A Thousand Different Ways (Bonus Track Version)

Clay's voice is timeless and unique. His singing gives me chills! I'm a proud ClayMate, and totally support him! I can't wait for whatever he releases next!! =)

Clay is amazing. He has one thing that you people will not have. An amazing voice. Don't insult clay Aiken.

I have to admit I was hugely disappointed when RCA scrapped the original CD Clay had been working on throughout 2005 in favor of an album of '80s & '90s cover songs. He'd been performing 4 of the original tracks on his summer tour to gauge audience reaction & they were becoming big hits before they'd even been recorded, especially the addictive, supremely radio-friendly BACK FOR MORE. But thanks to Clive Davis, no one but diehard fans were ever destined to hear them. When the tracklist for this CD was released, I couldn't have been more underwhelmed. However, & it shouldn't have surprised me, Clay managed to make me a believer just thru the sheer power of his voice on this one. Ironically, the song I dreaded most, Dolly Parton's HERE YOU COME AGAIN (I despised this tune as a kid) has become my favorite on the album due to Clay's completely unique arrangement & interpretation. Much the same can be said of his version of Mr. Mister's BROKEN WINGS where he almost goes into Moody Blues territory. Each cover is given a twist that makes it a Clay Aiken song, almost to the point where I can't imagine anyone else singing them. And the 5 originals here (LONELY NO MORE & the haunting bonus song LOVER ALL ALONE, both co-written by Clay) are an interesting peek into what his third CD could have been had not the calculating Mr. Davis laid down the covers mandate. The best part is that Clay's vocals are much more mature & nuanced than on his first rather rushed, but highly successful debut, MEASURE OF A MAN.

This really is an exceptional album. Even though it is generally considered a "covers" album, there are actually a number of original tracks on here also. The outstanding song is the bonus track "Lover All Alone" with lyrics written by Clay Aiken and the music written by the great David Foster. Other tracks worth getting the album for are "Here You Come Again" which sounds totally different from the version by Dolly Parton, and "Broken Wings" which Clay had put a completely different twist to by featuring spoken-word vocals by poet Erin Taylor. Honestly, though, there isn't a single bad track on this album and it is a real pleasure to listen to.

I love his voice. He's a great singer!

Even though an album of covers may not be considered noteworthy by the music industry, you'd only be cheating yourself if you ignore "A Thousand Different Ways". It's one of the very few albums in my playlist that I never get tired of. Nobody can sing covers like Clay Aiken! He takes songs that we already know and love and updates them so they seem fresh and new again. I usually enjoy songs that might have a catchy tune, but I never really think about what the songwriter wanted to express with the lyrics. But Clay infuses each song with such understated raw emotion that I find myself listening with my heart and not just my ears. To me, that's what good music is all about! Every track is a winner, but the bonus track called "Lover All Alone" is an original that will become a timeless classic everyone can relate to. Clay wrote the lyrics himself and just that one song is worth the price of the album. Don't miss out on this one!