Enter Clay Aiken, one of the biggest fan favorites in Idol history. Though Aiken ended up being a runner-up, he instantly became one of the biggest names, rivaling Kelly's popularity when she debuted. And Aiken's fans became some of the most loyal around. Aiken's vocals soared, and his popularity was peaking. But then he seemed to just disappear. Now, three years later, Aiken returns with A Thousand Different Ways, hoping to rekindle his popularity. However, it may be difficult when his new disc is little more than a disc of cover songs. There are a few new tracks interspersed through the disc, but most of the tracks are covers of classic songs that most everyone knows.
Surprisingly, there is a decent amount of stuff that can be said positively about this disc. Aiken's vocals have not suffered in the past three years, and his range continues to be impressive. The lead single, Without You, takes him through the lower range and immediately into the higher notes, but Aiken does not falter on the track. I Want To Know What Love Is also takes Aiken into the higher end and he continues to impress.
Another great aspect of this disc is that, because these are songs that Aiken is covering, it does give the disc immediate sing-along capability. Songs like Right Here Waiting and Everything I Do (I Do It For You) are immediately recognizable, and Clay does actually do the songs justice. Basically, Clay knows how to sell a song, even if he's just revamping it.
That being said, A Thousand Different Ways doesn't exactly prove that he will have the staying power people expect (Remember, this is the man people called "The next Barry Manilow"). Cover songs are nice, especially when one can sing like Aiken, but he also needs to prove that he can put out more than a couple of original songs. If Clay wants to make a career out of singing other people's songs, that is fine. But if he is going to make his fans wait three years between discs, he needs to put out more than a sprinkling of new material.
Overall, A Thousand Different Ways does deliver when it comes to Clay's vocals. Nothing can really said about the disc lyrically, as he had no part in writing these songs. Musically, the disc definitely fits Clay's style. Still, there is something that leaves this disc wanting more. The lack of a solid base of original material keeps Clay from stamping his name on the music industry for years to come.