Hi All -

I don't believe i was using this forum during Season Two, but I was a huge Clay fan then, and thought he would take it all. He came in second, but redeemed himself with the quality (and sales figures) of his debut CD "Measure Of A Man". Following that, he toured extensively, put out a Christmas CD, did a TV special, did a few more tours, then kind of faded away for a bit.

Now, following a somewhat publicized "internet scandal" regarding his sexuality, he is finally releasing his followup to "Measure Of A Man", which is called "A Thousand Different Ways".

I picked up his first CD immediately after it was released, and simply loved it. It had a great variety of songs and styles, and the singing, production, everything was great.

I'm not sure i'll be picking up this CD the day it is released, or ever. I'm confused as to what Clive Davis, and the other 'bigwigs' were thinking? Here you have Clay Aiken, a singer with a wildly rampant, and HUGE fanbase, eagarly waiting on new Clay Aiken music. So, what do you give them? A song with 10 covers?!?! Clay can do, and does, many covers on his tours. But on his 2nd CD you fill it almost completely with covers?

Now, i was willing to give this the benefit of the doubt. As I'm typing this i'm listening to the CD on music.aol.com and i'm not blown away.

Yes, the guy can sing, that's not in question. But will Clay fans buy a CD of covers in droves? I'm not sure this Clay fan will.

I'll give him this much - his cover of "Without You" is perhaps better than Mariah Carey's version. He nails it. But 9 others? And the selections are very cliched. "When I See You Smile"? "Every Time You Say Goodbye"? "Right Here Waiting"? "Everything I Do I Do It For You"?'

This is just one disappointed fan.

geekboy