Finding His Voice --- and Mine

Sunday, May 15, 2005.


Discovering Clay Aiken was a shared experience between me and my sister and, as time goes by, she’s the one I share Clay with the most. That’s the pattern of my life, as much as I enjoy and value seeing what fans have to say on message boards. Lord help me if, instead of chatting about my interests with a few real life friends who shared them, I would have known that people went to the Internet to talk about The X Files or American pottery or ice skating. I might have been on the computer all day!

I have loved, supported, admired and enjoyed many musicians, writers, artists, dancers, actors, directors, and other creative types in the past, and I still do. I can think of two or three I’ve looked up on the world wide web, I’ve saved maybe a dozen magazines with landmark articles and I see my real favorites sometimes as much as twice per tour.

Clay is different. He requires a bit more of me.

That is why I write about him.

I am secure in knowing that the man and his music are part of my life now. I don’t need to spend long hours scouring the internet to make sure he’s still there.

Has my interest in Clay abated over time? Not at all. He still thrills me every time he opens his mouth to sing. He still makes me laugh, he still exasperates me, he still makes me dream. I like him. I admire him. I enjoy so much about him. I want to know everything about him that he is willing to share. I think he’s a mess. I think he’s a miracle. I don’t care if I agree with him about everything, because from the start I didn’t expect to. Between WWJD and True Love Waits, I had assumed he was far more conservative than I am, but I “loved” him all the same. That he is more moderate in some things and more liberal in others than I had believed is fine --- good, actually. It matters to me most that people are true to themselves, are not dismissive and judgmental and are free of racism, sexism and homophobia. He passes on every count.

I think Clay is a fundamentally good person. I’ve seen him make mistakes, and I see signs that he is learning and growing.

I see him exploring what music means to him. I love how he has worked through his songs again and again and again, trying to find their perfect expression. I loved and appreciated and admired his interpretation of "I Will Carry You" on Oprah. He did not walk through that performance. He considered it. He looked for subtleties and nuances in the song rather than glory noting his way through it --- that’s much harder for him, but probably more worthwhile artistically. (See kd lang, “Ingénue”.) The resonance in his voice was breathtaking --- clearly he is working to develop his gift and, to me, he is not settling for the easy road. He is learning from people with real experience and impressive associations, like Phil Ramone and Walter Afanasieff, producers of Clay's Merry Christmas With Love CD. He is taking from the substantial talents of those around him (pianist S’von Ringo is a wonderful musical partner, and I’m thrilled to see Andy Abad on guitar again) to develop his own unique voice. He is exploring and challenging himself. That is all I would ask of any artist.

There is music on both sides of his family, and Clay's great-grandfather and great uncle Joseph and Romie Aiken’s contributions to bluegrass/mountain music were significant enough to be collected in the Library of Congress. I wonder what that means to him. I wonder about the music he heard as a child and I think about what he chose to record when he was 19 and 20 --- everything from '60s R&B to pop songs to country to contemporary Christian. I would not say that the songs from the demos defined him, since they were a collection of songs he recorded in part for his mother, but they were still the songs of his choosing.

That was seven years ago. He is a different person now, and he has had experiences in his life in that span of time he would not have foreseen. He is now in a place where he did not intend to go --- he had made the choice to make his music, which I believe he loved, secondary to his education to become a teacher. Now he is in the act of learning this new life.

I don’t think his style is set at all, though there are some critics who love to label him. He is still discovering that style, and he is looking broadly, widely and deeply to find it. He is trying new styles and seeing what he wants to be musically. That’s encouraging to me.

Neither the songs he performed on the show (chosen to conform to the theme of the week) or the label selected songs on Measure of a Man define him --- there is a better clue to Clay's musical direction in the songs he has chosen for his tours. With a limited number of his own songs available, half of the playlist is Clay reinterpreting the work if other artists. Motown showed up again, as did ‘80s pop, as did a country flavor and some Christian contemporary and praise songs. (I believe he has possibly written a number of songs in exploring his faith.) So did several choices that can be called unexpected.

Clay may not be edgy, but that is not to say he cannot be bold. When the choice was his, he chose to cover Prince. He chose to cover U2. And I contend that for a pop artist to choose to present the dramatically (or melodramatically, to some) staged “You Were There” was an artistically bold choice, whether you loved it, as I did, or not.

