but listeners will see what a difference a studio can make. Here, Clay is less over-the-top (as Simon would say) and more polished. Both songs are familiar to his devoted American Idol fans. The first is his remake of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." To be fair, I listened to both versions in order to get an accurate comparison. Garfunkel's vocal was more of a haunting falsetto, while Clay's voice is obviously larger. Aiken does not take away from the overall message of the song, but instead gives it a more grandiose feel, complete with gospel choir. His voice has more clarity than Garfunkel's, but many fans of the classic might feel that this update will never be able to surpass the status or the emotion of the original. It's still a great effort which does the song justice.
The second song is an original called "This is the Night." The lyrical content is similar to Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This." It's an uplifting power ballad about dreams coming true. Clay's perfect pitch and range make it wonderful and seemingly inspirational.
I'm looking forward to Clay's album just to see how he handles other genres of music (aside from ballads). One thing is for sure: this young man has a unique voice and a future of infinite possibility. Only time will tell if his sales will outshine those of his lovable opponent Ruben.