On My Way Here - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
Since shooting to stardom on the second season of American Idol, Clay Aiken, the Raleigh, NC, native with the powerhouse voice has become a international pop phenomenon who has sold six million albums. In addition, Aiken has launched eight live tours, made the New York Times best-seller list, and won several American Music and Billboard Music Awards. In January 2008, Aiken made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Monty Python's Spamalot.

When Clay began the search for songs to record for Aiken's first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man, he fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic front man Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics -- how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults -- struck such a deep chord with Aiken that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection.

To musically represent the album's lyrical theme, Aiken and Foster enlisted Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, who has worked with Sting, Chris Botti, and Julia Fordham.

Customer Reviews: Read 207 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

On his way May 7, 2008
90 out of 98 found this review helpful

with this excellent third cd by Clay Aiken. While its the first of his cds that i've bought. I found myself partial to the title song "On My Way Here" written by Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic). It starts off the album very well and Clay's voice handles each song like it is meant for that individual song.

While i enjoyed the album very much. I am really fond of certain tracks:

"On My Way Here"
"Ashes"
"Everything I Need"
"Something About Us"
"Falling"
"Where I Draw The Line"
"Weight of the World"
"Lover All Alone" a song he cowrote on

With this release Clay continues to cement himself firmly in the music business and should continue to have much success now and in the future with this one. I will look into his other cds and plan on buying at least another one of them in the next few months without question. He's a great talent that shouldn't be overlooked because of his AI connection or whatever other reason.

Purchase "On My Way Here" and hear the cd that has folks excited all over the country.

5 out of 5 stars

Clay's best effort to date May 6, 2008
62 out of 68 found this review helpful

Clay finally got a chance to make an album as HE wished it to be, and IMO he knocked it out of the ball park with every song. I enjoy the variety of song styles, which makes for a fantastic album overall. Great listening all the way through, over and over. Thoughtful lyrics throughout. I love it!

5 out of 5 stars

The Real Deal May 6, 2008
35 out of 38 found this review helpful

Clay Aiken's new CD seems to reflect his maturity as a performer, his balance in a life under the spotlight, and his integrity and confidence to say what he wants to say. How many pre-thirty-year-olds have accomplished what he has in life? Clay redefines "cool".

This album is rich, like a box of gourmet chocolates. Each song is a sweet taste of love, loss, living and giving. Rather than playing it straight through, savor each song (listen twice) and let the words speak to you.

4 out of 5 stars

A Wonderful Effort From Clay May 6, 2008
34 out of 35 found this review helpful

While the cover art may be questionable (a hair product promotional ad comes to mind), don't let it turn you away. Being an avid listener of Aiken's since his 'Idol' days, even I was skeptical after his last offering of covers.

I stand corrected.

This album deserves a very solid four stars, simply for the high quality of the music and performance. For a thirteen track disc (referring to the Wal-Mart edition - one bonus track not available through Amazon), I found it to be an amazingly strong product, leaps and bounds better than 'A Thousand Different Ways'.

In the music business - no matter how you try to reinvent yourself - it's key to find your niche and stick to it. With 'On My Way Here', Clay shows that not only is he certain that soft rock/adult contemporary is his strong point - he reveals an extreme confidence in staying with that genre. The tracks are well written, consisting of realistic themes and portraying simple emotions that the average fan will be able to identify with - and steering in the opposite direction of other 'artists' who fuel the 'sex sells' bandwagon. The orchestrations are smooth and full - a very nice complement to the rich, solid quality of Aiken's vocals.

'On My Way Here' is a collection that will appeal to listeners both young and old, a very nice mix of mid- to up-tempo pop songs and ballads that are an easy listen and will transfer nicely to the stage for any upcoming tour. Aiken has represented himself well with this outing - a fine effort that fans have been waiting for since his first album of original material.

Four stars and two thumbs up to this wonderful disc. Highly recommended!

3 out of 5 stars

Three and 1/2 stars May 13, 2008
34 out of 49 found this review helpful

There are some recording artists whose fans are so intense that it is genuinely difficult to ascertain whether or not a given album is any good based on customer reviews. I find this to be the case with Clay Aiken. Some fans are so rabidly loyal, anything less than a five star review will elicit concern and suspicion, or worst case, hatred and venom.

My wife is a huge Aiken fan, but I daresay she is not as big of a fan as some posting here. We have Clay Aiken magnets on our refrigerator. I buy all of his albums for her. As a surprise this past December, I took her to his Christmas concert. She loved it, while I found it pleasant but a tad boring for my tastes (he stood virtually motionless behind the microphone the entire show). For Christmas, I bought her a plane ticket to New York City and tickets to Spamalot so she could see his Broadway debut with a girlfriend. So she very much loves Clay Aiken, and I support and indulge this habit.

But were she to put an honest review for this album on this site, she would likely be lambasted as a "hater" or psychoanalyzed with suspicion. So I am posting the review she verbally told me last night, so her Amazon ratings will not suffer, but that her opinion might make it out there to other Clay fans who may wish to read an objective opinion on this recent album.

Last night, I asked her if she had listened to this new album all the way through. "Many, many times," she replied. "OK," I said, "so be honest. Five stars is like, The Beatles' 'Abbey Road' -- what does this album rank? Honestly." She paused. "Honestly? Maybe three or four stars."

I asked her if Clay had yet to record an album where the material matched his talent, nuance for nuance. "No." Such was the case with this album. Several pleasant songs, all around good to listen to, but nothing that made her crawl out of her skin the way I witnessed when AI season 2 was on the air. I'm telling you, there were weeks when I would just stare at the TV and say, "Damn, that kid is good," and she would have goosebumps rolling over her arms. But with this album? Not that level of joy for the listner, at least in her case.

In other words, there are true Clay fans out there who want to hear him belt out those spine tingling notes, those mega ballads, those chill-inducing tones the way only he can, time and time again, the way we did on AI. But in studio, for whatever reason, we just don't seem to have heard it.

This should not be misconstrued as people who are "haters," or "not listening to the same album" as others. Rather, it is people who have heard glimpses of an unspeakably amazing talent, and wished a studio would find material that matched it. We have not. And for my wife to say this album ranks at "Three, maybe four stars" does not make her a "hater." It makes her a realist. Not in the category of fans who discouraged her from ordering a reuben at the restaurant before one of his concerts (I'm not making this up -- the ladies looked at her and said, "You don't order THAT," because Ruben Studdard had beaten Clay in season 2).

But she is smart enough not to post her honest opinion here for fear the die-hard fans will retaliate against her, as has happened to others here.

All that being said, three-and-a-half stars is likely a fair assessment of this album from a true fan. As her husband, I will happily take the heat/hatred for this review. And I will also continue to buy all things Aiken for my wonderful wife, who I hope will someday tell me, "THIS album is FIVE STARS -- HONESTLY!" When that day comes, I will be the first to post the review. And I'll know it's time to buy two copies of that album -- one for her and one for me.

PS: Since posting this review, I've followed up in the "Comments" section, and have subsequently been asked to point people to the comments section for the perspective it provides. Thank you.

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