He has mentioned his love for James Taylor --- and he’s covered "Sweet Baby James" lovingly and well. He has not, to date, covered the music of Jon Secada or Peter Cetera or Harry Connick Jr., influences he stated in the past. He’s done just one song by Elton John and by Sting and nothing by, say, Peter Gabriel or Steve Winwood. Those last four are comparisons, along with Connick, that would make slightly more sense than Bolton or Manilow, but they all have more industry respect than Clay's critics would give him by making those associations. Clay’s done nothing from the big band era, though I think the purity and strength of his voice would shine through on those standards. (I have believed that a CD of standards would be a great project for Clay when he is in his mid-30s, a decade into his professional career.)

I don’t know where he’s going, but I’ll gladly go with him. I like unexpected adventures.

As far as Clay’s musical direction is concerned, I hope that he will talk about it, not in a way to limit him, but instead to let people know that music matters to him. He could illuminate his musical influences and cast some light on how he is weaving those influences into music of his own. It is not important that that a man who is a quintessential vocalist also write songs of his own, but it is critical that those writing for him are completely in tune with who Clay is at his core and have a real understanding of his voice. He can make any set of words sound pretty, sound powerful, sound compelling, but I think that one of the tests of his artistry is to make the words personal. (Considering his personal history, I absolutely understand how he made “Solitaire” so powerful and so devastating.) That is how he will make the words of others into “Clay Aiken songs.”

His is a voice like no other, and I believe that he has it in him to become the foremost interpreter of a lyric of his generation. That kind of artistry was much honored once and, in his quest to become a different kind of pop star, it might be his challenge to see if he can cause the pendulum to swing in that direction once again.

The words and music of Bob Dylan, of Bruce Springsteen, of Joni Mitchell, of Bob Marley, of Lennon and McCartney, of Brian Wilson, of Bono, of Don Henley, of Van Morrison, of kd lang, of Chris Isaak, of Stevie Wonder, of Tupac, of Eminem, of Eddie Vedder, of Kurt Cobain, of India.arie, and of Sting describe their unique visions of their times, their places, their life experiences, their religions, their philosophies, their sense of fun, their interpersonal relationships, their politics and social causes, their world views. This is a personal musical description, not a set of limits --- the best of them has reinvented himself or herself again and again, as life and times have changed. Art is alive, and it changes those who observe it and those who make it.

Musically, who is Clay Aiken? What is important to him? What does he need to tell us? What motifs burn within him? What message is essential? What challenges him? What amuses him? What arouses him? What angers him? What soothes him? And what does he consider just plain fun?

Marketing questions are very interesting to me, but I will comment now on just a few aspects. I think it is essential for Clay to enter into collaborations with a few people who are completely unexpected.

And so, this message is for my favorite goofball:

Surprise us.

Clay, toss the skateboarders aside and have Spike Jonze direct your next video. Have him bring visual punch, unique storytelling abilities and a sense of WTH? to your next video.

Cause a few jaws to drop when Pharrell Williams is announced as your producer. His talent, artistry and musical vision is unquestioned among those who define what is hot and what is cool. Take a chance with someone new and fresh. Remember that you are young.

Then take a look back and combine your incredible instrument with the subtlety of Eric Clapton, the soul of Carlos Santana or the passion of Neil Young. Their proven talents transcend the generations, and there are early indications that your developing talents can, too. If one accepts you as a peer, you will find yourself at home with respected musicians.

And finally, tell your story to Cameron Crowe. Cameron loves music and loves musicians. He started to write about what music meant to his life when he was still a teenager and if he “gets you,” there’s no one better to help you gain a firm foothold as a serious musician. Look at “Say Anything”, “Singles” (that’s one of my credits) and “Almost Famous”, and read any of the dozens of profiles Cameron has written for Rolling Stone. Convince him, and you will be able to watch your serious critics fall away. (I know you’re not concerned with the haters, the too-cool crowd and the so-called comics, because they simply do not matter.)

Clay, I will never denigrate your love for teaching --- I know it is an essential part of you. But by calling your music career your Plan B, you have inadvertently left the impression with some that music simply isn’t that important to you. For all of those who could not imagine another course in life but to serve a love of music that is ingrained in their marrow, the impression some see is of someone with a lot of success but with little commitment. If you believe that provident direction has set this path for you, it is not bragging to acknowledge your musical talent; it is humbly acknowledging a blessing.

I believe that you love music. Pursuing art requires taking risks, and comes with more than a few surprises. Don’t be afraid to dream, to fail, to try. If you do those things, regardless of record sales or chart positions, you will achieve success and satisfaction.

Keep feeding your soul --- and ours --- with your music.